On Thursday 6th October, pupils in Years 11, 12 and 13 travelled to Liverpool to explore the city and see Othello performed on stage.
Below, Rumaan and Zamzam share their reflections on the day.
Upon arriving in Liverpool, we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful city, its structure and monuments were truly something unexpected. Before watching the play, we were able to see beautiful statues of historical figures such as the Beatles on our walk along the docks. The river was calm, with ripples of waves stretching out into the city creating an almost animated scene. There was a mixture of interesting monuments such as the ‘Lambanana’ as well as love lockets on gates which surrounded the river, dedicated to loved ones. One of our favourite moments was when we visited the Tate art Gallery, an exhibition of modern art which was a unique display of unspoken passion. There were many paintings from different time periods, and they ranged from different cultures, race, and ages, including works by the famous Dali and Picasso.
On our walk through the city Centre, we admired the beautiful architecture, with high-rise buildings and quaint little stores. We finally arrived at the Playhouse Theatre, and, to our surprise, it was a modern retelling of Othello. We absolutely loved the seamless execution with contemporary props such as a pool table and a casino, as it felt more inviting and enabled us to understand the play further on a personal and period-relatable level. This interpretation of Othello, combining dance and modernity while being able to maintain the original beauty of the Shakespearian language, was an innovative and new experience.
The strategic use of the stage, the lighting and props, for example the purple lighting to emphasize sensuality, and red to highlight violent and dangerous moments, really brought the play to life. It created an atmosphere of unity and was totally thrilling, as we were constantly on edge to what would happen next, despite having read the play. The complex and ominous character of Iago was truly brought to life through the dark lighting, which would create not only discomfort within the audience but make us fall in love with his execution. The actor who played Iago made us realize the significance of a soliloquy in plays, as it allowed the audience to feel almost part of his plan and be party to his innermost thoughts. This was an amazing, fun experience which has brought us a greater understanding of the play Othello, permitting us to understand the complexity of a play through modernism. This entire experience has renewed our love for English Literature and has helped us in our next steps towards completing our A-level journey.