The Moors

Structured like a five-act romantic comedy, ‘The Moors’ will examine all three of Shakespeare’s iconic black characters – Othello, Aaron (Titus Andronicus) and The Merchant of Venice’s Prince of Morocco – through a contemporary lens. In staging a present-day tale of love, friendship and ambition in the context of the refugee crisis and the UK’s hostile environment, ‘The Moors’ brings a fresh perspective to these well-known characters out of their established context.

‘The Moors’ tells the story of two refugees who say they are from Balaika, Africa and land in London in a search for Shakespeare; his stories are exactly like their lived experience, they claim. Finding themselves on stage at The Globe and drawing an audience with their ‘authentic’ African style – they impress the people at the Globe because they make Shakespeare’s stories feel like real life experience. Will interference from immigration bungle their rise to love and glory? Will revelations of their true identities deter them from happiness?