Strayer-Wood Theatre will hold auditions for this Spring’s production of  "Merchant of Venice,” a comedy by William Shakespeare, on Tuesday, November 13 at 6:30p.m., in the Strayer-Wood Theatre on the University of Northern Iowa campus.

 Auditions are open to UNI students; those auditioning are asked to please prepare one 2-minute verse monologue (not prose) from a Shakespeare play. The monologue can be either dramatic or comedic.

 Actors who are cast must be available for select rehearsals, to be determined by the director, beginning Monday, February 18. Performers must also be available for performances at 7:30 p.m., April 11 to 13 and April 18 to 20, and at 2 p.m., October 14 and 21.

In this comedy, Shakespeare weaves together two ancient folk myths, one involving a vengeful, greedy Jewish creditor trying to exact a pound of flesh from a Christian over an unpaid debt, the other involving a marriage suitor’s choice among three chests to win the hand of his beloved. How does one harmonize the Elizabethan anti-Semitic portrayal of Shylock with the fairy-tale romance of Portia and Bassanio? And then make this experience relevant and comedic to a contemporary audience?

For more information, contact Traci Gaydos, director of marketing at the Strayer-Wood Theatre, at 319-273-6387 or traci.gaydos@uni.edu.

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