The Merchant of Venice 1936

18 – 22 Feb 2025

Play Trailer

Venue
Quarry
Running time
2 hours incl interval
Age guidance
12+
Content Advisories

Find out more

Content Advisories

This is an adaptation of the original text, which contains themes of racism, including ant-Semitism.

Ambition, power and political unrest explode onto the stage in The Merchant of Venice 1936, direct from selling out the RSC and London’s West End.

Starring Tracy-Ann Oberman (EastEnders, Doctor Who) as Shylock, Shakespeare’s classic is transported to 1930s Britain in this ‘striking and impactful’ (Guardian) new production that ‘makes theatre history’ (The Telegraph). It is adapted by Brigid Larmour and Tracy-Ann Oberman.

Tensions in London’s East End are rising and Shylock, a resilient single mother and hard-working businesswoman, is desperate to protect her daughter’s future. When the charismatic merchant Antonio comes to her for a loan, a high-stakes deal is struck. Will Shylock take her revenge, and who will pay the ultimate price?

If you prick us do we not bleed?
If you poison us do we not die?
And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?

Don’t miss this unforgettable, electrifying new production of The Merchant of Venice, a ‘fascinating and timely’ (Daily Mail) reminder of a key moment in British history.

Post-show Discussion

Join us for a free post-show discussion after the evening performance on Thursday 20 February. Chaired by Dr Jane Rickard, Associate Professor of Seventeenth-Century English Literature at the University of Leeds. She has published widely on Shakespeare and Renaissance literature, and is co-convenor of Playhouse Lab, a play-reading group based at the University.

The speakers will be:

Dr Brett Greatley-Hirsch Professor of Renaissance Literature and Textual Studies at the University of Leeds. He is a coordinating editor of Digital Renaissance Editions, a Trustee of the British Shakespeare Association, and is currently writing the introduction for the new Oxford World’s Classics edition of The Merchant of Venice.

Tracy-Ann Oberman Actress, playwright, and accidental activist. She is known for her roles, among others, as Chrissie Watts in EastEnders, Yvonne Hartman in Doctor Who and as Auntie Val in six series of Friday Night Dinner. In recent years, she has been a staunch advocate against antisemitism and racism.

Lord Mann The Lord Mann is a British Labour Party politician and Member of the House of Lords. Mann is also a prominent campaigner against antisemitism.