Merchant of Venice, The

Synopsis: Video recording of Habima’s (Israeli National Theatre) staging of The Merchant of Venice for the Globe to Globe season. Jacob Cohen is Shylock. Spoken in Hebrew.
Language: Hebrew
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Video
Technical information: Colour / Sound
Recording date: May 2012

Theatre: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
Theatre company: Habima
Production type: Stage Recordings
Historical period: Renaissance Italy
Plays: Merchant of Venice, The
Subjects: Drama
Keywords: Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Complete Works; Globe to Globe season; World Shakespeare Festival 2012

General: The production was disrupted by pro-Palestian activists protesting against Habima’s "shameful record of involvement with illegal Israeli settlements on Occupied Palestinian Territory". The protestors included Mark Rylance, Mike Leigh and Emma Thompson.
History: The production was staged 18 and 29 May 2012
Reviews: For a long and thoughtful assessment by Peter Kirwan of the political events and security surrounding the production and its impact on the theatrical experience see http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/pkirwan/entry/the_merchant_of_1_2_3_4_5_6 The user comments following the blogs are also informative (accessed 7/2012).

British Universities Film & Video Council