Sunday evening, I dragged my reluctant, yet supportive, boyfriend to the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival to experience the play Othello. I was somewhat excited but mostly not. I had been to the festival before, years ago when I was little kid, also dragged reluctantly by my mother.  When we arrived there was not very many people and as we waited not many more showed up. The set was very interestingly angled towards the crowd sitting on very uncomfortable benches. I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to start. When the play did start I was immediately confused by the casting selections, since Othello is originally a very race oriented play. I thought it was interesting but very hard to follo

The play Othello is about a black officer whose marriage to a white woman ends very tragically due to the ingenious scheming of an "honest" friend of Othello. I love the storyline of Othello. I had seen the movie Othello starring Laurence Fishbourne about 10 years ago and again about 1 month ago. I read the play, also about 1 month ago, and even read another book, "Othello - Shakespeare Made Easy" so that I would be able to better interpret the language in the play. I had even seen a very contemporary version of the play in a movie called "O" starring Mekhi Phifer and Julia Stiles. So it seemed fitting that the only thing left for me to see was a live performance of the play that I love s

The Sacramento Shakespeare Festival held its 25th Anniversary this year, so at William A. Carroll Amphitheatre in William Land Park, the City Theatre at Sacramento City College put on "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Othello". Being a Shakespeare fan, and enjoying both plays, I decided to go and see "Othello". On Thursday night, July 22nd, I drove to Land Park, parked my car next to the zoo, and walked on up the entrance of the theatre. The price was a little high, $15 for students, but I was hoping the play would deliver. The William A. Carroll Amphitheatre has quite a nice atmosphere. As you walk down a stone pathway, on either side of you are green, wooden benches that slope down to the

Summer has arrived! It is during this time of year that Sacramento City College’s “City Theatre” puts on their Annual Sacramento Shakespeare Festival. Many years have passed where I have missed the opportunity to partake in the festivities, but not this year! July 10th I dressed up in appropriate Sacramento Summer attire (think tank top for triple-digit heat and layers for when the sun goes down) and made my way out to William A. Carroll Amphitheatre at William Land Park. While the theatre was a tad bit tricky to find being tucked away on the opposite side of the Sacramento Zoo, I found the perfect parking spot and happily made my way to the box office. At the box office I was greeted wi

 “Othello, the Moor of Venice” took the stage of the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival on Friday. It’s the story of Othello, a black general, who marries Desdemona, a white woman, and the cruel machinations of Iago, Othello’s old comrade. The production is set in late 1920s New Orleans and features flapper dresses for the women and, oddly, Civil War-like uniforms for the soldiers. Notable performances included Greg Jolivette in the title role, Tim Sapunor as Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, and Roderigo Breton as a flippant Iago. The highlight of the show, however, was a touching performance by Christine Nicholson as Iago’s wife, Emilia. Through her sometimes doddering character, the audie

 With the summer heat getting suddenly hotter and the evenings getting just right, Sacramento can always count on one thing for summer: The Sacramento Shakespeare Festival. Celebrating it’s 25th year, the festival is at its peak, and continues to entertain locals and draw travelers with its amalgam of brilliant plays, community atmosphere and local talent. “It’s a little bowl in a park that gets filled up,” actor and student Anthony Person, 25, said. “Families come out and they bring their picnics, and they come and they see a good night of theater.” This year’s roster boasts two of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a tale of fairies, young lovers and