Valley Shakespeare Festival to Present 'The Merchant of Venice'

Pictured above: Meet the cast of the MERCHANT OF VENICE! Performances begin MARCH 7th at 415 Howe Avenue! Use code VENICE for our special online price here —> http://bit.ly/2SmLq9J !

VALLEY SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL TO PRESENT 'THE MERCHANT OF VENICE'

Valley Shakespeare Festival has chosen to present the Bard’s most controversial comedy, “The Merchant of Venice,” for its first production of 2019. This will be an Equity production, drawing on a diverse cast from the tri-state area.

The play takes place in Venice and centers around the moneylender, Shylock and the Merchant of Venice, Antonio. The controversy ensues when Antonio famously agrees to forfeit “a pound of flesh” should he be unable to pay back his loan to Shylock. The play touches on many social issues we face today; most notably, the persecution of members of the Jewish faith and the oppression of women.

Valley Shakespeare Festival’s Artistic Director, Tom Simonetti, has chosen to take on this work precisely because of its content and the lessons it teaches us about the destructiveness of these practices. The circumstances that propel the action of this story combine to create a volatile situation from which no one emerges completely unscathed. The play brilliantly intertwines moments of comedy with deadly serious content, keeping the audience on its toes and reminding us at every turn that every action and every decision has a consequence.

The company plans to introduce the play with some brief background comments prior to the performances. The also hope to conduct an educational Q & A discussion with the cast and members of the community.

The production will run for two weeks from March 7th through the 17th, Thursdays through Sundays, at 415 HOWE (The Conti building) in Shelton. Tickets are $10 for students with ID, $20 for individual seats and $35 for table seats, and are available for purchase now at www.vsfestival.org or by calling 203-513-9446.

Valley Shakespeare Festival is a nonprofit professional theater company dedicated to providing free and low-cost theater to the communities of the Lower Naugatuck Valley