Mock trial with a Shakespearean twist: moot court based on Othello raises funds for outreach program
Published: January 21, 2016
“Trifles light as air. Are to the jealous confirmations strong. As proofs of holy writ. This may do something.”
Students and professors at U of T’s Faculty of Law are staging what they call a literary moot on Jan 21.
It's a benefit on behalf of the University in the Community, a little-known outreach program for vulnerable adults established through a partnership between U of T and the Workers’ Educational Association, a pioneer in the field of adult education.
This is the third year in a row for the fundraiser but the first time they've tackled Shakespeare. This year’s mock trial is based on Othello, with archetypal villain Iago (quoted above) facing criminal charges as “a party to the offence.”
Read about last year's event
Law professors Brenda Cossman, Anthony Niblett and Martha Shaffer will testify as characters in the play. Dean Edward Iacobucci will preside in this court of last resort.
University in the Community provides free-of-charge, educational and humanities programming for vulnerable adults in the GTA. Classes are held once a week at Innis College and are taught by professors from a cross-section of departments at U of T and Ryerson University. They volunteer their time and experience.
Joanne Mackay-Bennett, co-ordinator of the University in the Community, told U of T News that “although UitC does not offer credits, it offers anyone with a desire to learn something that is equally valuable: the chance to attend weekly classes given by outstanding faculty and to feel included as members of U of T’s remarkable community of learners.”
By supporting the program, “U of T recognizes that the flow of knowledge between university and community, and between community and the university, is a crucial contributor to a healthy and vibrant civic life,” she said.
Another program UitC supports is “Thought for Food” part of CAMH’s new integrated day treatment service. The program helps people with mood and anxiety challenges relax, socialize, develop new skills and have fun, according to the CAMH website.
Alayna Dueck, a second-year Law student, is the prime organizer of the event. She got interested last year while watching the faculty’s version of Oliver Twist. It did The Great Gatsby the year before.
She told U of T News that the literary moots “provide fascinating interactions between policy and social determinants.”
Tickets are $20 but students can pay what they can, though $10 is suggested.
