Take your family to experience the Maynardville Open-air theatre.

 

Maynardville Open-air theatre

If you want a different outdoor theatre experience for the family, book tickets for Othello, a Shakesperean play that is on at The Maynardville open-air theatre. Othello is one of Shakespeare's tragedies. Othello, a black "Moor" general in the Venetian army and Desdemona, a white, Upper class woman, fall in love and get married against her father and society's wishes.

 

The play is meaty. There is the tragic love story of Othello, who consumed by obsessive jealousy, falls prey to the scheming Iago and eventually murders innocent Desdemona. The play also deals with issues of racism, sexism and cultural discrimination, issues that we experience and understand only too well.

 

The production of Othello at Maynardville sticks to the traditional theatrical format and may appeal more to Grade 12 students who study Othello as a setwork rather than to the general public. The Daily Maverick article raises interesting insights into the debate about theatre's reluctance to interpret Shakespeare for the modern audience, especially for young people. One of the main points is that Shakespeare's plays at Maynardville are deliberately designed for an exclusive audience, an observation that I agree with, judging by the audience of tonight's show,

 

Despite the criticisms, it is culturally enriching to expose our children to different experiences. If you don't want to watch the play, pack a picnic basket, enjoy your family meal in the park and allow the children to see the open-air theatre that is a part of the Cape Town cultural heritage.

What are your views?

The beautiful setting of the Maynardville Open-air theatre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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