Diary Date Shakespeare’s Globe: Othello by Ola Ince opens 19 Jan

Othello by Ola Ince opens 19 Jan

Shakespeare’s Globe is delighted to announce the cast of Othello, directed by Ola Ince (Romeo and Juliet, Globe). The cast of Othello comprises Charlotte Bate, Ralph Davis, Poppy Gilbert, Oli Higginson, David Hounslow, Maggie Musgrove, Ken Nwosu, Ira Mandela Siobhan, Sam Swann and Ché Walker.

Director Ola Ince says: “It’s so exciting to bring Othello into the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse – illuminating this story of race, misogyny, and patriarchy and one of Shakespeare’s most famous characters in a new way. Our production will feature two Othellos, allowing us to focus on Othello’s inner turmoil through a physical portrayal of Othello’s subconscious and a traditional Othello, bringing Shakespeare’s powerful words to life; giving audiences an opportunity to get to know this iconic character in a brand-new light. Our talented company are electrifying, brave, and forensic about how this play speaks to today, and I am so delighted to be working with them.”

Cast biographies are as follows:

Charotte Bate will play Emilia. Charlotte trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Previous theatre credits include Julius Caesar (Shakespeare’s Globe), I Think We Are Alone (Frantic Assembly), On The Other Hand We’re Happy, Daughterhood, Dexter and Winter’s Detective Agency (Paines Plough/ Theatre Royal Stratford East), The Rivals (The Watermill Theatre), Blackthorn (West Yorkshire Playhouse/Paines Plough), King Lear (The Orange Tree Theatre),

Watership Down (Watermill Theatre), and Romeo and Juliet (Sheffield Crucible). Television credits include: Beaumont (Disney+), The Doll Factory (Paramount+), The Sandman (Netflix/Warner Bros.), Casualty (BBC), White House Farm (NPX/ITV), and Philip K Dick’s Electric Dreams (Channel 4/Amazon).

Ralph Davis will play Iago. Theatre credits include: A Streetcar Named Desire (Almeida), Much Ado About Nothing,

The Tempest, King Lear (Shakespeare’s Globe), Blue/Orange (Theatre Royal Bath), Valued Friends (Rose Theatre),

The Deep Blue Sea (Chichester Festival Theatre), Tamburlaine and Timon of Athens, Richard III, King John

(RSC), The Open House (Ustinov Studio/Theatre Royal Bath), A Little Night Music (RADA) Television credits include:

SAS Rogue Heroes, Father Brown, Life After Life, Small Axe, Lethal White (BBC) and Anatomy of a Scandal (Netflix) Radio includes: The Good Terrorist, Ambridge Extra (BBC Radio 4)

Poppy Gilbert will play Desdemona. Theatre credits include Private Lives (The Barn Theatre, Cirencester) TV credits include The Catch (Channel 5/Netflix), Chloe (BBC), Stay Close (Netflix), Sherwood (BBC), Leonardo (Amazon), The Pale Horse (BBC), Call the Midwife (BBC) and Midsommer Murders (ITV). Film credits include Perfect Addition (Amazon) and A Very English Christmas.

Oli Higginson will play Cassio. Theatre includes Smoke (Southwark Playhouse); Lava (Soho Theatre); A Christmas

Carol (The Old Vic), The Last Five Years (West End & Southwark Playhouse for which he was nominated for a Stage Debut Award and an Offie Award); The Haystack (Hampstead Theatre), Maggie & Ted (Garrick Theatre), and Brutus in Julius Caesar for the Sam Wanamaker Festival at The Globe. Television credits include Julia (HBO), The Chelsea Detective, Bridgerton (Netflix), This England (Sky Atlantic), The Pursuit of Love (BBC) and Cursed (Netflix)

David Hounslow will play Commissioner / Montano. Recent theatre credits include All My Sons (Queens Theatre

Hornchurch/Wolsey Ipswich), The Madness of George III (Nottingham Playhouse), This House (National Theatre/West End/Tour), Bent (National Theatre), Fuente Ovejuna (West End), Henry V, Coriolanus, Zenobia, The Wives Excuse, and Othello (RSC). Recent TV credits include House of The Dragon, Gentleman Jack, The Bay and Bad Move. Films credits include Peterloo, The Flying Scotsman, Tabloid TV, I Want You, The Man Who Knew Too Little, Fever Pitch and London Kills Me. David is a regular member of The BBC Radio Drama Company.

Maggie Musgrove will play Bianca. Maggie is a new graduate from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Her credits whilst training include Frankenstein, Gaslight, Company and Wild Cherries. Prior to RADA, Maggie was a member of the Lyric Ensemble, where she appeared in The Mob Reformers at the Lyric Hammersmith. She was also part of Open Door. Othello marks Maggie’s professional stage debut.

