Being a Theatre Studies student, I've seen my fare share of theatre and Shakespeare productions, however somehow had never got round to either reading Othello or seeing it performed. This means that I went into the auditorium cold, have no idea what to expect other than a small synopsis in the programme. For most theatre productions, this is fine and usual, however many say that Shakespeare live is best enjoyed after you've read it and really understood it. For this production of Othello, however, coming in with such a small amount of knowledge about the story was not a problem at all, which I put down to the intense and heartfelt acting. The 1950's colonial style of the piece made it much more relevant to todays issues of feelings about race and difference. Instead of seeing the story as a nice entertaining bit of Shakespeare and nothing more, the play helps us see the awful consequences of intolerance and misunderstanding.