Trinity Rep Kicks Off 2012 With THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 2/3-3/11

Trinity Rep continues its 2011-2012 Season with The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare's incendiary indictment of prejudice. At the mercy of moneylender Shylock, Antonio must find a way out of losing collateral he simply can't afford to part with – a pound of his own flesh. A bold new setting brings to bear the timelessness of Shakespeare's controversial play. Directed by Artistic Director Curt Columbus, the show opens in previews February 3 and runs through March 11 in the Chace Theater.

Tickets are on sale now at the Trinity Rep box office, 201 Washington St.; by phone at (401) 351-4242; and online at www.trinityrep.com. This production is sponsored by Taco/The White Family Foundation.

Director Curt Columbus said his interest was piqued not only by the complex character of Shylock (played in this production by company member Stephen Berenson), but by the intrigue afforded by the intersecting love stories. "This came into focus as a play about how people who hide their secrets need to alienate another more, make them more 'other'," said Columbus, alluding to the nature of the relationship between powerful merchant Antonio (Joe Wilson Jr.) and his handsome young friend, Bassanio (Stephen Thorne). While Bassanio's stated intention is to woo Portia (Brown/Trinity Rep actor Mary C. Davis), Columbus feels that there is more to the story – that Bassanio's interests are part of a larger love triangle involving feelings for Antonio.

The drama of the predatory lending arrangement with Shylock runs parallel to this. When Bassanio finally secures the money he needs to travel towards his intended from Shylock, Antonio is named as the loan's guarantor. Shylock's animosity for Antonio runs deep: Antonio is a professed anti-Semite who undermines Shylock's livelihood with zero-interest loans of his own. Shylock pounces on the opportunity to return the favor to Antonio: If he is unable to repay the loan, Shylock may take a pound of Antonio's flesh (and presumably, his life in the process). Portia is in the midst of her own devil's bargain with her father – his will stipulates a cruel game of chance for the fate of her suitors – and ultimately, her happiness.

Although the play remains a problematic one – the portrait of Shylock throughout history has not always been kind – Columbus and Berenson take care to point out the complex dramatic reality of the play's flawed anti-hero. "Shylock is a fully-realized human being of great complexity. He loses his principles: he begins as a righteous man, but his relentless drive toward revenge, his inability to love his neighbor and offer forgiveness, undermines him. It moves him from what could be a position of sympathy – with the audience and the other characters – to tragedy. That's his fatal flaw. He gets carried away through an act of vengeance – the same thing that happens to Othello. Shylock loses his principles, thus his faith and his community," said Berenson of the role he's about to take on.

The Merchant of Venice also features resident Acting Company members FrEd Sullivan Jr. as Gratiano, a friend to Antonio and Bassanio; Rachael Warren as Nerissa, Portia's maid; and Brown/Trinity Rep MFA actors Will Austin as Lorenzo, a friend of Antonio and Bassanio whose heart belongs to Shylock's daughter; Darien Battle as Launcelot Gobbo (and others), servant to Shylock; and Caroline Kaplan as Jessica, Shylock's daughter, who converts to Christianity, raising his ire.

Columbus has enlisted resident designer Eugene Lee to construct the setting for his vision of Merchant, which takes place in early-1930s Italy during a time of festival and celebration. Columbus says that audiences will have a vibrant, stimulating carnival-esque environment within which to watch this story unfold. The colorful celebrations of Venice, studded with song and rich costumes, eventually spin out into garishness as Shakespeare's tale takes a darker turn when Shylock comes to collect what is owed to him.

The Merchant of Venice also features costume design by Olivera Gajic, lighting design by Keith Parham, sound design by Benji Inniger, and choreography by ShaRon Jenkins.

Curt Columbus (director) joined Trinity Rep as artistic director in January 2006. His directing credits for Trinity include His Girl Friday, Camelot, Cabaret, The Odd Couple, The Secret Rapture, The Receptionist, A Christmas Carol, Memory House, Blithe Spirit, Cherry Orchard and the world premiere of Stephen Thorne's The Completely Fictional – Utterly True – Final Strange Tale of Edgar Allan Poe. His plays Paris by Night and The Dreams of Antigone premiered at Trinity Rep. His adaptation of Crime and Punishment (with Marilyn Campbell) is published by Dramatists Play Service. Curt's translations of Chekhov's plays are published by Ivan R. Dee, Chekhov: The Four Major Plays. The Dreams of Antigone is published by Broadway Play Publishing, which will publish Sparrow Grass after its 2012 premiere. Curt lives in Pawtucket with his partner, Nathan Watson.

