From Shakespeare to politics to life on Mars, this season of the Crossroads Lecture Series represents a broad spectrum of interests. This diversity perfectly reflects the mission of the series, which gives islanders a chance to open their minds to ideas and issues presented by speakers willing to share their expertise.

Check out what is in store for this spring.

Othello in the 21st Century

The Shakespeare Festival is partnering with Orcas Crossroads to bring Ayanna Thompson to the island. She will present “Othello in the 21st Century: To Perform or Not to Perform?” at 7:30 p.m. at Orcas Center on Friday, March 21.

“Othello is the best-known black character in Shakespeare’s plays, a traditional role of dignity for black actors,” said Thompson. “But racial stereotypes of the 17th century create some discomfort among 21st century audiences.”

The lecture will explore historical and contemporary performances of the play in light of this discomfort.

“Although I am frequently labeled a ‘Shakespeare scholar,’ a more adequate label is something closer to ‘performance race scholar,’” said Thompson. “My work explores the development and cultural legacies of racial constructions in seventeenth-century England.”

Thompson specializes in Renaissance drama and her most recent publication “Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America” will be for sale at a book signing following the lecture.

Thompson is a trustee of the Shakespeare Association of America. She is working on a co-authored book about teaching Shakespeare that is tentatively called “Shakespeare on Purpose; a single-authored book on Shakespeare and revenge; and the introduction to the new Arden Othello.”

Politics in America

Whether running a marathon or being elected to Congress, Paul Gronke has one solid piece of advice – slow down. During his racing days, Gronke would  look to his right and left at the starting line, and inevitably see a young person toeing the line.

“I’d tell them, ‘Just to remind you, this is a 5K, not a 100 yard dash.’ Inevitably, off they’d bolt, and around the first mile, sometimes sooner, I’d motor on by them,” he said.

The same problem can be found in politics.

“Newly elected officials think that they’ll come to Congress and solve political problems right away. But politics as we see it is most often the result of many decisions made by many people over a long period of time,” said Gronke. “Political change is like a marathon, it takes a long time, and if you run it like a 100 yard dash, you’ll end up getting tired out.”

You can hear more from Gronke at his lecture “Is Congress a ‘Broken Branch’ or is America a ‘Broken Polity’?” on Sunday, April 13, 4 p.m. on the Center Stage, Orcas Center.

Gronke, a professor of political science at Reed College, will reflect on Congress and the electorate, drawing on his thirty years as an observer of both.

He has published the book, “The Electorate, The Campaign, and the Vote.” At the lecture he will share information about how our political system has changed from the 1950s to now.

“Many people long for a political era where political divisions were not so stark, and political agreements across the aisle were more common. Older people often think about the time of the 1950s. But there’s a reason that politics was like this in the 1950s, and it’s not all good,” he said.  “Many of the changes that our nation experienced in the 1960s and 70s were important and long overdue, but some of the politics we experience today are a consequence of those changes.”

He said that his greatest achievement is not in solving huge problems like how to fix Congress, but rather in the students he has inspired.

“I’ve helped to educate thousands of young people about how politics worked, and inspired some of them to run for office and work for nonprofits to improve the system,” he said. “My legacy lies with them.”

Life on Mars?

The Curiosity Rover has been operating on Mars since August 2012. On Sunday, May 18, 4 p.m., Center Stage at Orcas Center, Chris McKay will discuss efforts to determine the site’s habitability, focusing on searches for organic molecules – in other words “Is there life on Mars?”

“If we find such organics, our next question will be whether they are of biological origin,” he said in a recent press release.

McKay is a planetary scientist with the Space Science Division of NASA’s Ames Research Center. His research focuses on the evolution of the solar system and the origin of life. He is also actively involved in planning for future Mars missions including human exploration. But until then, McKay travels to Mars-like environments in the Antarctic Dry Valleys, the Atacama Desert, the Arctic, and the Namib Desert to conduct research.

“Other Solar System worlds of keen interest include Saturn’s moon Enceladus,” he said.

Tickets for lectures are $10 and available at Darvill’s Bookstore, online at www.orcascrossroads.org or at the door. Some complimentary tickets are available in advance at the Orcas Senior Center.

For more information about the lecture series, visit www.orcascrossroads.com.