Suspense, romance flavor The Merchant of Venice
February 6, 2006
KOKOMO, Ind.—Long before James Wan directed
Saw or John Carpenter imagined that
Halloween “cut-up” Michael Meyer, another master of suspense created a villain eager to carve on his fellow man—all in the name of business.
After all, Antonio, the title character of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, signed a legal contract, agreeing to surrender “a pound of flesh” if he failed to repay the money loaned to him by Shylock. Will the gruesome interest payment be collected? Is Shylock a maniac, or a man justified in taking cold revenge for years of unspeakable insults and cruelty?
Find out Saturday, March 4, when Actors From The London Stage (AFTLS) presents The Merchant of Venice at 8 p.m. in Havens Auditorium at Indiana University Kokomo.
Tickets are $10 general admission, and $5 with a student ID from a school other than Indiana University. They are available in advance by calling (765) 455-9258, or at the Havens box office on performance night. Holders of IU Kokomo student and staff IDs will be admitted free.
Despite the dramatic plot twists, The Merchant of Venice is considered one of Shakespeare’s comedies. Its secondary story—the courtship of Portia and Bassanio, which is financed by Antonio’s loan—sparkles with wit and romance.
The oldest established touring Shakespeare theatre organization in North America, AFTLS draws performers from The Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain, and Shakespeare’s New Globe Theatre in London. IU Kokomo is one of only a handful of universities that the troupe will visit in 2006. In the week before the performance, AFTLS’s five touring actors will meet with IU Kokomo classes and present workshops.
On Friday, March 3, a special performance of The Merchant of Venice will be offered to area high school classes, followed by a QandA session in which students can talk to the troupe. This performance is being funded in part by a grant from The Community Foundation of Howard County.
SOAS Alumni Reunion Reception
Former students of the IU Kokomo School of Arts and Sciences (SOAS) are invited to reconnect with classmates and professors Saturday, March 4, before that evening’s production of The Merchant of Venice. A reunion and dessert reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall, leading up to the 8 p.m. performance in Havens Auditorium.
Invitations have been mailed to SOAS alumni. RSVPs are requested by February 24, to Anna Kiser at alkiser@iuk.edu or (765) 455-9258. The $20 admission covers both the reception and reserved seating for the play.
Actors From The London Stage 2006 cast
|
