(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- Black Box PAC's Shakespeare in the Park Bergen County returns with a modern take on the classic tragedy Othello! The classic play follows one great man's rise to power through integrity and hard work, only to be taken down by the institutional racism and sexism in the cut-throat corporate world. Reset in the high powered business world of today, the play's varied and enduring themes leave audiences questioning societal attitudes and what it means to be an outsider. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.
Othello plays for free outside the Englewood Public Library on Wednesdays through September 14 at 8:00pm. Additional performances take place on the Main Stage of Black Box PAC on Thursdays through Sundays from August 18 to 28 at 8:00pm.
Black Box PAC is the team behind Shakespeare in the Park Bergen County, now in its fifth year! The program is known for its innovative and accessible rethinking of the Bard's classics that remain true to the original texts.
Remaining performances outdoors at The Englewood Public Library include Wednesday 8/24 at 8:00pm; Wednesday 8/31 at 8:00pm; Wednesday 9/7 at 8:00pm; and Wednesday 9/14 at 8:00pm. Remaining performances indoors at Black Box PAC run Thursday-Sunday 8/25-8/28 at 8:00pm. Limited seating: first-come first-serve! Masks required indoors.
The Englewood Public Library is located at 31 Engle Street in Englewood, New Jersey. Black Box PAC is located at 49 E Palisade Ave in Englewood, New Jersey.
Here are more photos from the production.
The Black Box Performing Arts Center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Northern New Jersey. The collaborative group of artists pivoted during the pandemic and the company has become NJ's incubator for new and under-produced works by world-class artists. BBPAC began by developing Eric Bogosian's 1+1 in NJ in Fall 2021 no comma needed and it received a Special NYC Premiere in July 2022, headlining The Chain Play Festival. Additionally, BBPAC's '21-'22 season included The Cleopatra Club by legendary filmmaker Paul Schrader, Ode to Joy by Broadway's Craig Lucas, and the recent premiere production of Exposed by Beth Henley, as well as short works by John Guare and Caridad Svich. Other works by filmmaker/playwright Neil Labute and renowned Hollywood sitcom writer Ken Levine are also in development.
The 2022-2023 Season will include revived classics in partnership with the Estates of Broadway and Off-Broadway legends as well as modern plays and musicals in collaboration with the creators.
John Posada is a New Jersey based photographer specializing in photographing live theatre and music performances. For more than 15 years, John has photographed live events where he mastered the techniques of timing and capturing fast moving action under challenging lighting conditions. Currently, John has spent the last 3 years concentrating on photographing almost 200 theatre productions for over 70 different theatres. Click here for John's website.