Sask. theatre troupe reimagines Shakespeare for student ahead of international debut [Video]

Iago Speaks was written by award-winning playwright Daniel Macdonald, whose work has been recognized by the Carol Bolt Award and the Saskatchewan Book Awards. He has twice received the City of Regina Writing Award, along with the Enbridge Playwrights Award and the Saskatchewan Arts Award. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW staff)

The play picks up after Shakespeare’s Othello, imagining what happens to Iago after he’s arrested. A jailer, baffled by Iago’s silence, gradually breaks theatrical convention and questions the structure of plays themselves. Performed with modern language and a comedic tone, it uses Shakespeare as a springboard to explore themes of storytelling and performance.

Staged at the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts, the play drew students from North Battleford Comprehensive High School who laughed along as the actors stepped out of the story to speak to the crowd.

Joshua Beaudry, who plays the jailer, said the format is especially effective for teens who might not enjoy traditional Shakespeare …