For our final installment of Ruff Reads for the season, we’re discussing a piece that has been called “a decolonization of the novel” and a “fierce reclamation of Anishnaabe aesthetics”. We can’t wait to get into it.
Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Thursday July 28th at 8pm on Zoom
DM us or contact ruffreads@shakespeareintheruff.com for the Zoom link. (Don’t have time to read the book but still interested in the conversation? Join us anyway!)
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Friends, we are excited to invite you to a FREE Shakespeare in the Ruff Community Event on June 29th from 6pm – 8pm in between the tress (Jack and Diane) where we seasonally perform.
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Turning away from Shakespeare’s original and towards our summer production, Ruff Reads delves into a book that has had great influence on playwright PJ Prudat and Otîhêw, her Indigenous, fur trade-era reimagining of Othello.
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Otîhêw
Written by PJ Prudat
Directed by Philip Geller
Shakespeare in the Ruff presents Otîhêw, an Indigenous reimagining of Shakespeare’s Othello by PJ Prudat.
Set during the fur trade era, Otîhêw is the story of an Indigenous woman warrior bound in the historical “custom-of-the-country” to Desmond, a fur-trader under HBC conquest. Otîhêw will be directed by Philip Geller.
Seeking:
Composer/Musician – Proficient with strings and drums. Familiar with composing atmospheric and non-diegetic sound. Will accompany every performance live. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists will be prioritized.
Otîhêw
Written by PJ Prudat
Directed by Philip Geller
Shakespeare in the Ruff presents Otîhêw, an Indigenous reimagining of Shakespeare’s Othello by PJ Prudat.
Set during the fur trade era, Otîhêw is the story of an Indigenous woman warrior bound in the historical “custom-of-the-country” to Desmond, a fur-trader under HBC conquest. Otîhêw will be directed by Philip Geller.
Seeking:
Magpie – Female/non-binary identifying – Age 25+ – Indigenous.
Outlier and fiercely defended by sister Otîhêw. She is the oracular voice and their language is expressed through strong physicality.
Hamish (Iago) – Any gender – Age 30+ – Indigenous.
Not your typical Iago. Fuelled by an insatiable hunger for control, they are the colonial construct of a perfect storm. Sibling to Otîhêw.
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What happens when Shakespeare’s Othello is transposed to a suburban Washington middle school in the 1970s? Let’s find out.
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At Shakespeare in the Ruff, we have always offered training opportunities for professional artists. That has taken the form of Shakespearean Masterclasses with top classical actors, audition workshops, and more recently as our Reimagining the Canon workshop for creators interested in adaptation. But we also wanted to offer something to you, our Ruff audiences and supporters, who may have a passion for theatre, language, and Shakespeare, but don’t practice it professionally.
A Ruff Reads Special Event on the 25th Anniversary of the premiere of Harlem Duet
Supported by Toronto Fringe.
There have been many theatrical adaptations, reinterpretations, and explorations of Othello over the years, including this legendary Canadian play which premiered 25 years ago.
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What are the stories you wish to write? What myths in the world do you hope to tackle, or challenge, or celebrate? What is the story inside of you, as a performer, deviser, designer, whatever path you tread, that you want to share? How do we collide the diversity of truths in our world into compelling, intimate, powerful theatre?
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