The American Repertory Theater presents the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s “Othello”

Bill Rauch ’84, artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, considers “Othello” the Bard’s most intimate tragedy, and Rauch’s decision to use a small cast heightens the emotional intensity of the production currently at the American Repertory Theater. Themes of otherness around race, gender and religion also make the play particularly relevant in this cultural moment, said the director, who staged the work in a contemporary setting. “Othello,” said Rauch, “felt like an urgent story to tell.”