Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) presents Shakespeare’s Othello, directed and adapted by multi-award-winning theatre artist Tang Shu-wing, and performed by the graduating cohort of 2025. This is Tang’s first production in Singapore since 2013. Described as “one of the richest and most wrenching of Shakespeare’s tragedies” (Variety, 2025), the story of Othello was written in 1603 and has been told across film and stage for centuries.

Tang Shu-wing’s adaptation strips the play to its emotional core, highlighting its relevance today through his signature use of minimalist aesthetics. Through his artistic direction, the four ITI actor-students are challenged to embody nine characters using heightened language and mask work, drawing on the full range of their physical training. Tang’s bold approach to Shakespeare’s classic tragedy explores jealousy, love, betrayal – and the consequences of living in a constructed reality that seeks to divide and destroy.

Says Tang Shu-wing on why Othello was chosen for the graduating cohort of 2025: “The first reason is that it is one of the most difficult plays by Shakespeare. And secondly, it is about fake news, which I think is particularly relevant today in our digital age […] To educate students, Shakespeare is one of the best means because it contains a lot of text, emotional flow, and dramaturgy to work on.”

Tang Shu-wing, who trained in Chinese ink painting and drawing before studying Law at The University of Hong Kong, and completing a Master’s degree in Drama at Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle in France, cites his love for the visual arts as a source of inspiration in his distinct approach to image-making in theatre: “Today, visual art forms, and also the visual presentation in theatre, is one of my top priorities. I like simplicity because I was very influenced by some great masters in the 90s when I studied in France, and they all advocated simplicity. Simplicity is one of the most difficult things to conquer. […] I’m very interested in the expression of human beings – that is, the actors on stage – and how they can express themselves with the most authentic, the most effective, the most efficient and the most economical manner. That is always my concern.”

“Theatre is live performance…There’s an encounter of energy among the audience and the actors, and to a certain extent, with the designers and the directors who make up the production – it’s like a conversation face-to-face, which is now rare, or becoming less and less necessary. […] I think the truth in theatre lies in this authentic exchange of energy within a concentrated time and place…the content is sometimes fictional, but the real-time communication, we can categorise as a truth.”

Tang Shu-wing’s Othello will be staged from 6 to 8 November 2025 at the Esplanade Theatre Studio, performed by Aditi Venkateshwaran, Kunal Dara, Sanat Mehta, and Surendran Ananthan – four graduating actor-students from Singapore and India. The production is a culmination of ITI’s intercultural actor training, providing audiences with a rare opportunity to witness the integration of traditional techniques and contemporary practice, helmed by Tang Shu-wing’s vision.

Regarded as one of the most influential theatre directors in Hong Kong, Tang is the Artistic Director of Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio and former Dean of the School of Drama of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He has directed more than 50 productions to date. Recent signature works include King Lear and the Bhagavad Gita. His 2012 production of Titus Andronicus was staged at the Globe Theatre in London, performed in Cantonese, signifying the first time Cantonese was performed on that legendary theatre stage. This production of Othello stars the ITI graduating cohort of 2025, namely Aditi Venkateshwaran, Kunal Dara, Sanat Mehta and Surendran Ananthan.

Othello plays from 6th to 8th November 2025 at the Esplanade Theatre Studio. Tickets available here