~ Previous Productions ~

2005 - A Midsummer Night’s Dream

2007 - Much Ado About Nothing

2006 - The Merchant of Venice

Hatherop Castle

 

This was our second production of this perennially popular play, which we first presented in 1998.

 

As is usual with Arcadian productions, our Director was able to select a strong cast which included a number of well established stalwarts with a welcome admixture of newcomers in some of the key roles.

 

All of this is set against an almost fairy-tale like story of wooing, misunderstanding, deception and reconciliation.

 

The play is classified as a Comedy but it has a dark centre. It is set in a society characterised by sharply divided social, political and religious beliefs, attitudes and morals. The Christian establishment in Venice at that time is portrayed as decadent and self indulgent. The Jewish community is ghettoised, discriminated against and despised, which fuels resentment, bitterness and an almost fundamentalist antagonism towards established society.

 

This antagonism is personified in the relationship between Shylock and Antonio – Shylock’s reasonable resentment over the treatment of his race and person having warped into something dark and corrosive.

 

 

It was the aim of Paul Cahill, our Director, to bring out the bright light and dark shades of these contrasts, and his vision and patience were instrumental in the success of the play, which again featured the father/son team in action, with father David in the role of Shylock.

 

Our patrons, the public, who are not backward in letting us know what they think, seemed unanimous that this was one of our best productions and we are grateful for their support.