Casting Complete for Othello, Starring Ortiz and Hoffman

Complete casting has been announced for the forthcoming production of Othello starring John Ortiz in the title role and Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman as Iago. A joint production of the Public Theater and LAByrinth Theater Company, the play will have a limited engagement of 23 performances, beginning September 12 at the NYU Skirball Center, directed by Peter Sellars.

Joining Ortiz and Hoffman will be Julian Acosta (Penalties and Interest) as Roderigo, Gaius Charles (TV’s Friday Night Lights) as Duke/Lodovico, Jessica Chastain (Rodney’s Wife) as Desdemona, Liza Colon-Zayas (The Little Flower of East Orange) as Emilia; Saidah Arrika Ekulona (Ruined as Montano/Bianca and LeRoy McClain (The Good Negro) as Cassio.

Sellars, an internationally known opera director, will stage a “contemporary production” of Othello, according to a news release. The staging “explores the new prospects for hope in 21st-century America, giving the play a modern resonance that raises a mirror to our culture’s racial struggles and achievements, both darkened and illuminated by overwhelming personal and political yearning.”

Othello will feature scenic design by Gregor Halzinger, costume design by Mimi O’Donnell, lighting design by James F. Ingalls and original music and sound design by Mark Grey.

The play is being presented in association with Wiener Festwochen, Vienna, and Schauspielhaus Bochum and by special arrangement with NYU Skirball Center.