Ayanna Thompson is a scholar, activist, and self-proclaimed Othello whisperer. She is the co-author of Teaching Shakespeare with Purpose and the author of several others, including Shakespeare in the Theatre: Peter Sellars and the introduction for the Arden Third Series’ Othello. She’s also the editor of Weyward Macbeth and Colorblind Shakespeare, has served as President of the Shakespeare Association of America, and is the creator of the RaceB4Race symposium. In this episode, Ayanna Thompson outlines the complexities of Othello, the history of racism in theater, and the strides the industry still needs to make to reach equality. For any theater buff, aspiring performer, literature professor, or Shakespeare fan, this is a conversation you’ll want to join.
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Ayanna Thompson is Professor of English at George Washington University and the President Elect of the Shakespeare Association of America. She is the co-author of Teaching Shakespeare with Purpose, the author of Passing Strange and Performing Race and Torture on the Early Modern Stage, and the editor of Weyward Macbeth, and Colorblind Shakespeare. She also wrote the introduction for the revised Arden3 Othello.