Wayne State University's Studio Theatre presents Desdemona, a play about a handkerchief written by celebrated playwright Paula Vogel. This dark comedy functions as a rowdy argument with the so-called cultural "rules" of femininity that have constrained women in various ways for centuries. Opening on January 15 and playing until January 24, Desdemona, a play about a handkerchief is a hilarious and devastating re-imagining of the world of Shakespeare's Othello from the point of view of its female characters. Paula Vogel provokes the audience to ask such questions as, what if Desdemona is the unfaithful trollop Iago conjures up and Othello finally believes her to be? Does her death become any less tragic? Might she then "deserve" to die? Does any woman "deserve" to die at the hands of a wildly jealous spouse?

The play follows the sex-charged Desdemona who languishes in boredom, Emilia who struggles between duty and demeaning chores, and Bianca, the local whore, who shocks and entices the other two with her raw narratives from a world unrestricted by upper class rules of femininity. Vogel's women are hot-blooded, outspoken and lusty, at times raging against the confines of their male-dominated world.

Paula Vogel's other plays include The Baltimore Waltz, Hot and Throbbing, and Baby Makes Seven. Ms. Vogel also won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for her drama How I Learned to Drive. Desdemona, a play about a handkerchief features Danielle Cochrane (Garden City), Christopher Dybash (Sterling Heights), Henri D. Franklin (Southfield), Mat Simonian (Dearborn), Julie Smelser (St. Clair), and Lenora Whitecotton (Brownstown).

The play, directed by PhD candidate, Lisa Hodge Kander (Holly), will be performed at the Studio Theatre Jan. 15-17 and Jan. 22-24, 2004.

Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. Studio Theatre tickets are $8 general admission and $6 for students, seniors and Wayne State University faculty, staff and alumni association members. For tickets, call the box office at (313) 577-2972.

Performances of Desdemona, a play about a handkerchief are at 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, January 15 - 24 at Wayne State Universities Studio Theatre. Tickets are general admission. $8 regular price, $6 for students and senior citizens. For more information or to purchase tickets call the Wayne State University Box Office at (313) 577-2972.