Theatre for a New Audience

with ISABEL ARRAIZA, DANAYA ESPERANZA, IAN LASSITER,
AJAY NAIDU, ALFREDO NARCISO, GRAHAM WINTON

and JOHN DOUGLAS THOMPSON

FIVE SCENES/FOUR ACTS/TWO DAYS

Directed by ARIN ARBUS
ON ZOOM

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27 @ 7:00–8:00 PM: I,iii, II,iii, II,v, III,i
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 @ 3:00–4:00 PM: IV,i: The Trial

TALKBACKS FOLLOW
FREE
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED

The fruitful collaboration of actor John Douglas Thompson and director Arin Arbus at Theatre for a New Audience has led to acclaimed productions of Shakespeare’s Othello (2009) and Macbeth (2011), and Ibsen's A Doll's House and Strindberg's The Father in rotating repertory (2016).

Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice with Mr. Thompson as Shylock directed by Ms. Arbus is their next project. This remarkable play has provoked controversy for centuries: is it an anti-Semitic work and Shylock a wicked, toxic monster; or a multi-faceted play about prejudice and hatred in which Shylock and all the characters are human, complex, and flawed?

A diverse company of actors will grapple with the play and look at five scenes in four acts over two days. These are explorations—sharing first steps in our journey towards a full production which we plan to do next season once theatres reopen. Talk backs with the artists moderated by Jeffrey Horowitz, TFANA’s Founding Artistic Director, will follow each event.


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CULTURAL SOLIDARITY FUND
Theatre artists and workers have been deeply impacted by the shutdown. TFANA is joining forces with many NYC arts and cultural organizations to contribute to the joint Cultural Solidarity Fund, which will provide direct $500 relief grants to individual artists and cultural workers. With a challenge grant from The Indie Theater Fund, TFANA is joining the cultural community to raise a minimum of $75,000 to provide these grants.

TFANA is committed to raising $5,000, which would support 10 grants to artists and cultural workers. All contributions generated by this event will support the Cultural Solidarity Fund.
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