WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

PRESS KITELEMENTS THEATRE COMPANY

A POUND OF FLESH:EXPLORING QUALITIES OF MERCY WHEN

ENCOUNTERING “THE OTHER”

ELEMENTS THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

A SERIES OF PERFORMANCES, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND WORKSHOPSINSPIRED BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

A POUND OF FLESH:EXPLORING QUALITIES OF MERCY WHEN

ENCOUNTERING “THE OTHER”

ELEMENTS THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

A SERIES OF PERFORMANCES, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND WORKSHOPSINSPIRED BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

WELCOME TO ELEMENTS THEATRE COMPANY

Sr. Danielle Dwyer, Artistic Director

DEAR FRIENDS,

Welcome to The Merchant of Venice; A Pound of Flesh Series.

The Merchant of Venice is an uncomfortable and confrontational play in practically every scene.

There is no denying the hate, the prejudice, and the blatant superiority that seeps through most every

character. Frank Underwood, Kevin Spacey’s character in House of Cards, has this to say:

“Hate starts in your gut, deep down here, where it stirs and churns and then it rises, hate rises fast and volcanic, it erupts hot on the breath.”

This would be true for many characters in this play. There is not one kind or gentle soul here, and all

have joined the ranks of hate and prejudice.

The actor’s work is to inhabit their character and flesh them, fully and authentically. In doing so,

Shakespeare’s story once again lives and breathes in a new space to a new audience, who desires to

hear his enlightening words.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

Shakespeare most definitely brought light to a dark subject. Looking at this dark and destructive

emotion through this story, facing into this ravenous element we bring to our relationships, offers us

a horizon of new choices.  There is no magic answer, and hate is ugly and heavy, but this story shines

truth on the human relationships that live in small communities, in larger cities, in even larger countries

bridging to nations.  If we can start in ourselves, looking at who we are and what we choose, then that

recognition no longer stays as benign acceptance, but becomes an active agent for change.

All the best,Sr. Danielle Dwyer

ELEMENTS THEATRE COMPANY

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

SCENIC DESIGNSarah Andre, Anna Mitchell,

Br. Christopher Swidrak

COSTUME DESIGNRebecca Lussier, Gail Gibson,

Michelle Rich

LIGHTING DESIGNScott Stipetic, Tom Lynch

SOUND DESIGNDan Pfeiffer

PRODUCTIONSTAGE MANAGER

Sr. Mercy Minor

TECHNICAL DIRECTORChristopher Kanaga

DIRECTED BYSr. Danielle Dwyer

VOICE AND TEXT COACHElizabeth Ingram

CAST(IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)

Antonio....................................................................Christopher Kanaga

Salanio, Balthazaar ....................................................Sr. Phoenix Catlin

Bassanio ...........................................................................James Bocock

Lorenzo ....................................................................................Peter Haig

Gratiano, Aragon ............................................................... Kyle Norman

Portia .........................................................................Rachel McKendree

Nerissa ............................................................................. Stephanie Haig

Shylock .......................................................................Sr. Danielle Dwyer

Launcelot, Tubal, Morrocco, Duke .................................Brad Lussier

Jessica, Servingmen in 1.2 .......................................Heather Norman

ADDITIONAL STAFF

Set Construction .......................Paul Moore, Soren Spatzeck-Olsen

Set Painters ...................................................... Lexa Hale, Roger Snure

Makeup/Hair Stylists ...................................... Sandra Spatzeck-Olsen

Ashley Schuman, Katie Tingley

Tour Stage Crew ........................................Christy Haig, Amy Mitchell

Sr. Huai-Kuang Miao, Paul Moore, Soren Spatzeck-Olsen

Br. John Henderson, Sr. Rosemary Ingwersen

Br. Stephen Velie, Rebecca Lussier, Michael Hale

A POUND OF FLESH: EXPLORING QUALITIES OF MERCY WHEN ENCOUNTERING “THE OTHER”A Series of Performances, Panel Discussions, Workshops, and Post-Show Conversations Inspired by William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of VeniceJanuary 24-February 24, 2015New York City & Chicago

Elements Theatre Company presents the 2015 “Arts in Conversation” series, an annual program launched in 2013 that brings together leaders in the arts, education, religion, media and social outreach to create public

dialogue on the power of the arts to humanize our culture.

