Switch Theatre presents Shakespeare’s “Othello” at Southern Village

ARTS AND CULTURE

By Randy B. Young
Correspondent

Outdoor theater is organic, vibrant, and a welcome element in any community. It enriches the soul and informs healthy discussions. To wit, a Shakespeare-in-the-Park performance poses unique challenges, resulting in a different show with each performance.

As fate would have it, preparation for the staging of Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Othello: Moor of Venice” on Chapel Hill’s Southern Village green this past Saturday night were more befitting a scene from “The Tempest.”

An hour before the Triangle-based Switch Theatre Company 6:30 p.m. performance, rains poured, winds blew furiously, and actors huddled in costume. As it’s said, “the show must go on,” however, and that delighted hundreds of playgoers as umbrellas were folded and the rains abated.

The Switch Theatre Company 90-minute production was free and marked the homestretch of the troupe’s comeback season. Switch staged “Othello” in Raleigh, Durham, Knightdale, and Chapel Hill. Upcoming performances are scheduled for Apex and Cary over the following weeks.

Hundreds of live theater enthusiasts weathered the early rains to enjoy Switch Theatre Company’s production of “Othello” at the Southern Village amphitheater Saturday. Photo by Randy B. Young.

Such stuff as dreams are made…

The Switch Theatre Company has adapted to changing times by telling stories with modern and diverse voices, according to a release.

“Our mission is to engage, entertain, and inspire residents of the greater Triangle area with productions of new works and reimagined classic plays,” the release added.

A non-profit organization, Switch relies on the support of entities such as the Hayti Heritage Center, the Town of Knightdale, the AJ Fletcher Foundation, and the parks departments of Raleigh, Durham, Cary, and Chapel Hill.

“I feel that we’re lucky to be able to put this show up,” Othello director Asia Mark said, “because a lot of folks have lost their grants and funding this year.”

The green-eyed monster

The play tells the story of Othello, a brave and passionate general who is undone by the schemes of his trusted but duplicitous ensign Iago, according to a Switch Theatre Company release.

Switch Theatre Company’s production preserves the classic language and core story of the full play, which is one of Shakespeare’s final and best works.

Director Asia Mark admitted that there was very little adaptation or modernization in the choice of casting “Othello,” which is the only Shakespearean play featuring a black lead character, here embodied by local actor John Frazier.

Trained in musical theater in New York, Marissa Joy plays Desdemona, doomed by her fidelity to Othello’s declining mental state.

Veteran stage and screen actor Patrick Lescarbeau, who embodies the notoriously nefarious Iago, jokingly argued that his character is misunderstood.

“When we were playing at NC State and I was introduced, everyone groaned, but I was like, ‘You don’t even know me,’” he said laughing. “Iago is the hero of this play, and nobody gets it.”

Then again, as Iago himself might caution us, “Never trust a villain that smiles too much.”

After storms departed, Switch Theatre Company’s Charles Machalicky welcomed hundreds of theater fans to “Othello” at the Southern Village green. Photo by Randy B. Young

A Comedy of ‘Eras’

Perhaps the enduring magic of Shakespeare’s work lies in its ability to address the human essence, characterized by emotions such as love, loss, jealousy, greed, and ambition.

“(Shakespeare’s) characters have an emotional reality that transcends time,” the website Britannica said, “and his plays depict familiar experiences, ranging from family squabbles to falling in love to war.”

“The beauty of all of these plays, especially with Shakespeare’s tragedies, is that they lack one thing which would end the play in act one: communication,” said Lescarbeau (Iago), who has appeared in numerous feature films (i.e., “Stroke of Luck,” “Breaking the Loop”).

“This is my fourth or fifth Shakespeare show,” Joy (Desdemona) said. “(It’s especially relevant) with the politics right now…Last year, I was in ‘The Tempest,’ where I played Prospero, and it was interesting to see the themes of that story play out about banishment to a different place.”

“Shakespeare was one of the first authors who wrote blocking,” Frazier (Othello) said. “He wrote memorization cues into his script. When he wrote plays, actors had to memorize their lines in a week or two, so pick-up cues were very important. The blocking helps as mnemonics for that.”

“The play’s the thing…”

While director Asia Mark could have adapted the play (written circa 1603) to another time period or even the modern day, she felt that the traditional tale of prejudice, love, jealousy, and power was universal.

“I thought about changing the time periods,” she said, “but this makes more sense to see how relevant these ideas still are now.”

“Greed still occurs,” said Lescarbeau, “and also gaslighting still occurs—Iago is an expert. These are timeless archetypes that play on human emotions.”

Along with the specter of racism which permeates the play, Mark was also struck by the plights of the female characters.

“There’s a lot of relevance currently,” she said, “especially when you think what these women have gone through. No one in the play listens to them, and it ends up with their demise. That’s something we encounter nowadays with our leaders…A lot of our leaders are just manipulative.”

While open-air productions may harken back to the way Shakespeare’s plays were staged initially (such as at the Globe Theatre in London), it can provide for some whimsical unpredictability for both actors and audiences.

“I have a couple costume changes, and there’s just a tent outside,” Joy said, “and I had to adjust to changing outside, but last week the tent blew away.”

“We kept going,” Frazier (Othello) said, “but it was interesting to be on stage and see it blow away in our periphery while you’re trying to remain in character.”

“As We Like It”

Switch Theatre Company’s Charlie Machalicky said that crowds have been robust and enthusiastic for this year’s performances.

I heard about it through ‘Triangle on the Cheap,”’ Laura Cigna said Saturday evening. “But I’ve never been to Shakespeare in the Park until now. I like it, and it’s free. I saw ‘Othello’ many years ago—in high school—and it’s a great play.

Another playgoer said she had been to New York to see Shakespeare in Central Park and loved the open-air aspects to the performance.

“I love the outdoor elements that the actors have to interface with, and it makes each show unique,” she said.

“Tomorrow and Tomorrow…”

Performances of “Othello” continue this weekend with more performances, including shows this Sunday, June 8, at both 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Apex Nature Park Amphitheatre.

The show will finish its run with four shows at the Sertoma Amphitheatre at Bond Park in Cary—Saturday, June 14 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and again on Sunday, Jun 15 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

For further information and more details on how to access free tickets, visit the website https://switchtheatreco.org/shows/othello.

Machalicky noted that Switch Theatre Company is already putting the finishing touches on its 2025/2026 season.

“We have our whole season planned for next year,” he said. “There’ll be another Shakespeare in the Park. It’s been a huge success, and the host cities want to do it again, so hopefully it’ll be even bigger and better than this year.”

For those interested in catching “Othello” this month, however, make haste: “We do not see the things we have because they may take too long to appreciate.”

Left to right, Switch Theatre Company’s John Frazier (Othello), Marissa Joy (Desdemona), and Patrick Lescarbeau (Iago) were featured performers in Shakespeare’s “Othello” at Southern Village Saturday. Production still courtesy of Switch Theatre Company.

A Dartmouth College graduate, Randy B. Young first worked as an award-winning advertising copywriter in New Hampshire, then in communications at UNC for over 30 years. He maintained an award-winning newspaper feature covering Recreation and Exercise in the Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Orange County. Retired and living in Chapel Hill, Randy continues to write for regional publications both locally and in New England, and his book, And the Stars Flew With Us, is available through Amazon and at independent bookstores. He coaches track at Chapel Hill High and has a photography business, Pierless (sic) Photography. This reporter can be reached at: Information@TheLocal Reporter.press