Shakespeare is Back!

To Our Nights with Shakespeare Audience

Classes for Othello begin on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 pm and run through Dec. 13, 2022. 

Please Note: There is no class on Tuesday, Nov 8, 2022.

R. D. Scinto is thrilled to be welcoming back Leo Schaff and Shakespeare to the Shelton Corporate campus. Nights with Shakespeare is returning with one of the greatest plays in the canon, a story that deals with issues as contemporary as race, class, jealousy and love.

The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice was probably written in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyprus, a possession of the Venetian Republic since 1489. The port city of Famagusta finally fell to the Ottomans in 1571 after a protracted siege. 

The story revolves around two characters, Othello and Iago. Othello is a Moorish military commander who was serving as a general of the Venetian army in defense of Cyprus against invasion by Ottoman Turks. 

Othello has recently married Desdemona, a beautiful and wealthy Venetian lady much younger than himself, against the wishes of her father. Iago is Othello’s malevolent ensign, who maliciously stokes his master’s jealousy until the usually stoic Moor kills his beloved wife in a fit of blind rage.

The Music

Dvořák Op. 93 Concert Overture Othello, 
performed by Jakub Hrůša and the Berlin Philharmonic

One of the first Czech composers to achieve worldwide recognition, Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predecessor Bedřich Smetana. Dvořák’s style has been described as “the fullest recreation of a national idiom with that of the symphonic tradition, absorbing folk influences and finding effective ways of using them.”

Verdi’s Otello – Act 4 Desdemona’s Willow Song & Ave Maria
Maria Callas, Soprano

Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire
Nicola Rescingno, Conductor

Maria Callas (December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. 

Her repertoire ranged from classical opera to the bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini and, further, to the works of Verdi and Puccini; and, in her early career, to the music dramas of Wagner. 

Her musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina (“the Divine one”).

The Class

Nights With Shakespeare is generously underwritten and presented FREE to the public by R.D. Scinto, Inc., one of the state’s largest real estate developers, at his corporate Auditorium located in the Shelton Corporate Park at 3 Corporate Drive, Shelton, Connecticut.

Tuesday evenings, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm

Seating is limited and is available on a ‘first-come’ basis.
Each participant receives one FREE copy of the play. Additional copies of each play can be downloaded as PDFs from our Scripts page.

Contact Info
203.929.6300
info@nightswithshakespeare.com

For directions with Google Maps, go here.

Before class stop by the new Pranzo Caffé for a delicious meal.