Elizabeth Shearer White

Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Shearer White (d. 1993) was an independent film producer and founder of the Shearer Summer Theatre in Martha’s Vineyard. She is known for her stage production of Shakespeare’s Othello with an all-black cast, which she eventually filmed and released as a movie in 1980 at Howard University. White worked as an actress and dresser on Broadway before eventually returning to Oak Bluffs, where she grew up.

Films


Othello

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(1980)

This was the first all-Black cast adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Othello”. This film was produced by and starring Benny Ashburn, manager and founder of The Commodores, and also starred Yaphet Kotto in the titular role.