Bell Shakespeare's ‘The Merchant Of Venice’ is hitting stages across Australia on tour.
Considered by some critics as one of Shakespeare’s great comedies, ‘The Merchant Of Venice’ remains relevant 400 years after it was written for its exploration of tensions and prejudices between the haves and have nots.
Bell Shakespeare’s production will be directed by Anne-Louise Sparks, who has developed a reputation for navigating the complexities of difficult subjects and says the story still speaks to the ills and inadequacies of the status quo.
“At the heart of the play is a questioning of the ‘other’,” Anne-Louise says. “It is a play about power and beliefs and freedom. The play asks questions that resonate today, with our current debates about faith and freedom of speech.”
The story centres on melancholy merchant Antonio who defaults on a loan from Jewish moneylender Shylock his friend Bassanio arranges. Shylock is a contentious character in Shakespearean scholarship, seen as both a villain for his miserly ways and sympathetic for the Anti-Semitic abuse he has suffered from Antonio.
This production of ‘The Merchant Of Venice’ by Bell Shakespeare also explores the idea that Antonio is in love with Bassanio, placing the complexity of sexuality and contemporary relationships at the heart of the play.
With an ensemble cast of accomplished performers including award-wining actors Mitchell Butel and Jessica Tovey, ‘The Merchant Of Venice’ as presented by Bell Shakespeare will be an uncompromising and unflinching production that runs a knife edge along the central themes of justice and revenge.
'The Merchant Of Venice' Tour Dates
22 September – Darwin Entertainment Centre28 September – Redland Performing Arts Centre (Brisbane)
30 September – Events Centre Caloundra
3-4 October – Laycock St Theatre (Gosford)
6-7 October – Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre (Penrith)
10 October – Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre
13-21 October – Canberra Theatre Centre
24 October-26 November – Sydney Opera House
