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.
Adaptation • The Merchant of Venice • Bassanio • Shakespeare’s trial scenes • Lighting design • Translation • Site specific performance • Lancelot Gobbo • The Merchant of Venice in the Ghetto • Memory • Lewis Carroll • Adrian Beecham • Mercy • Fiction • Compagnia de’ Colombari • Jessica • Narrativization • Ciro Pinsuti • F • Holocaust • Antisemitism • Laurence Olivier • The Merchant in the Ghetto • Gratiano • Actors on Shakespeare • Performing Shakespeare • Portia • Rehearsal • Site-specific Shakespeare • Otto Taubmann • Foerster • Chromaticism • Charles and Mary Lamb • Site-specific design • Lorenzo • Venice • Children reading Shakespeare • Opera • History • Aldo Finzi • Adapting Shakespeare • Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco • Murray Abraham • Site-specific performance • Karin Coonrod • Shakespeare’s comedies of love • Designing Shakespeare • The quality of mercy • Directing Shakespeare • Reynaldo Hahn • Ruth Bader Ginsburg • Music design • Theatre design • Josef B • Antonio • Costume design • Music • Children’s literature • Shylock • George Braque and Shakespeare • Heritage • Mock Appeal: Shylock v • Mock Trial: Shylock v • Aestheticism • Ghetto • Jews • Humanities