Desdemona is a play

Play (theatre)

A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...

 by Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved...

. It was first produced in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 in May 2011.
The title character of the play is Desdemona

Desdemona

Desdemona is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello.Desdemona may also refer to:People* Desdemona , a soprano role in the 1816 opera Otello by Gioachino Rossini...

, the wife of the title character in Shakespeare's

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

 Othello

Othello

The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...

.
The 2011 play arose from a collaboration between Morrison, director Peter Sellars

Peter Sellars

Peter Sellars is an American theatre director, noted for his unique contemporary stagings of classical and contemporary operas and plays...

, and musician Rokia Traoré

Rokia Traoré

Rokia Traoré is a Victoires de la Musique award-winning Malian singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born in Mali as a member of the Bambara ethnic group, her father was a diplomat and she travelled widely in her youth. She visited such countries as Algeria, Saudi Arabia, France and Belgium and was...

, and revolves around Desdemona's relationship with the African nurse who raised her.

It marks at least the third time a modern female playwright has written a play with Shakespeare's Desdemona as the main character. There is also Desdemona: A Play about a Handkerchief (1993) by Paula Vogel

Paula Vogel

Paula Vogel is an American playwright and university professor. She received the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play, How I Learned to Drive.-Early years:...

 and Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)

Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)

Goodnight Desdemona is a 1988 comedic play by Ann-Marie MacDonald in which Constance Ledbelly, a young English literature professor from Queen's University, goes on a subconscious journey of self-discovery....

(1988) by Ann-Marie MacDonald

Ann-Marie MacDonald

Ann-Marie MacDonald is a Canadian playwright, novelist, actor and broadcast journalist who lives in Toronto, Ontario. The daughter of a member of Canada's military, she was born at an air force base near Baden-Baden, West Germany....

. All three plays could be construed as feminist takes on Shakespeare, but otherwise have highly divergent interpretations of the character of Desdemona.

Performances

• May 15, 17-21, 2011 - Theatre Azkent - Vienna, Austria
• May 26-29, 2011 - Theatre Royal Flamand (KVS) - Brussels, Belgium
• October 26-29, 2011 - Zellerbach Playhouse, Berkeley, United States
• November 2-3, 2011 - Rose Theater - New York, United States
• November 10-12, 2011 - Haus der Berliner Festspiele - Berlin, Germany
• July 2012 - Barbicon Centre - London, England