Play Tells Story Of Groundbreaking Actor Ira Aldridge

10:57

September 15, 2015

John Douglas Thompson as Ira Aldridge and Christianna Nelson as Halina Wozniak in Shakespeare & Company’s “Red Velvet.” (Enrico Spada)

Ira Aldridge played "Othello" on the London stage back in 1833, just for two nights. He was the first African-American to play the role on the London stage, and he appeared at a time when Britain was deciding whether to abolish slavery. The play "Red Velvet" tells Aldridge's story.

Here & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti speaks with the playwright, Lolita Chakrabarti, and actor John Douglas Thompson, who plays Ira Aldridge in the first American production of the play, by Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Read more via WBUR's ARTery

Guests

Lolita Chakrabarti, London-based actress, writer and producer who wrote the play “Red Velvet.” She tweets @Lolitachakra.
John Douglas Thompson, OBIE Award-winning actor who plays Ira Aldridge in “Red Velvet.”

This segment aired on September 15, 2015.