Across the pond, Oyelowo is best known for his stage performance as King Henry VI in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2001 productions of Shakespeare’s trilogy of plays about the king as a part of its season This England: The Histories. In a major landmark for color-blind casting, Oyelowo was the first Black actor to play an English king in a major production of Shakespeare. Although this casting choice was initially criticised by some in the media, Oyelowo’s performance was critically acclaimed and later won the 2001 Ian Charleson Award for best performance by an actor under 30 in a classical play. – source

Othello will be directed by the Tony Award-winning Fun Home director Sam Gold, who said he chose Othello because it interested him and the actors. However, it was Craig that sought out Gold because he wanted work on a project together. It ended up being Othello which led Gold to reach out to Oyelowo through a friend. The actors did a table read of the play and it took off from there.

According to the artistic director at NYTW, the company has not presented anything by Shakespeare since 1990. This production definitely feels right since the company is known for producing great works that focus more on direction and telling the story than anything else. Recall that this is same theatre that gave us Dael Orlandersmith’s FOREVER. This is bound to be great and we cannot wait to be in the house. The theater has not yet announced the production dates or further information on the run. As soon as it’s released, you’ll find it right here!

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An awesome achievement for a film whose cast boasts some of the best in professional Black theatre.  We could not be any happier or prouder.

Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Academy Award nominated-Broadway producer Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple) lead this cast of brilliant artists as Cecil and Gloria Gaines.

David Oyelowo is Louis Gaines the eldest, headstrong, son of Cecil and Gloria.  Oyelowo is a British actor who began his career with the Royal Shakespeare Company.  He was the first Black actor to play an English king in a major Shakespearean production.

Tony Award nominee Colman Domingo (The Scottsboro Boys, Passing Strange) is the reluctant maître d’ Freddie Fallows.  He brings a smile to our faces each time he appears onscreen.  We adore him.

Tony Award winner Adriane Lenox (Doubt, Kiss Me Kate) is Gina, the wife of Terrence Howard‘s adulterous character Howard.  We absolutely loved the pairing of these two actors.  Terrence Howard made his Broadway debut in the all Black cast of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 2008.

Tony Award nominee Clarence Williams III (Slow Dance on the Killing Ground, The Long Dream) makes an appearance as Maynard, the man responsible for Cecil’s White House appointment.

Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Jerry McGuire) is comic relief as head butler Carter Wilson.  Cuba is currently making his Broadway debut with Tony Award winner Cicely Tyson in The Trip to Bountiful.

We hope the success of The Butler creates even more opportunities for Black theatre artists to thrive on the silver screen just as they have on The Great White Way.

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