Concept...

The directors wanted a dark and moody atmosphere to be portrayed uniquely, unlike any other performance of Othello ever performed. In terms of the characters the directors wanted a growing tension between Othello and Desdemona to be shown through the increasing violence and physical abuse between the two characters. The directors wanted a strong connection between Emilia and Othello which inspired thoughts of hatred and fury with a growing passion between them as they both loved Desdemona. They also hoped to be able to portray a deep bond between Emilia and Desdemona as she lay on her death bed. The directors wanted the piece to be relatively suggestive in terms of sexual tension and to be emotive for the audience watching. They wanted the audience to feel confused about the piece and to not know how to react to Desdemona’s strangulation and Othello’s attack on Emilia. The characters Emilia and Desdemona were pictured to be the opposites in terms of characterization, with Emilia being stronger than Desdemona despite her lesser status. Because our Othello was being played by a red-headed actor the directors did not want to try and change his cultural appearance. Instead they looked at his hair colour as a means of causing him strife and making him an outsider. A candle was designed to be symbolic of the light and life and by choosing to use only one prop, it gave it importance.  The scene is designed to be set inside Desdemona’s bedroom, very minimalistic with a basic set because then the audience will be able to focus on the emotion portrayed by the actors instead of the set.