1 in 5 women have been passed over for a promotion in favor of a male colleague. With numerous studies showing how gender holds women back in the workplace, we set out to shine a light on gender bias by using an iconic patriarchal story–and flipped the script.

We modernized a 400 year old play to reflect the bias women face today. For the first time ever, we took a literary classic that was written and told from the male point of view and retold it from a female perspective.

In the original play, the villain Iago is furious at Othello about being passed over for a promotion as lieutenant. In this AR musical, we reimagined Iago as a woman–who, consumed by internalized rage for being overlooked simply because of her gender, turns into a vengeful monster. Showing how patriarchy can make villains out of women who challenge convention.

Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the history of the English language. But his works struggle to find relevance today. The modern audience has evolved to prefer interactive content, as well connecting to the material through shared values.

Specifically, Gen Z is the first generation to grow up on mobile devices, where they primarily engage with platforms. They are also the generation that is most selective of the content they consume–not only is interaction crucial, social justice issues are given a lot of importance.

Shakespeare Reversed was created for a mobile-first audience. Not only did we modernize the story, we also modernized how it was told. Using Verizon’s 5G technology, viewers seamlessly moved from IRL to virtual, pushing the boundaries of storytelling using only their devices. Putting the audience in control, and empowering the next generation of women through next generation tech.

We launched a Snap lens that showed Iago’s transformation, on the same day as the opening of the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival where the AR musical “Shakespeare Reversed: Iago the Green Eyed Monster” was live for two weeks. An app was launched on the opening date as well, enabling users to experience the AR musical wherever they are.

In the on-ground activation, we built physical platforms with dioramas, scaled to fit on a phone screen or a tablet so the audience can direct their own immersive experience with 360-degree engagement. Shakespeare ReVersed leverages technology to reach a wider audience, and more importantly, get one step closer to reversing gender bias.

2022 Tribeca Film Festival - Best Immersive Experience Finalist

16.4 million impressions on Snap

52% increase in brand favorability