Evening performances are Tuesdays through Sundays at 7:30 pm with selected Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 2pm.

The first performance on February 3 at 7:30PM is Pay What You Can (PWYC). PWYC tickets go on sale at 6:30 pm, limit one per person. Trinity Rep continues its mission to make live theater accessible to all by offering expanded $15 discounted seating to every show. Additional discounted and rush tickets are also available, call box office for details. For information on group rates (parties of 10 or more) contact Group Sales at (401) 351-4242.

Talkbacks will be held after every performance of Merchant of Venice. Audiences are invited to share their response to the play's production and themes for approximately twenty minutes. Visit www.trinityrep.com to view a full performance calendar.

Trinity Rep's 48th season is sponsored by NBC 10, with supporting sponsors Cox Media, Rhode Island Monthly and RISCA.

PD PLUS: The Merchant of Venice in the classroom

Trinity Rep's Education Department will continue to offer its popular "Project Discovery Plus" program which presents five student matinees to local middle and high school students, as well as complimentary in-school workshops taught by Teaching Artists and cast members from the production. Project Discovery Plus began seven years ago as part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national theater initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest. The program is a three-part experience, beginning with in-class workshops held prior to the students attending the play, in order to prepare them for the production. The schools then attend one of the weekday Project Discovery student matinees at Trinity Rep. In the weeks following the performance, actors will once again visit their classrooms again in order to work with the students to reflect and build on what they've seen. The workshops can take a number of different forms, from an "Inside The Actors Studio" format to writing and performing their own modern adaptations of the play.

Trinity Rep is proud to announce that it is the recipient of one of the National Endowment for the Arts' Shakespeare for a New Generation grants. The grant, in the amount of $25,000, will go to support educational programs surrounding Merchant of Venice. William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, a hard look at the timeless evil of greed, will provide the centerpiece of our Project Discovery educational program – from February through March. Trinity Repertory Company expects to serve 4,100 students from approximately 100 schools through the program.

Education Director Carrie Azano states "The impact on the students is immediate and powerful – they become engaged with the material, and their understanding of the text deepens exponentially as they see it performed, and as they, in turn, perform scenes from the play themselves."

Support for Project Discovery Plus comes from The Amgen Foundation and The F.A.O. Schwarz Family Foundation. Additional support for Trinity Rep's education programs comes from: Bank of America, The Carter Family Charitable Trust, The Yawkey Foundation, Providence's CDBG program, Textron, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, the McAdams Charitable Foundation, Hasbro Children's Fund, and many individual donors.

AT A GLANCE
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
February 3 - March 11, 2012

Director Curt Columbus
Set Design Eugene Lee
Costume Design Olivera Gajic
Lighting Design Keith Parham
Sound Design Benji Inniger
Choreography ShaRon Jenkins
Production Stage Manager Buzz Cohen
Cast Trinity Rep resident company members Stephen Berenson, FrEd Sullivan Jr., Stephen Thorne, Rachael Warren, and Joe Wilson Jr.; and Brown/Trinity Rep MFA actors Will Austin, Darien Battle, Mary C. Davis, and Caroline Kaplan.

Opening Press Night Wednesday February 8, 2012 at 7:30pm
Previews Friday February 3 at 7:30pm, Saturday, February 4 at 7:30pm, Sunday February 5 at 7:30pm, and Tuesday February 7 at 7:30pm
Pay- What- You- Can Friday February 3 at 7:30pm; tickets on sale 6:30pm; limit 1 per person.
Food For Thought discussion Sunday February 5 after 7:30pm performance
Web site www.trinityrep.com
Box Office 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903 (401) 351-4242
Group Sales (401) 351-4242 for groups of 20 or more.
Regular Ticket Prices: $26-66 Adult; $15 for Chace Theater's 12th row Bench
Sponsored by Taco/The White Family Foundation
Education Programs surrounding The Merchant of Venice are part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Season Sponsor NBC 10
Season Supporting Sponsors Cox Media, Rhode Island Monthly and RISCA