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Ken Nwosu will play Othello. Theatre credits include White Noise (Bridge Theatre), Three Sisters (National Theatre), Ghosts (Home Manchester), and As You Like It (National Theatre). His performance in An Octoroon (Orange Tree and National Theatre) saw him win the Off West End Award for Best Male in a Play. Ken’s extensive work in productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company include: The Alchemist, The Merchant of Venice, The White Devil, and The Roaring Girl. TV credits include Hollingtong Drive and Sticks & Stones (ITV), and The Letter for the King (Netflix). Film credits include The Witches. He will star next in The Winter King (Bad Wolf/BBC).

Assistant Director, Prime Isaac, in rehearsal for Othello. Photography by Johan Persson.

Ira Mandela Siobhan will play Subconscious Othello. Theatre credits include Mlima’s Tale (Kiln Theatre) Robin Hood: The Legend. Re-written (Regents Park Open Air Theatre), My Brilliant Friend (National Theatre), Equus (ETT and Trafalgar Studios), The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe (Leeds Playhouse), My Brilliant Friend (Rose Theatre Kingston), Mosquitoes (National Theatre), Imogen (Globe), Running Wild, (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Everyman (National Theatre), Macbeth (National Theatre), The Wind in the Willows (Vaudeville Theatre), The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable (Punchdrunk), A Season in the Congo & Feast (Young Vic),

Can We Talk About This (DV8 Physical Theatre) Lifeguard (National Theatre of Scotland), and Fela! (National Theatre). Film credits include Barbie, Mission Impossible 7, London Road, Pan, Desert Dancer & To Be Straight With You (DV8). TV credits include The Crown (Netflix), History of a Pleasure Seeker (Disney+), The Third Day (Punchdrunk/Sky 1), Brave New World (Sky), and The Last Hours of Lisa Lopes (ITV). Movement Direction credits include Mlima’s Tale (Kiln Theatre), Manic Street Creature (Southwark Playhouse), Addictive Beat, (Boundless Theatre), and Strike (Southwark Playhouse).

Sam Swann will play Roderigo. Theatre credits include Gulliver’s Travels, The Bolds, Dr Korczak’s Example, A

Winter’s Tale (The Unicorn Theatre), Oil (Almeida Theatre), Pomona (National Theatre/The Orange Tree Theatre),

Primetime (Royal Court), Wendy & Peter Pan (RSC), Mercury Fur (Trafalgar Studios), The Kitchen, Greenland (National Theatre), Supernova (Omnibus Theatre), Skellig (Nottingham Playhouse), Powder Monkey (Royal Exchange, Manchester), Dunsinane (Hampstead Theatre/RSC), Jerusalem (The Watermill Theatre), Prom Kween (Edinburgh

Festival Fringe), and The Butcher of Distinction (Cock Tavern/King’s Head). Television credits include One Day (Netflix), Jekyll and Hyde (ITV), Mr Selfridge (ITV/PBS), The Five (Sky One), Vicious, Atlantis, Doctors, Navid and Johnny, Gothic, and Privates (BBC), and B*tchcraft (ChannelFlip). Film credits include Been So Long (BFI/Film 4), The Current War (Thunder Road) and What Light? (Old Vic New Voices). Radio credits include All Bleeding Stop Eventually, Home Front, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Obey The Wave, The Second Mr Bailey (BBC Radio 4), and The Trenches Trip (BBC Radio Scotland)

Che Walker will play Brabantio / Lodovico. Ché’s stage credits include The Prince (Southwark Playhouse), Intra

Muros (Park Theatre), which Ché also directed, Biloxi Blues (Salisbury Playhouse) Christmas (Bush Theatre) and

Othello & Love’s Labour’s Lost (Shakespeare’s Globe). Television credits include Riches (ITV); The Chelsea Detective (Acorn TV); Youngers (Channel 4); Holby City, and The Office (BBC).As a writer and director, Ché’s credits include Been So Long (Royal Court), which was adapted into a feature film by Greenacre/BFI/Film 4, the awardwinning play Flesh Wound (Royal Court); Crazy Love (Paines Plough); The Frontline; The Lightning Child (The Globe); Lovesong (ETT); The Ballad of Klook & Vinette (Park Theatre); The Etienne Sisters (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Time Is Love (Finborough Theatre); and Wolf Cub (Hampstead Theatre). Ché has also written for screen; his short film My Old Flame (Channel 4) was directed by Academy Award winner Asif Kapadia.