Envious machinations and evil intentions take hold in American Shakespeare Center’s Othello, live streaming on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. The show will be shot in 3-camera cinema-quality and presented live from the stage of the Blackfriars Playhouse.

Directed by celebrated ASC Artistic Director Ethan McSweeny, this stunningly relevant production of Shakespeare’s tragedy of racism and jealousy promises to bring audiences to the edge of their seats. Acclaimed actress Jessika D. Williams, who has won a cult following from her appearance on the popular television series Doctor Who, appears in the title role of Othello. Opposite Williams is veteran actor-manager John Harrell as the malevolent Iago. It’s a struggle between good and evil when these two titanic talents square off.

BlkFrs LIVE offers Schaefer Center Presents audiences synchronized live viewing of ASC’s new production of Othello. The comprehensive “Virtual Tour” program is designed to make it possible for people to experience the joy of Shakespeare in performance and the magic of the Blackfriars Playhouse from far away.

The American Shakespeare Center’s productions are intimate in scale, yet epic in scope. The company utilizes Shakespeare’s staging conditions (universal lighting, minimal sets, character doubling, cross-gender casting, and live music) to blend Shakespeare’s stagecraft with a modern sensibility. This engaging approach to the work of Shakespeare and his contemporaries is what led the UK Telegraph to call ASC “one of the most accomplished Shakespeare companies in the United States.”