As a theatre company, our core mission is to educate and illuminate through the honest exploration of classical and classically-rooted modern theatre. We believe that theatre provides a mirror for ourselves and our society, creating a possibility for meaningful exchange over ideas that matter most deeply. In our experience, reconciliation and transformation are only possible when we clearly see and name the issues that divide us.

This winter, we present Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice as a springboard for thought-provoking conversation on “the other” in our society today. In a world torn by hatred and prejudice of many kinds, we can feel powerless to create any real change. But by creating a space for exchange, reflection, and even disagreement, we might discover truths at the core of the issues. These insights might be frightening or surprising, but they can also ignite real change.

In the Pound of Flesh series, distinguished guest panelists and the Elements cast will consider: What drives Shylock (and other “outsiders”) to such extreme measures? In what ways could we be responsible for creating a climate of persecution, rather than acceptance? What are the qualities of mercy that might turn

the tide of violence, in our culture and in our relationships?

CO-PRESENTERS IN NEW YORK CITY INCLUDE:The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center

Classic Stage Company

The New School for Drama

92nd Street Y

St. Malachy’s, The Actors' Chapel

SCHEDULE OF EVENTSJANUARY 27Workshop: Sonnet Project: Learn to Enliven Shakespeare’s Words

6:30pm

New York Public Library for thePerforming Arts at Lincoln Center

Bruno Walter Auditorium111 Amsterdam Ave. at W. 65th Street

JANUARY 29Scenes from The Merchant of Venice followed by Panel Discussion: A Pound of Flesh: Exploring Qualities of Mercy when Encountering “the Other”

6pm

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center

Bruno Walter Auditorium111 Amsterdam Ave. at W. 65th Street

Guest Panelists: • Rich McCoy• Rabbi Peter Rubinstein• David Van Biema• Matt Malone, SJ• Danielle Dwyer, CJ• Jeff Robbins, Moderator

FEBRUARY 4 Workshop: Word Made Flesh: Shakespeare’sSonnets

2-3pm and 7-8pm

92nd Street Y

E. 92nd St. and Lexington Ave.

FEBRUARY 6-7The Merchant of Venice with Post-Show Discussion

February 6, 7pmFebruary 7, 2pm (tentative)

The New School for Drama

12th Street Auditorium151 Bank St.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTSFEBRUARY 9The Merchant of Venice followed by Panel Discussion: A Pound of Flesh: Exploring Qualities of Mercy when Encountering “the Other”

7pm

Classic Stage Company

136 E. 13th St.

Guest Panelists:• David Kastan• John Douglas Thompson• Rabbi Brad Hirschfield• Matt Malone, SJ• Danielle Dwyer, CJ• Jeff Robbins, Moderator

FEBRUARY 11 Scenes from The Merchant of Venice and The Trial of Jesus with Post-Show Discussion

7pm

St. Malachy’s, The Actors' Chapel

239 W. 49th St.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: NEW YORK CITY

GUEST PANELISTS: NEW YORK CITYJohn Douglas ThompsonJohn Douglas Thompson has appeared on Broadway in A Time To Kill, Cyrano de Bergerac and Julius Caesar. His off-Broadway credits include Tamburlaine at Theater for a New Audience; Satchmo at the Waldorf (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award) at the Westside Theater; King Lear at the Public Theater; Macbeth (title role), Oroonoko and Othello (OBIE Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Joe A. Callaway Award and Drama League Award nomination) at Theatre for a New Audience; The Forest at Classic Stage Company; The Emperor Jones at The Irish Repertory Theatre (Joe A. Callaway Award and Lucille Lortel, Drama League and Drama Desk nominations); Women Beware Women at Red Bull Theater and Hedda Gabler at New York Theatre Workshop. Regional

credits include Antony and Cleopatra at Hartford Stage; the title role in Richard III at Shakespeare & Company; Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train at The Wilma Theater (Barrymore Award) and productions at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, New York Stage and Film, Trinity Repertory Company, American Repertory Theater and Yale Repertory Theatre. His television and film credits include Madam Secretary; All My Children; One Life to Live; Law & Order; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Conviction; Bourne Legacy; Michael

Clayton; Midway and Malcolm X. John is a Fox Fellowship and Robert Brustein Award recipient. 

