The Merchant in Venice: Shakespeare in the Ghetto
edited by
abstract
This book records the landmark performance of The Merchant of Venice in the Venetian Ghetto in 2016, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and the 500th anniversary of the Jewish quarter that gave the world the word ‘ghetto’. Practitioners and critics discuss how this multi-ethnic production and its radical choice to cast five actors as Shylock provided the opportunity to respond creatively to Europe’s legacy of antisemitism, racism and difference. They observe how the place and play stand as ambivalent documents of civilization: instruments of intolerance but also sites of cultural exchange.
Lorenzo • Shakespeare’s trial scenes • Mock Trial: Shylock v • Site specific performance • Lewis Carroll • Laurence Olivier • Designing Shakespeare • Children’s literature • Gratiano • Humanities • Music design • Shakespeare’s comedies of love • Antisemitism • Rehearsal • Murray Abraham • Mercy • Memory • Compagnia de’ Colombari • Ruth Bader Ginsburg • Jessica • Karin Coonrod • Adrian Beecham • Children reading Shakespeare • Site-specific Shakespeare • Narrativization • Aestheticism • Lighting design • Theatre design • Adapting Shakespeare • F • Bassanio • Josef B • Antonio • Opera • Adaptation • Performing Shakespeare • Reynaldo Hahn • George Braque and Shakespeare • Site-specific design • Venice • Directing Shakespeare • Fiction • Jews • Foerster • Charles and Mary Lamb • Music • Otto Taubmann • Portia • The Merchant in the Ghetto • Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco • The Merchant of Venice • Chromaticism • Ciro Pinsuti • Heritage • Site-specific performance • Aldo Finzi • Mock Appeal: Shylock v • Translation • The Merchant of Venice in the Ghetto • History • Lancelot Gobbo • The quality of mercy • Shylock • Holocaust • Ghetto • Actors on Shakespeare • Costume design