Sharon D Clarke to star as OTHELLO in new RSC production
Co-Artistic Directors of the RSC, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, have announced that three-time Olivier Award-winning actress Sharon D Clarke will take up the titular role in a radical reimagining of Shakespeare’s Othello at the Swan Theatre from 13 February - 3 April 2027.
Directed by Monique Touko, this movement and music-infused Othello is set in a climate threatened future in which a black lesbian holds a seat of power. It re-imagines Shakespeare’s 400-year-old story through the lens of misogynoir, as an unsanctioned marriage perilously crosses boundaries of race, sex and status, allowing jealousy, suspicion and malign intent to close in.
The creative team comprises set designer Paul Wills, costume designer Jodie-Simone Howe, lighting designer Matt Haskins, sound designer Khalil Madovi, movement director Kloé Dean, fight and intimacy director Bethan Clark, dramaturgs Rebecca Latham and Professor Ayanna Thompson, and casting director Christopher Worrall CDG.