David Kastan David Scott Kastan is the George M. Bodman Professor of English at Yale University. Among his books are A Will To Believe: Shakespeare and Religion (2014), Shakespeare and the Book (2001), Shakespeare after Theory (1999), and Shakespeare and the Shapes of TIme (1982). He has produced important scholarly editions of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part One, Milton's Paradise Lost, and Marlowe's Dr. Faustus; and he edited the five-volume Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature (2006). He currently serves as one of the general editors

of the Arden Shakespeare.

David Van BiemaDavid Van Biema is the former chief religion writer for TIME Magazine, for which he wrote 25 cover stories. He is the recipient of several awards for religion journalism. Prior to TIME, he was a senior writer at several other magazines. He is currently writing Speaking to God: A History and Cultural Interpretation of the Psalms for Simon & Schuster. He lives with his wife and son in New York.

GUEST PANELISTS CONT.

Rabbi Brad HirschfieldListed for many years in Newsweek as one of America’s “50 Most Influential Rabbis,” and recognized as one of our nation’s leading “Preachers & Teachers,” by Beliefnet.com, Fox News regular contributor, Washington Post blogger, Odyssey Network’s “Faith on the Record” video blogger, and think tank President Brad Hirschfield is the author of You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism (Harmony, 2008). He also conceived and hosted two groundbreaking series for Bridges TV—American Muslim TV Network, Building Bridges: Abrahamic Perspectives on the World Today (three seasons), and American Pilgrimage. He is also the Co-founder and Executive Editor of The Wisdom

Daily, which can be found at www.thewisdomdaily.com.

Often quoted in the media, Rabbi Hirschfield was featured on PBS’s “Frontline: Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero,” and the acclaimed film, Freaks Like Me. A popular speaker, he has appeared at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in both Barcelona and Melbourne, among many other places, and is the editor of Remember for Life: Holocaust Survivors’ Stories of Faith and Hope (JPS, 2007). An Orthodox rabbi, he received his M.A. and M. Phil from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and his B.A. from the University of Chicago.

Rabbi Peter J. RubinsteinRabbi Peter J. Rubinstein is the Director of Jewish Community and the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life at the 92Y in New York City.  He is also the Rabbi Emeritus of Central Synagogue, a Reform congregation affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism where he served as the Senior Rabbi for 23 years.  Prior to his position at Central Synagogue, Rabbi Rubinstein served as the Rabbi of Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, New York and Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo, California.

Rabbi Rubinstein graduated from Amherst College from which he received his Bachelor of Arts degree.  He was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City, and he received a Master of Hebrew Letters degree with honors.  He

then was the Herbert R. Bloch Memorial Fellow at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati and specialized in the history of the Jewish community during the second commonwealth. He received a Doctor of Divinity in 1994.

In addition to his professional affiliations and responsibilities, Rabbi Rubinstein is a founder and Chair of the Rabbinic Council of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and member of the organization’s North American Advisory Board. He is Co-chair of the Partnership of Faith in New York City which includes the senior clergy of the city’s major congregations.  He also founded and chairs the Rabbinic Vision Initiative aimed at the evolution of Reform Judaism in North America and he is a frequent lecturer on the evolution of synagogues and the role of a Rabbi now and in the future.  He is recognized as a leader in the changing face of the Jewish community and was ranked number 3 in Newsweek’s 2012 list of “America’s 50 Most Influential Rabbis” and number 5 in 2013.  He was named one of the 28 “2014 America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis” by The Jewish Daily Forward.

Rabbi Rubinstein also serves on the US Board of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City and is the immediate past Chair of the Board.  He is on the Board of the New York Region of

the American Jewish Committee.

GUEST PANELISTS CONT.

Matt Malone, S.J.Father Matt Malone, S.J., is the 14th and youngest editor in chief of America magazine. He entered the Society of Jesus in 2002 and was ordained a priest in 2012. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and holds a M.A. from Fordham University; a Bachelor of Divinity from The University of London, and a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology from the Catholic University of Louvain.

