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The Merchant of Venice by Directed by Jan Brigham Young University · Department of Theatre and Media Arts The Merchant of Venice By Directed by Jan. 25–Feb. 4, 2012 William Shakespeare Lindsay Adamson Margetts Theatre Livingston Harris Fine Arts Center Adapted by Teresa Dayley Love Lindsay Adamson Livingston The Merchant of Venice Director’s Note Prologue At first glanceThe Merchant of Venice may seem like an odd choice Act 1 Scene 1: Another Favor for production intended principally for children. The relationships Scene 2: Unsuitable Suitors depicted in the play are deeply troubled and troubling, and they Scene 3: Fair Terams and a Villain’s Mind grew out of and reflect a time period when racial and cultural stereotypes were used as a theatrical shorthand for villainy. Scene 4: Morroccan0721 Enters the Game Scene 5: Bassanio Sets Sail The play moves far beyond stereotypes, though, and is really about the Scene 6: The Prince of Arrogance many ideas that both children and adults understand perfectly well and engage with daily: love and friendship, parents and children, agency Scene 1: I’ll Have the Heart of Her and choice, appearance and reality, and life on the outside of an insular Act 2 Scene 2: Game Over culture. These affect the ways we see ourselves as well as the ways we Scene 3: Antonia’s Arrest act towards those who believe, look, or behave differently from us. Scene 4: Prettier Fellows In its ugliest form, such differences can manifest in the bullying Scene 5: Justice v. Mercy that Shylock has endured throughout much of his life—most of it Epilogue from Antonia and her friends. Unfortunately, bullying is something that children understand, often intimately. The concept of bullying, and how people react to those who are different, ties together all the thematic strands of our production, unifying the diverse story Cast lines and ideas that are floating around this remarkable play. Antonia Katie Jarvis Bassanio Adam White Of all the possible threads to pluck from the play, the cast and I have decided to pay particular attention to that of mercy. Shylock doesn’t Shylock Andrew Foree give it but hasn’t received it from the other characters either. But Sarah Butler Portia Shylock is not the only character to favor absolute lawfulness over Storyteller Jenna Hawkins forgiveness. In the end, Portia also fails the test of mercy, refusing to grant Shylock anything but the strictest of justice. Antonia is the least merciful of all; not content with Shylock’s punishment under the law, she insists on his forced conversion to the dominant culture, Staff Director Lindsay Adamson Livingston which has long oppressed him. Each would be far better off if he or she had shown mercy to an enemy, regardless of whether that Crysta Powell Production Stage Manager person deserved it. After all, isn’t mercy always undeserved? Dramaturg Megan Chase This is a terribly important message for audience members of all Theatre Outreach Coordinator Rebecca Wallin ages, and we have worked tirelessly to communicate it through this production. The adaptation by Teresa Dayley Love emphasizes the Scenic Designer Brent Robison themes of forgiveness, mercy, and kindness by removing the original Jocelyn Chatman Costume Designer cultural references and replacing them with a more contemporary frame. The adaptation emphasizes the way that the same bullying Assistant Stage Manager/ Mallory Mackay behaviors Shylock both endures and metes out continue today, often Makeup/Hair Designer in the ways we treat those who are different from us. By viewing Properties Designer Hannah May Kroff this well-known play anew, through the lens of bullying, hopefully we can come to a better understanding of the power of true mercy, which is given unearned, unbidden, and unconditionally. □ 2 Department of Theatre and Media Arts The Merchant of Venice 3 Meet the Company Sarah Butler From San Antonio, Texas. Senior in media arts studies. Portia Some favorite acting roles at BYU have been Creon in BYU Experimental Theatre’s Oedipus Tyrranus and The Merchant Julia in BYU Spanish Golden Age Theatre’s Castelvines y Montéses (a Spanish version of Romeo and Juliet). Recent film credits include producer ofThe Wolf and of Venice the Ewe, casting director for Dante’s Hamlet, and she is currently the director of The Bitter Pill, all of which are BYU senior capstone films. Andrew Foree From Joseph City, Arizona. Senior in theatre