Shakespeare on the Sound Coming to Rye Area

Free Shakespeare on the Sound, anyone?

That is the question that will be answered tonight when the Rye Free Reading Room presents a lecture on William Shakespeare's "Othello" by Yale University professor and Rye resident Mark Schenker.

But even if you miss the talk, the Rye library lecture is a curtain raiser of sorts for Shakespeare on the Sounds' (SOS) free upcoming performances of the play at nearby parks in Connecticut in the days and weeks to come.

Schenker's lecture will focus on why "Othello" is more intimate in scale and theme among Shakespeare's major tragedies because it does not focus on the killing of a king (as in "Hamlet" and "Macbeth") nor the abdication of one (as in "King Lear") but instead probes the personal rather than the political –the love of a Moor (Othello), an upwardly mobile heroic military general, for the fair Venetian Desdemona.

More intimate in scale and theme, the domestic tragedy narrows its focus from the affairs of state to those of the heart. Unaware that the opportunistic Iago is manipulating his idealistic nature, Othello, driven almost mad with jealousy about an alleged affair between the innocent Desdemona and his lieutenant, Cassio, Othello tragically chooses the destruction of his love and himself.

What makes the talk almost as intriguing as the subject matter is the fact that Rye is the only place in Westchester where the talk and lecture will be given outside of Connecticut.

"Why?" Patch asked the SOS braintrust.

"Because Rye represents exactly the kind of literate, upscale, well-educated and appreciative community that we are trying to attract to come to our performances from Westchester –and besides Mark is from Rye, loves Shakespeare and Rye, and thought it would be the perfect place to discuss 'Othello,' in Westchester," said Emily Bryan, SOS managing director and a former Shakespeare professor herself.

SOS has been staging free Shakespeare on the Sound events for 15 seasons now, she said, and it brings Equity (all professional) actors, many from Joe Papp's famed Public Theatre of Shakespeare in the Park to these parts.

"To be able to share a corner of the park, a night of Shakespeare's verse under the stars, a glass of wine or a lobster roll is an unforgettable and magical experience…a demonstration of the importance of art and community in America," she said, describing how the parks will be a stage for these performances in Rowayton and Greenwich in the next few weeks.

Joanna Settle, director of  "Othello," said the production, which has been staged in a Connecticut backdrop by the water very similar to Rye Town Park, is engaging because audiences can relate to its themes. 

"I find it very theatrical, and even engaging of citizenship itself, for us to gather together as a community –neighbor to neighbor –and explore our private lives. Themes of jealousy, marital disputes, lying and prejudice –this play is made of the stuff we'd prefer to keep quiet," she said.

The play is set to music by the composer known simply as Stew, the recipient of Broadway's 2008 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for "Passing Strange."

Rye's Schenker is currently an Associate Dean of the College and Dean of Academic Affairs at Yale, received his Ph.D. in English Literature from Columbia University, has taught at his alma mater, New York University and Trinity College. He has been at Yale since 1990 and has led book discussion series in public libraries in Connecticut for more than 20 years through programs sponsored by the Connecticut Humanities Council. And now he is bringing it all home to Rye for the first time with "Othello."

Further information on the lecture call 914-967-0480. SOS: 203-299-1300; e-mail: info@shakespeareonthesound.org; "Othello" productions through Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at Pinckney Park, 177 Rowayton Ave., Stamford, Conn., through Sunday, June 27, and in Greenwich, Baldwin Park July 2-11, same time every night except Mondays.