Prior to joining the Jesuits, Matt served as the founding deputy director of MassINC, an independent political think tank, and co-publisher of an award-winning review of politics, ideas and civic life. His writing has appeared in numerous national and international publications and his work and ideas have been featured in The New York Times and The

Washington Post among others.

Father Malone is a member of the pastoral teams at the Parish of Saints John and Paul in Larchmont, N.Y., the Church of Saint Francis Xavier in Manhattan and the Cathedral of Saint Patrick.

Richard McCoyRichard McCoy is Distinguished Professor of English at Queens College and the Graduate Center, CUNY. He graduated from Stanford University and received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. He has written four books – Sir Philip Sidney: Rebellion in Arcadia (Rutgers, 1979), The Rites of Knighthood: The Literature and Politics of Elizabethan Chivalry (California, 1989), Alterations of State: Sacred Kingship in the English Reformation (Columbia, 2002), and Faith in Shakespeare (Oxford, 2013) as well as numerous articles on Renaissance poetry and Shakespeare’s plays. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council for Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Huntington Library.

He is Chair of the Council of Scholars for New York’s Theatre for a New Audience and has served as a speaker and consultant for Shakespeare performances at Classic Stage Company, the Pearl Theater Company, Target Margin, the Public Theater, and the Shakespeare Society, as well as the Royal Shakespeare Company and

Canada’s Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

Danielle Dwyer, CJA founding member of Elements Theatre Company, Sr. Danielle Dwyer has either directed or performed in nearly 70 productions since the company’s inception. Classically trained but also skilled in contemporary drama, Sr. Danielle earned her Master of Arts Degree from England’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the University of London. She also studied voice, acting, and writing with Joanna Weir at Central School of Speech and Drama (London, England); David Male of Cambridge University (Cambridge, England); and Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA); and studied Shakespeare at the Stella Adler Studio in New York City. Sr. Danielle’s directorial experience ranges from the timeless humanity of Shakespeare (Julius Caesar) and Chekhov (The Cherry Orchard) to the biting comedy of

Oscar Wilde (Lady Windermere’s Fan) and Yasmina Reza (God of Carnage). Recent roles include Julius Caesar, Calpurnia; God of Carnage, Annette Raleigh; Pillars of the Community, Lona Hessel; Twelfth Night, Malvolio; The Cherry Orchard, Ranevskaya; Lady Windermere’s Fan, Mrs. Erlynne; The Lion in Winter, Eleanor; Doctor Faustus, Mephistopheles; Richard III, Queen Elizabeth; Everyman, Everyman; and Lettice and Lovage, Lettice Douffet. Sr. Danielle is also the author of several performance pieces, including short stories and plays, video scripts, poetic monologues, and narratives

for worship.

GUEST PANELISTS CONT.

Jeff Robbins, ModeratorJeff Robbins, a litigation partner at Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo, specializes in First Amendment, defamation and other complex civil litigation. Jeff served as an Assistant United States Attorney and as Chief Counsel to the Minority of the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He was appointed as a United States Delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Council in 1999 and again in 2000, and recently completed a two year term as Chairman of the New England Board of the Anti-Defamation League.

ABOUT ELEMENTS THEATRE COMPANYElements Theatre Company is a non-profit, professional theatre ensemble of 14 artists in-residence dedicated to exploring and communicating the deepest truths of the human condition through dramatic storytelling and imaginative stagecraft.

Classical and classically-rooted modern works are at the heart of Elements’ artistic programming. Performance highlights of the past decade include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, The Cherry Orchard, Pillars of the Community, A Christmas Carol, God of Carnage, The Dining Room, Rumors, Lion in Winter and Lady Windermere’s Fan.

Members of Elements Theatre Company have trained with teachers from Shakespeare & Company, Central School of Speech and Drama, Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and London’s National Theatre.

Elements is committed to conversation and education, offering workshops, panel discussions around themes of art and life, and actors’ retreats. The company tours nationally and internationally, performing and presenting educational programs at theatres, conferences, schools, and religious organizations.

