The Merchant of Venice

With its long history of merchant classes, its busy port and river channels bisecting the city it made sense to us to see Cork as a kind of modern Venice. To quote Pat Kiernan, Corcadorca’s Artistic Director, “In choosing to produce ‘The Merchant of Venice’ during Cork’s designation as Capital of Culture it is our intention to examine the city as it is today, particularly within a European context. How we judge the caskets in Belmont (“All that glistens is not gold”) or Shylock (“Hath a Jew not eyes?”) is a central theme in the play. It seems appropriate to look at ‘The Merchant of Venice’ at a time when in Cork and Ireland we find ourselves suddenly exposed to different resident cultures and colours. How tolerant and welcoming are we?

This was a promenade production, with the audience walking from site to site.

Nominated for Best Production in the 2005 Irish Times Theatre Awards

Sponsored by Murray Ó Laoire Architect