Othello is one of the meatiest roles in Shakespeare’s canon, and he gets a hard-hitting hip-hop makeover in the Q Brothers’ Othello: The Remix at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Played with ferocity by Postell Pringle, this Othello is a hip-hop mogul whose life falls apart when he makes Iago the opener’s opener on a new tour. A native of Decatur, Georgia, Pringle performed in high-school theater to meet girls, but didn’t have designs on a professional career when he enrolled at Bates College. After a short-lived college basketball career, he chose to pursue theater after being in a directing class scene. He met Q Brother GQ when they were visiting Bates College as high school seniors, and they stayed friends after GQ moved to New York to attend the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Pringle performed on the East Coast before moving to Chicago with the Q Brothers to understudy Royal George’s production of The Bomb-itty of Errors in 2001. He is now a Q Brothers company member, regularly performing with the other three Othello: The Remix cast members as the Retar Crew. Pringle talks to us about the adaptation process, his hip-hop influences and how his music career has informed his acting.

When Robert Battle assumed directorship of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2011, he never intended to stray from the company’s identity. But what we’re seeing now, more than a year into Battle’s tenure, is someone who understands the limits of a company’s past, even if that past is still popular beyond belief. He’s not changing identities, per se, but he’s also not resting on proven laurels.   

Writers' Theatre will open its new season in Glencoe this fall with an import: PigPen Theatre Co.'s acclaimed new folk tale The Old Man and the Old Moon, fresh from its recent Off Broadway run, which our pals at Time Out New York described as "a winning combination of storytelling, shadow puppetry, Irish-tinged tunes and youthful vigor." Writers' associate artistic director Stuart Carden co-directs with the ensemble (September 3–November 10).

The season will end next year with the world premiere of Days Like Today, a romantic new musical by Alan Schmuckler and Laura Eason, based on the works of Charles Mee. Writers' artistic director Michael Halberstam will helm the production, with musical direction by Doug Peck and choreography by Tommy Rapley (May 6–July 13).

In between, Kimberly Senior will direct Kate Fry in the title role of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler (January 7–March 16), while the two slots down the street at Books on Vernon both go to Conor McPherson: William Brown directs the Midwest premiere of Port Authority (October 29–February 16), and Henry Wishcamper stages the U.S. premiere of McPherson's adaptation of Strindberg's The Dance of Death (April 1–July 20).

Jazz musician Mike Reed and Links Hall are joining forces in the creation of a new collaborative-arts venue located in the former Viaduct Theater at 3111 North Western. Together, they will open Constellation in April 2013.

The idea to partner up came about when Reed and Links Hall director Roell Schmidt met in 2011 after they were appointed to Chicago’s Cultural Advisory Council. The concept of a new space began to take shape when Reed learned the Viaduct owners were looking to sell. As a result, Constellation was formed with Links Hall being its main tenant and programming partner.

Links Hall was founded in 1978 by artists Carol Bobrow, Bob Eisen and Charlie Vernon. For more than three decades the Wrigleyville studio has showcased an array of performers specializing in dance, experimental performance and performance art. “Rent just got a little bit out of control for us. Also, we are starting to outgrow the space,” says communications director Marie Casimir about the decision to relocate. Casimir says the move is necessary to provide a larger space for the artists to rehearse and present their work and to better serve Links Hall’s LinkUP program, a six month residency that supports independent artists.

The new space sits at the edge of Roscoe Village. “We’re hoping people will follow us,” says Casimir. “I’m sure there will be a little bit of time to get everyone over to the new space, but I think it’s such an exciting opportunity. We have this great partner, and there's an opportunity to get a new audience—as well as remind people who have been with us for 35 years, or if they just met Links Hall 5 years ago or last weekend, to come on over and check out the new space.”