“Elements Theatre Company is about more than entertainment: every piece they undertake explores the breadth of humanity — its horror, its loveliness, and its humor — with honesty. These actors hold up the mirror for themselves and in turn give us, the audience, the courage to look into that mirror too, and not shy away from what we find.”

JULIE HARRIS

“"With its lavish costuming, sharply honed acting and august theatrical space, this Elements Theatre Company production of Julius Caesar instantly makes it one of the Cape’s most memorable Shakespearean performances of all time."

BARNSTABLE PATRIOT

“Their professionalism and commitment to their craft are unmistakable.”

BROADWAY WORLD

"The Cape's hidden jewel of a drama house."

CAPE COD TIMES

“Elements Theatre’s repertory stage company always delivers top-notch productions. . . a remarkably talented cast of actors who breathe articulate life into each line of Shakespeare’s poetic prose.”

BARNSTABLE PATRIOT

ELEMENTS THEATRE COMPANY: ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAMDanielle Dwyer, CJ Artistic Director, Co-Founder

A founding member of Elements Theatre Company, Sr. Danielle Dwyer has either directed or performed in nearly seventy productions since the company’s inception. Classically trained but also skilled in contemporary drama, Sr. Danielle earned her Master of Arts Degree from England’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the University of London. She also studied voice, acting, and writing with Joanna Weir at Central School of Speech and Drama (London, England); David Male of Cambridge University (Cambridge, England); and Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA); and studied Shakespeare at the Stella Adler Studio in New York City. Sr. Danielle’s directorial experience ranges from the timeless humanity of Shakespeare (Julius Caesar) and Chekhov (The Cherry Orchard) to the biting comedy of Oscar Wilde (Lady Windermere’s Fan) and Yasmina Reza (God of Carnage).

As an actress, Sr. Danielle has received critical acclaim. Recent roles include Julius Caesar, Calpurnia; God of Carnage, Annette Raleigh; Pillars of the Community, Lona Hessel; Twelfth Night, Malvolio; The Cherry Orchard, Ranevskaya; Lady Windermere’s Fan, Mrs. Erlynne; The Lion in Winter, Eleanor; Doctor Faustus, Mephistopheles; Richard III, Queen Elizabeth; Everyman, Everyman; and Lettice and Lovage, Lettice Douffet. Sr. Danielle is also the author of several performance pieces, including short stories and plays, video scripts, poetic monologues, and narratives for worship and meditation.

Christopher Kanaga Assistant Director, Technical Director

Christopher Kanaga has been a member of Elements Theatre Company since 2002. His experiences as both performer and technical director have taken him across the United States and to the international stage, including opera houses in South Korea and South Africa. Chris’s diverse skills and knowledge in theatre, art, and architecture lend to his ability to oversee the transformation of performance spaces, enabling audienc-es to enter fully into the world of the play. As an actor, Chris has recently performed the following roles: Julius Caesar, Antony; Christmas Carol, Jacob Marley; The Lion in Winter, Henry II; Twelfth Night, Feste the Clown; The Cherry Orchard, Lopakhin; Lady Windermere’s Fan, Lord Windermere; Richard III, Lord Rivers; Pillars of the Community, Karsten Bernick; and God of Carnage, Michael Vallon.

Brad Lussier Dramaturg

As the resident dramaturg at Elements Theatre Company, Brad Lussier serves as literary and historical advisor. Brad earned his BA in English and American Literature from Brown University. He also studied Creative Dramatics for Children at Roger Williams University, and conducted extensive studies in psychology, earning a Doctorate in Pastoral Counseling from Boston University. A member of Elements Theatre Company since 2001, Brad’s most notable roles include Julius Caesar, Brutus; Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge; The Cherry Orchard, Gayev; The Trial of Jesus, Judas; Lady Windermere’s Fan, Lord Darlington; The Lion in Winter, Geoffrey of Anjou; Everyman, Everyman; The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, Faustus; The Comedy of Errors, Dromio of Ephesus; Richard III, Clarence; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oberon/Theseus; and God of Carnage, Alan Raleigh. Brad also leads workshops and classes whenever Elements Theatre Company tours to colleges and universities across the country.

