BU School of Theatre Presents Desdemona and Emilia in Repertory this April at Booth Theatre
Empowering explorations of womanhood and amplifying historically marginalized voices from the Renaissance are what BU’s productions of Desdemona and Emilia have in common.
Boston University School of Theatre Presents DESDEMONA, a play about a handkerchief, and Emilia in Repertory this April at Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
Produced in repertory, Desdemona retells Shakespeare’s Othello from the perspective of the play’s tragic heroine; and Emilia seeks to resurface their erased story from history.
Empowering explorations of womanhood and amplifying historically marginalized voices from the Renaissance are what Boston University’s productions of DESDEMONA, a play about a handkerchief, and Emilia have in common. The shows, produced in repertory by BU College of Fine Arts School of Theatre, will be performed in April on the mainstage at BU’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre.
DESDEMONA, a play about a handkerchief, written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel, is directed by Grant Sorenson (CFA’25) and runs from April 16-19, 2025. As the wrongly accused and suffering wife of Shakespeare’s Othello, Desdemona has long been viewed as the “victim of circumstance.” But as Vogel demonstrates in her comic deconstruction of Shakespeare’s play, Desdemona was far from the quivering naïf we’ve all come to know.
Running April 25-27, is Emilia by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and directed by Taylor Stark (CFA’25). A riotous, witty reclaiming of the life of an exceptional woman. Four hundred years ago, Emilia Bassano wanted her voice to be heard. It wasn’t. Could she have been the ‘Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare’s sonnets? What of her own poetry? Why was her story erased from history? In Malcolm’s electrifying play, Emilia and her sisters reach out across the centuries with passion, fury, laughter and song.
“We are thinking of these two pieces less in repertory and more in conversation with each other since they run back-to-back rather than alternating performances,” says Sorenson, the director of Desdemona. “The two plays were selected to be produced together because of the shared themes and content between them, but they are also completely unique shows in their voices and storytelling. Ultimately, both plays speak very loudly and individually in their own right, which has been really exciting to put up next to each other and see where they overlap and where they diverge from each other.”
Sorenson goes on to explain how some aspects of the productions are shared, such as the scenic and lighting design teams collaborating to produce an environment that could contain both plays, whereas the two plays have different actors, costume designers, and sound designers. “What I love about Emilia is that in one scene, they go to see a production of Othello, so the characters in Desdemona also appear in Emilia, but in a different context and played by different actors. It’s meta and a great little detail that links the two plays in an unexpected way,” adds Sorenson.
For Stark, repertory through the lens of Desdemona and Emilia refers to two things. “One, programming two shows back to back that have related themes and, two, telling two different stories in a shared space. In other words, the set is the same for both shows which directly lends itself to conversations about how the two works connect. In fact, Emilia sort of picks up where Desdemona leaves off and deliberately takes over the Booth space to tell the next story.”
It has been a really fulfilling process working alongside Taylor and her team for Emilia while I have been developing Desdemona with my team; we have had to engage with the plays on their own terms but also as a package and that has made both of us really consider the how and the why of doing these plays. Why are we telling these stories now, and how do we tell them in the most resonant way? Both plays are about fighting to speak freely and fearlessly in times of oppression. Now more than ever it is crucial that the theatre we produce and consume can act as a call to action.
We worked as a group to come up with a space that feels true to both the world of Desdemona and Emilia. These conversations included both directors, both scenic designers, both production managers – you get the idea. This has been a great exercise in collaboration. We throw that word around all the time in theatre but it has been exciting to watch two lighting designers working together to create a plot that works for both of them or seeing two different costume designers take on these historically-inspired pieces in their own ways. Grant and I have been on the same page about the themes that feel important to us in these two productions since day one.
General admission is $20 + $2.50 (convenience fee). Free and discounted tickets are available for the BU community. Contact officebx@bu.edu for more information.
DESDEMONA, a play about a handkerchief
Presented by Boston University School of Theatre
Written by Paula Vogel
Directed by Grant Sorenson (CFA’25)
SHOW DATES & TIMES
April 16-19, 2025
- Wednesday, April 16 • 7:30pm
- Thursday, April 17 • 7:30pm
- Friday, April 18 • 7:30pm
- Saturday, April 19 • 11am
TICKETS
General admission is $20 + $2.50 (convenience fee). Free and discounted tickets are available for the BU community. Contact officebx@bu.edu for more information.
LOCATION
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
820 Commonwealth Avenue, Brookline, MA 02446
parking, directions, public transit
“The casts for these two productions are made up of incredibly talented young performers from the undergraduate BFA Acting Class of 2025. These actors are going to tear it up onstage. Desdemona is going to feature a lot of original movement choreographed by School of Theatre senior Jayce Ross (CFA’25). The production is inspired by pop concerts and how electric those experiences can be. Paula Vogel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, and her investigation of Shakespeare’s female characters in Othello will rip your heart out whether you’re a Shakespeare nerd or have never read any of his plays before. As for Emilia, it’s going to feel like an EVENT. Taylor works with site-specific theatre a lot so even though the play is happening in a theater, you can also expect some surprises and a very good time.”
-Grant Sorenson (CFA’25), DESDEMONA, a play about a handkerchief, director
Emilia
Presented by Boston University School of Theatre
Written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm
Directed by Taylor Stark (CFA’25)
SHOW DATES & TIMES
April 25-27, 2025
- Friday, April 25 • 7:30pm
- Saturday, April 26 • 2pm
- Saturday, April 26 • 7:30pm
- Sunday, April 27 • 2pm
TICKETS
General admission is $20 + $2.50 (convenience fee). Free and discounted tickets are available for the BU community. Contact officebx@bu.edu for more information.
LOCATION
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
820 Commonwealth Avenue, Brookline, MA 02446
parking, directions, public transit
“First things first: audiences should definitely plan to see both shows! Not only to see how we are using the space differently, but these two plays are naturally very much in conversation with each other and we are leaning into that. Secondly, both of these shows are rich, deep, joyful, heart-wrenching, empowering explorations of womanhood through vastly different styles. Desdemona is going to be like watching a transformative rock concert. Emilia is going to be like going to a great party.”
-Taylor Stark (CFA’25), Emilia director
ABOUT REPERTORY THEATRE
FROM THE DIRECTORS’ PERSPECTIVES
I think repertory work is incredible, and I wish there were more opportunities to work in this way in the American theatre. It was the main way theatre companies worked in the regional theatre boom of the 50’s and 60’s – a season of repertory plays running concurrently and a group of actors getting to flex their skills across a range of genres and styles. It really forces collaboration, agility, flexibility, and imagination for everyone involved.
-Grant Sorenson
This has been a great exercise in collaboration. We throw that word around all the time in theatre but it has been exciting to watch two lighting designers working together to create a plot that works for both of them or seeing two different costume designers take on these historically-inspired pieces in their own ways.
-Taylor Stark
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Established in 1954, Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is a community of artist-scholars and scholar-artists who are passionate about the fine and performing arts, committed to diversity and inclusion, and determined to improve the lives of others through art. With programs in Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts, CFA prepares students for a meaningful creative life by developing their intellectual capacity to create art, shift perspective, and think broadly. CFA offers a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, as well as a range of online degrees and certificates. Learn more at bu.edu/cfa
The School of Theatre at Boston University College of Fine Arts offers conservatory-style education for the study of acting, stage management, design, production, and all aspects of the theatre profession within the setting of a major research university. The School of Theatre seeks to provide students with opportunities for artistic growth through a rigorous curriculum, professional connections, and an emphasis on collaboration and new work. Learn more about the current BU School of Theatre production season at bu.edu/cfa/theatre/season.