Shakespeare Double Bill – Othello and The Tempest – Spring season 2026

Join us for an enticing Shakespeare double-bill. Our BA Professional Acting second year students will be staging abridged adaptations of each play in a back-to-back double-bill.

This double bill is Directed and Adapted by Nikhil Vyas, Production Design by Fiona McKeon and Festival Stage design by Mima Jupp.

Othello: Beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster.
Othello, a celebrated Moorish general in the Venetian army, secretly marries the beautiful and virtuous Desdemona. This infuriates his disgruntled Ensign, Iago, who has been passed over for promotion. Consumed by destructive jealousy and a desire for revenge, the villainous Iago manipulates Othello with subtle, venomous lies, suggesting that Desdemona is having an affair with the promoted Lieutenant Cassio. Iago’s carefully constructed web of deceit, based on circumstantial evidence like a lost handkerchief, drives Othello into a spiral of agonizing suspicion and madness. The tragedy culminates in Othello’s violent murder of his innocent wife and his subsequent realization of Iago’s terrible treachery.

Key Themes: Jealousy and Envy; Racism and The Outsider; Appearance vs. Reality (Deception); Love and Betrayal. 

Age Suitability: Generally 14+, due to the intense psychological manipulation, themes of racism, and the final, violent climax of domestic murder.

The Tempest: We are such stuff as dreams are made on.
Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, was betrayed by his brother Antonio and cast adrift to a remote, magical island with his young daughter, Miranda. Using his powerful books of magic, Prospero has ruled the island for twelve years, commanding the spirit Ariel and the savage native Caliban. When a ship carrying his treacherous brother and other nobles sails near the island, Prospero conjures a fierce storm—a ‘tempest’—to shipwreck them. As the nobles wander the island, Prospero uses his magic to orchestrate their reconciliation, Miranda’s marriage to the King of Naples’ son, and, ultimately, his return to power and the renunciation of his magic. The play is a blend of romance, revenge, and the power of theatre itself.

Key Themes: Magic and Illusion; Betrayal and Revenge; Forgiveness and Reconciliation; Colonialism and Power. 

Age Suitability: Generally 14+, appropriate for a broad audience, with some darker elements explored in the themes of revenge and servitude

Buy one ticket and get to experience two of the Bard’s most famous plays.