Red Bull Theater’s “Revelation Readings,” an Obie Award-Winning reading series exploring new and classic plays of heightened language, featured Mamie Gummer in a one-night-only benefit reading of Paula Vogel’s Desdemona, on October 01, 2007.

Having slept with Othello’s entire encampment, Desdemona revels in her bawdy tales of conquest. Her foils and rapt listeners are the other integral and re-imagined women of this Shakespeare tragedy: Emilia, Desdemona’s servant and the wife of Iago, and Bianca, now a majestic whore of Cyprus. The loyal Emilia pesters Desdemona about a military promotion for her husband. Her motive, however, is that he leave her a wealthy widow, preferably sooner than later. Bianca, now a street-wise, yet pain-fully naive prostitute, visits Desdemona thinking she is a very good friend and fellow hooker. Bianca thinks the worst when she soon discovers that Desdemona knows intimate details of the life of her lover, Cassio. Though Desdemona has never been intimate with Cassio, her life is soon in danger when her husband, Othello, also suspects her of infidelity.

Mamie Gummer and Jennifer Ikeda will join previously announced star Jessica Hecht in the Red Bull Theatre’s reading of Paula Vogel’s “Desdemona”, a Play About a Handkerchief at 7pm on Monday, October 1 at the Playwrights Horizons mainstage. Proceeds from the reading, to be directed by Jesse Berger, will benefit the company. Desdemona kicks off the company’s Revelation Readings series, which will take place at 7pm on various Mondays at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Playwrights Horizons. For more information, please visit www.redbulltheater.com.