Elizabeth IngramVoice and Text Coach

Elizabeth Ingram is a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She is a designated Linklater voice teacher, and has worked as an actress for many years in England. In London’s West End Theatre she performed in The Chinese Prime Minister (with Dame Edith Evans, dir. Vivian Matalon) and Poor Bitos (dir. Shirley Butler). She has also performed at the National Theatre, London’s Fringe Theatre, and also at many major repertory theaters in England and Scotland. She has appeared in several television plays for BBC, ITV, and Granada and Harlech Television.

In the U.S.A. she has performed leading roles at Shakespeare and Company, in Lenox, Mass., including Richard III, Richard II, Coriolanus, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Winter’s Tale, All’s Well That Ends Well, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Comedy of Errors, Mrs. Klein, Enchanted April, Maisie and Pinter’s Mirror, three one-acts by Harold Pinter. She has performed at Syracuse Stage in 'Blythe Spirit', You Never Can Tell, My Fair Lady, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Christmas Carol; at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in All My Sons; at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Heartbreak House; and at the Women’s Company playing Kent in King Lear. She appeared in This Powerful Rhyme, a program of Shakespeare’s sonnets with music by Andrew Waggoner at the Merkin Hall in New York City, the Eastman School in Rochester, and the Red House in Syracuse.

Elizabeth teaches voice and acting in the drama department at Syracuse University, and she has directed The Greeks, The Misanthrope, Blood Wedding, Dancing at Lughnasa, Rookery Nook, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. She has taught several voice workshops in England and America. Elizabeth is the faculty adviser for The Artist’s Workshop, a group for actors from the community who have special needs that is led by drama students. The group performs each semester in the Syracuse Stage Sutton Pavilion and has several times been awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Public Service.

PRESS RELEASEDanielle Dwyer, CJ Artistic Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Email: jlynch@gdaf.org Tel: 508-255-3999Contact: Jennifer LynchCell: 774-722-4179www.elementstheatre.org

(EDITORS: For interviews, photos, or more information, please contact Jennifer Lynch at 508-255-3999 or jlynch@gdaf.org)

ELEMENTS THEATRE COMPANY BRINGS “POUND OF FLESH” TOURING PROGRAM TO NEW YORK CITY JAN. 25- FEB. 11 IN CONJUNCTION WITH “MERCHANT OF VENICE” PERFORMANCES

Educational Touring Program Features Religious Leaders, Artists, and Scholars Discussing the Impact of Persecution and Bigotry on “The Other” as It Relates to Prejudice, Injustice and Assimilation

NEW YORK, NY – Elements Theatre Company of Orleans, Mass., a resident theater company under the direction of Sister Danielle Dwyer whose core mission is to educate and illuminate through the arts, brings its 2015 touring program to New York City January 25 through February 11. The company will present Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in six performances at various venues throughout the city and lead related workshops, talk-backs and panel discussions on our culture’s view of “The Other.”

In the series, titled “A Pound of Flesh: Exploring Qualities of Mercy when Encountering the Other,” noted religious leaders, artists and scholars will examine the background and motivation of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and consider the impact of his persecution on his own choices and on society at large. They will also consider this framework when discussing the greater implications of bigotry and persecution as they relate to prejudice, injustice, and assimilation. One key question is this: can an extreme response to being perceived as “The Other” be prevented by adopting the qualities of mercy in our behavior and culture?

Co-presenters of “A Pound of Flesh” are the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; Classic Stage Company; The New School for Drama; 92nd Street Y; and St. Malachy’s, The Actors’ Chapel. Guest panelists and speakers are David Kastan, Yale University; John Douglas Thompson, Obie Award-winning actor (Tamburlaine, Othello, The Emperor Jones); Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership; Rabbi Peter Rubinstein, 92Y; Matt Malone, S.J., America Media; David Van Biema, TIME Magazine; Danielle Dwyer, C.J., Elements Theatre Company; Richard McCoy, Queens College; and Jeff Robbins, former United States Delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

Tickets for the general public range from $10-$40. All programs are free for students. Tickets and a com-plete, updated calendar of events may be found at www.ElementsTheatre.org. Tickets and reservations may also be purchased by calling the Elements Box Office at 800-319-7809.