A Question of Iago at Univeristy of Derby

Students from The University of Derby’s Theatre in the Community module of an English Literature course, worked with theatre director Ben Spiller to explore the character Lago in Shakespeare’s Othello.

As part of our continued collaborations with 1623 Theatre, Destinations Arts documented the workshop and gave students the chance to film a short sequence and direct Actor Chris Macaualay to camera.

After introductions, Ben led students thru a reading of Lago’s key monologues, the group then used this text to get under the skin of Lago so that they could to better understand his motivations. Understanding a characters motivation is one of the key concerns of a successful director

Students directed Chris’s performance in a variety of stage settings including, Proscenium Arch, Thrust, Promenade, Corridor, and In The Round.  After giving feedback to the performer, students had the opportunity to operate the camera and direct the performance using a variety of shots.

The students course module explores models of theatre in non-traditional settings, and the session helped students explore the creative interpretation process between text and performance and to deepen their understanding of performance.

“Thank you once again for a marvellous session with 1623 and all your amazing associates.
The students were suitably impressed with all your hard work an really appreciated the role f the director and the actor.