African-American Shakespeare Company

San Francisco, California

African-American Shakespeare Company was established in 1994 by professional theater artists from the American Conservatory Theatre as an alternative answer to the “color-blind casting” initiative that began in the early 1990s. African-American Shakespeare Company was inspired to highlight these artists' dynamic cultural vibrancy within classical productions. For more than 14 years, the company has produced more than 30 productions, toured to schools, and has reached 105,000 patrons through mainstage productions and arts-education programs. The goal is to bring the classics to a diverse community in a way that would appeal to their aesthetic; the overall vision and desire is to demonstrate through the arts our universal similarities by sharing, appreciating, and nurturing the human spirit through art. The company's distinctive productions have included a hip-hop version of Macbeth, a version of Othello set in a law office with Iago as a Black woman, The Importance of Being Earnest set in the Harlem Renaissance, and a Gospel version of Antigone.

As part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, African-American Shakespeare Company will celebrate its 15th-anniversary year with Othello, one of the most-pivotal and most-requested productions in its history. The production will incorporate the image of a chess game in the floor; drapes will line the perimeter, which will be altered to indicate different areas of place; and multi-media imagery of headline news, audio/radio announcements, and projections will be shown on the drapes throughout the performance. Othello will be an integral part of the African-American Shakespeare Company's continuing mission to expand the awareness of classical works to African-American youth, and it will be presented in a two-part format. The company will tour a 45-minute production to partner schools that have expressed interest in hosting a performance; this abridged version takes the key elements of the play, utilizing six professional actors, and will travel for two weeks to schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to the performance, teaching artists will provide a 10-hour-long, complimentary arts-education program at each partner school.

Visit them at: www.african-americanshakes.org