Three interpretations of Shakespeare's classic tragedy Othello have been staged in the 13-day theatre festival.

On January 6, theatre lovers had the opportunity to watch Othello's interpretation in Japanese Noh theatre form as well as in Indian Kathakali dance-drama form.

Japanese troupe, KU Nauka Theatre Company staged Othello at Kamani Auditorium. Playwright-director Satoshi Miyagi has recreated the play with the modified Mugen Noh form, a Japanese classical performing art form. In the process, he has added several new elements while leaving out many elements noticeable in the original script.

Miyagi's version begins with the appearance of Desdemona's (the fiancé to Moor Othello) soul talking to a priest. The play moves ahead through the narrations by a choir in masks and attired in white. One of the major aspects that differentiate Miyagi's version from the original is absence of any murder scene on the stage. White costumes, masks and light effects have been used to create the pathos throughout the play.

The audience was impressed with the voice modulations and body movement of the professional Japanese artistes. The haunting effects of xylophone and percussions have been used to create the mood. Excerpts of the performance were projected in English, as the play was in Japanese.

International Centre for Kathakali, New Delhi, staged Othello in South Indian Kathakali dance-drama at Sammukh Auditorium, NSD campus.

Guru Sadanand PV Balakrishnan has transformed the original five-act play to a Kathakali dance recital in Malayalam language.

With the rhythm of dhol and kasha the narrator illustrated the tragedy of Moor Othello and his fiancé Desdemona.

Artistes with the help of colourful masks portrayed different characters in the dance-drama. With their unique body movements and traditional Kathakali stances they enacted the dramatic scenes.

On January 13 at Sri Ram Centre, another presentation of Shakespeare's Othello was staged in Hindi.