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Big Bear Theatre Company in association with Park Theatre presents…

Desdemona

A Play About A Handkerchief

“James Bounds, directs with a suitable brio and lightness of touch and it is blessed by a trio of delightful performances.”  The Stage

★ ★ ★ ★"Desdemona: A play about a handkerchief is a stylish production...with brains heart and courage in this parallel story." Everything Theatre

★ ★ ★ ★ “Desdemona offers viewers a hilarious evening’s entertainment” The Upcoming

“Brilliant acting…this production conjures both the freedom of an all-female environment and the emotional and physical constrictedness that Shakespeare imposed on these female characters.” Exuent

“Desdemona: A Play About A Handkerchief is incredibly funny and touching, and a female tour-de-force. It’s exciting for both Othello-lovers, and people who’ve skipped Shakespeare’s classic. It’s one of those plays where you feel enchanted, inspired and disappointed by the shortness of it. Go and experience some fantastic female performances and secret voices of Shakespeare’s women.” A Younger Theatre

Desdemona's fate hinges on the location of a handkerchief... In this hilarious and occasionally heartbreaking re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic play, playwright Paula Vogel exposes a very different side to Othello’s wife: a volatile and passionate young woman who revels in bawdy tales of conquest – much to the chagrin of her long suffering maid, Emilia, and the entertainment of local prostitute, Bianca. 

Against the backdrop of a misogynistic sixteenth century world, Desdemona: a play about a handkerchief tells the wild but timeless tale of three very different women - who form an unlikely friendship fighting against the roles in which society has placed them.

Paula Vogel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her play How I Learned to Drive, and an Obie Award for The Baltimore Waltz. Her plays have been performed on Broadway and across the world.

[Image by Sam Cope at Strawberry Cake Ltd]