Othello
Directed by Tanya Gerstle
11 SEP — 28 SEP 2025
Approx. 90 Minutes with No Interval
fortyfivedownstairs
This September, we are proud to present a riveting new adaptation of Othello, directed by the acclaimed Tanya Gerstle. In her signature bold and immersive style, Gerstle strips Shakespeare’s tragedy to its raw essence, with a powerful five-actor ensemble delivering an intense, deeply human exploration of jealousy, power, and betrayal.
A gripping, unflinching take on one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, this intimate and electrifying production is not to be missed.
★★★★ - The Age
'A striking example of how to edit Shakespeare for the stage.'
★★★★ - ArtsHub
'A fast moving and intense performance that reflects the play’s continuing relevance.'
Director's Note
‘Bibliotherapy is the practice of using literature and storytelling to help people deal with emotional, psychological and social challenges’. Inscriptions over libraries in Thebes and Alexandria – ‘healing place of the soul’- suggest that this idea goes back to ancient times. Perhaps grappling with Shakespeare’s heightened, poetic text still serves a function for both actors and audience today. Right now, we need all the healing we can get.
In our Othello - stripped bare, war is the land of the damaged. The men return, scared, shattered and untethered. Imprinted images explode in their brains. These men are weaponised, male mentorship is corrupted and the women in their lives are collateral damage. Although written in 1604, Othello holds up a mirror to our times. Men are still killing their intimate partners at alarming rates and despite the advances in civilization and the rapidity of technological change, war is still entrenched as a preferred form of dispute
resolution.
Sharing a space in the dark with strangers, listening to poetry and watching a story unfold
might be an antidote, just for a moment, to a world we don’t recognise anymore.
- Tanya Gerstle
