Jharkhand: Live presentation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello in CUJ, students’ artwork enthralled

Ranchi: A scene from William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello was brought alive by the third semester students of MPA Theater Arts in the Department of Performing Arts, Central University of Jharkhand on Monday. This performance distinguishes itself from many contemporary adaptations of Othello through its avant-garde elements. This presentation serves as a reflection of our society, where everything is subject to the influence of visible or invisible forces. Conditions are carefully set, forcing victims to act in specific ways. In William Shakespeare’s production of the tragedy Othello, Iago plays the role of a controlling force, manipulating the lives and actions of all the characters.

Iago appears as a puppeteer

Inspired by this concept, Dr Venkat Naresh Burla, Assistant Professor and Director of Theatre, has incorporated elements of the traditional Indian art form, puppetry. In the performance, Iago appears as a puppeteer and the other characters appear to be under his complete control. However, only selected aspects of puppetry have been used to convey the emotions and gist of the play.

Hero Othello played by two characters

Another feature of the performance was the portrayal of the hero Othello by two characters. This approach delved deeply into the protagonist’s inner thoughts and conflicts, representing both negative and positive aspects of his character. The performance seamlessly integrated symbolism and theatricality to convey its message. Despite being a visual presentation, the central theme of the play reaches the audience effectively.

The performance was appreciated

Dr. Burla’s innovative interpretation of Othello provided an invigorating and thought-provoking experience for the audience. This encouraged him to look at the play from a new perspective and consider the deeper themes of control and manipulation. The performance received appreciation from Controller of Examinations (CoE) Bidhu Bhushan Mishra, Dean of School of Cultural Studies Dr. Sucheta Sen Choudhary, Professor of Performing Arts Department, Dr. Shakir Tasneem, Dr. Jaya Shahi. Performing Arts, faculty members from various departments and the student audience all praised its originality and creativity.

The artists included

The cast includes Alok Kumar Shukla, Amit Kumar, Kaberi Roy, Ambika Soni, Adarsh ​​K.P. And Rishu Roshan were included. Nitil Kumar and Karthik K managed the background music. Anuj Kumar handled the lighting arrangements. Atul Raj served as the stage manager and Shyam Prakash and Krishna Kumar handled the assistant direction duties under the guidance of Dr. Venkat Naresh Burla.