education. Shylock Recent credits include George Jones in The Women of Lockerbie at BYU, Zeman in A Second Birth at BYU, Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice with Utah Shakespeare in the Park, and Ergaste in The School for Megan Husbands at BYU. Study Jenna Hawkins From Antioch, California. Freshman in pre-acting Chase, Storyteller and mathematics. Recent credits include being a dramaturg performance artist in Ghost Stories, Smeraldina in The guide Servant of Two Masters, Berthe in Pippin, and Frank in Private Eyes. get to know the Shakespearean characters Katie Jarvis From Grants Pass, Oregon. She has recently been word inventions Antonia Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web, the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and one of the Women from The Women of Lockerbie. She has also Do A Word Search been a supporting dancer in several ballets and dance Facts ensembles. about the Adam White From Ashburn, Virginia. Sophomore minoring in theatre Get Autographs author Bassanio arts studies, major undecided. Recent credits include Conrade in a student directed production of Much Ado Explore Learn how to About Nothing. This is his first mainstage production at BYU. compliment like the Globe Shakespeare See Shakespeare’s Love’s Labor’s Lost March 14–30 | Pardoe Theatre | On sale February 13 | (801) 422-4322 or BYUarts.com 4 Department of Theatre and Media Arts Cast of Characters Words, Words, Words You will meet many characters in this production. Some will be played by Shakespeare’s language might seem a lot different than how we speak today, members of the audience. One of the actors will even be playing more than one but did you know you probably have quoted Shakespeare before? The following character. were likely coined by the playwright. How many do you recognize? ANTONIA, a sad but wealthy merchant too much of a good thing SHYLOCK, a moneylender who is disliked by many dead as a doornail in a pickle , PORTIA a very wealthy and beautiful young woman foul play BASSANIO, a young man who spends too much money vanish into thin air and who wants to marry Portia elbow room GRATIANO, Bassanio’s friend what the dickens NERISSA, Portia’s lady-in-waiting and friend laughing stock PRINCE OF ARRAGON, PRINCE OF MOROCCO, Portia’s suitors budge an inch bet SALERIO, a friend of Bassanio and Antonio gossip JESSICA, Shylock’s daughter eyeball puking Different skim milk gloomy Worlds label mimic Because Shylock comes from excitement a different background than Why do the characters focus bloodstained the other characters in the more on their differences play, he is often mistreated than their similarities? lower and in turn becomes What could the characters do hurried bump angry at his aggressors. to overcome their differences? bedroom As you watch the Should people always forgive amazement without rhyme or reason play, consider the those who wrong them? following questions: 6 Department of Theatre and Media Arts The Merchant of Venice 7 Game Will Who? Although you might be familiar with some “Shakespeare” already, below are The Merchant of Venice was written by William Shakespeare almost 450 words you might not know. Find them in the word search and listen for them years ago. Impress your parents and teachers with these interesting during the play: facts about the playwright and his life: Nobody knows the exact S L U X G N P I D E F M Q S D date of his birth. Most While most Z N W Z L O A T H I N G R B V scholars believe he was born people use about N E L X R I B P E A W P A G E on or around April 23, 1564. 2,000 words, A D V E R S A R Y F O S L K N Shakespeare J P R O N J A X X I W E O T T used more than N O V N T U I T J O L L Q V U It is likely that 25,000 words. N X H J I A J V C U O O U X R Shakespeare didn’t F I R P W T K B V H Q Q A R E Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and have formal schooling I W Z P V Q U H I Q M U C W R 154 sonnets (a type of poem). after the age of 15. U Z X N K E C X G X P E I W N Z T N D B E H O L D E N O N I Z Q V T H W A R T E D C U D W F B E R E F T I A F I E S K F X R E A Y P R O D I G A L P G C H K J C P V G Q U D B K K A Loquacious very talkative Shakespeare Prodigal wasteful with money not only wrote Venture property bought in order to sell for a profit plays but he Thwarted to prevent someone’s plan from being successful acted in them Loathing extreme hatred Adversary enemy too.
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