Merchant of Venice opens in Westhoff

The Illinois State University School of Theatre will present William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice beginning Thursday, Sept. 29. Performances on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 4 to Oct. 8 will begin at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a 2 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, Oct. 8. All performances will take place in Westhoff Theatre.

Admission is $12 for adults and $10 for students, seniors and groups. Tickets can be purchased at the College of Fine Arts Box Office, located in the Center for the Performing Arts, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 5 p.m. on Friday, or by calling 438-2535.  Tickets can also be ordered online at www.ticketmaster.com.

A Venetian merchant named Antonio, willing to sacrifice anything for a dear friend, agrees to offer his own flesh as collateral in a deal with his bitter rival Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. When the loan comes due, it falls to a young heiress named Portia, disguised as a male lawyer, to plead for Antonio's life. Using the bustling, pre-Depression era as a backdrop, the School of Theatre’s production of this classic Shakespearean story challenges prejudices and fears about religion, gender, ethnicity and sexuality.

For more information about The Merchant of Venice, or any School of Theatre production this season, visit www.cfa.ilstu.edu/theatre or connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

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