Frantic Assembly announces cast for ”Othello” tour

Frantic Assembly has announced casting for its upcoming tour of Othello, which opens at Curve Theatre Leicester on 19 September.

Michael Akinsulire (ITV’s Trigger Point and Stephen) will play Othello, alongside Joe Layton (The Unreturning, Frantic Assembly; Young Wallander, Netflix) as Iago.

Chanel Waddock (Rock, Paper, Scissors) will play Desdemona, Oliver Baines (I Like The Way You Move) will play Montano, Tom Gill (Vigil, BBC) will play Cassio, Felipe Pacheco (The Responder, BBC) will play Roderigo, Hannah Sinclair Robinson (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) will play Bianca, Kirsty Stuart (I Think
We Are Alone, Frantic Assembly) will play Emilia, and Matthew
Trevannion (War Horse, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-Time) will play Brabantio.

Five members of the Othello cast and creative team are past graduates of Frantic Assembly’s Ignition programme – Layton, Baines, Pacheco, associate director David Gilbert and co-choreographer Perry Johnson.

Frantic Assembly co-founder and artistic director Scott Graham said: “It is wonderful to be able to take our work back out on tour, to connect and demonstrate the talent of this brilliant cast within a story that feels as urgent and thrilling as ever.”

Othello is directed by Graham, who is joined on the creative team by designer Laura Hopkins, lighting designer Natasha Chivers, associate lighting designer Matt Whale, sound designer Gareth Fry, associate sound designer Rob Parkinson, music director Hybrid, and casting director Will Burton CDG.

Originally presented in 2008 and 2014, this updated version is a co-production with Curve Theatre Leicester. After its run at Curve, it will tour to Liverpool Playhouse, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Theatre Royal York, Yvonne Arnaud Guildford, Oxford Playhouse, The Lowry Salford Quays, MAST Mayflower Studios Southampton, Connaught Theatre, Worthing and the Lyric Hammersmith.

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