The Rude Mechanicals Medieval and Renaissance Players will present “Othello” with special Common Reading-themed post-play discussions with the cast.

Performances will take place Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 9-10, at 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11-12, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 13, at 3 p.m. Admission is $8 general admission, free for Shepherd University students with a valid Rambler ID and $2 for other students and Shepherd University faculty and staff.

As part of the Common Reading Program, post-performance discussions will take place Nov. 4 and after the Nov. 5 matinee.

The discussions will focus on the intersections of representations of race from the Renaissance through the present. This year’s Common Reading book is “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.

The organization provides legal representation to people who have been wrongly convicted, received unfair sentences, or were abused in jails and prisons.

The role of Othello is played by Shepherd University alumnus Jake Anderson, graduate student Deidre Morrison plays Iago and Shepherd undergraduate students Tessa Congo and Ashley Hall play Desdemona. Other cast members include Shepherd students Danielle Beauclair, Elijah Fritz, Alex Hale, Gabrielle Hesse, Bethany Kaetzel, TK Lindsay, Moriah Smith, and John Veltman.

Crew members include Shepherd students Allexandra Benedict, Ashlee Kuehn, Sophia Messenger, Christina Taylor, Christian Thompson, Emily Turpel and Emily Womeldorff.