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Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that the land we are performing on is stolen Coast Salish land, specifically the ancestral lands of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla people. We also acknowledge that this recognition is only the first step toward mediating the systemic oppression created by colonialist practices and mindsets. We encourage you to learn more about both the histories of these tribes and the actions you can perform in solidarity, such as by visiting the Duwamish Longhouse or the Native Governance Center's website (www.nativegov.org).

Run Time

The entire show runs approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. There will be one 15-minute intermission.

Content Advisory

William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice has shocked, intrigued, and troubled audiences for over four centuries. This adaptation intends to re-examine the controversial content found in the play through a modern lens. That means Merchant of Venice: The Musical directly engages with racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, homophobia, and classism. By tackling this uncomfortable material with intention, we hope to illuminate the ways in which these challenging themes still haunt us today.

Director's Note

When Daniel and Anna asked me to direct this reading of their musical adaptation of Merchant of Venice, I was honored. But as much as I was excited by the sheer craft of the piece, I was also daunted by the fact that they were adapting Shakespeare’s most troubling play.

Whoever you might think Shakespeare was, his body of work is considered among the greatest humanist body of work ever made. But, that person was still of their time, with all the limitations, bigotry and prejudices of their era. And Merchant of Venice, as much as it tries to confront ideas about persecution, without question contains anti-semitism and other prejudices that are unacceptable by any modern standard.

So, why a modern musical version?

What I immediately saw in Anna and Daniel’s work was a pitch-black satire dealing very honestly and frankly with apartheid and systemic racism and marginalization. How a ruling society engineered along these lines victimizes and corrupts across the entire spectrum. The Venice of this play, despite being in the midst of the Renaissance, is a completely segregated society, not just along religious and ethnic lines, but also by gender and sexuality. Its progressive sophistication is, in effect, a lie.

Merchant of Venice: The Musical explores the effects that marginalization has on everyone in its world, which requires characters who otherwise would be our “heroes” to say and do some truly reprehensible things; some to maintain privilege, some out of huge holes in themselves, and some out of frustration of being themselves marginalized, taking it out on a lower social strata. Even the Jewish characters internalize in different ways the bigotry they are surrounded by; Jessica yearns for assimilation, Tubal survives via adherence to the best moral precepts of his faith, and Shylock absorbs the hatred into his soul, meeting hatred and violence with hatred and violence.

What I admire so much about this show is how it doesn’t shy away from presenting that ugliness honestly without sanitizing or excusing characters. We hope that you will leave this show not just humming the brilliant score and being moved by the journey of our characters, but also thinking about the too-many places in our world where one group dominates and subjugates another over imagined slights and arbitrary differences, denying our common humanity.

I want to thank our amazing company who took on this at times upsetting material, and worked so incredibly hard to deliver rich and committed performances. This might be a reading, but it’s as close to a full performance I’ve ever seen, and that’s due to their commitment and incredible talent.

And thank you to Anna and Daniel for creating this remarkable, thought-provoking, unique show. But, you know, with jokes and straight-up bops.      

Enjoy!

Song List

Act I

1. Only in Venice

Antonio, Portia, Shylock, Gratiano, Lorenzo, Shopkeeper, & Messenger

2. I Owe the Most to You

Bassanio & Antonio

3. In This World

Portia, Nerissa, Portia's Late Father, Suitors 1 & 2

4. A New Success

Shylock & Antonio

5. True Worth

Bassanio, Antonio, Lorenzo, Gratiano, & Shopkeeper

6. Left Alone

Jessica, Shylock, & Tubal

7. Our Story of Love

Lorenzo & Jessica

8. Stress Relief

Ensemble

9. If You Prick Us

Shylock

10. Worth the Cost

Ensemble

Act II

11. The Safety of the Shadows

Antonio

12. The Beauty That Lies Within

Portia, Bassanio, Nerissa, & Gratiano

13. In This World (Reprise)

Portia

14. The Money

Antonio & Shylock

15. Can I

Jessica

16. The Trial

Portia, Shylock, Antonio, Bassanio, Gratiano, Nerissa, & The Duke

17. A Test

Shylock & Jessica

18. Once More/No More

Antonio, Portia, Jessica, & Shylock

19. Finale

Ensemble

There will be one 15-minute intermission.

Cast

Creative Team

Meet the Company

Adam Womack

Antonio & Portia's Late Father

A recent transplant to Seattle, this project is very special to Adam. Seattle Credits include Lowbrow Opera Collective's Sweets by Kate (Carl), Let's All Drink and Do Broadway (Seasons 7 and 8); Regional Credits include Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder (D'ysquith Family), I Do, I Do (Michael), Oklahoma! (Judd), Billy Elliot (Mr. Braithwaite), and Man of La Mancha (Sancho). Huge thanks to this inspired team for their support and trusting me with this story.

Matt Dela Cruz

Shylock & Suitor 1

Matt Dela Cruz is a Filipino-American performance artist and educator from Seattle. He is a graduate of Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City and a UW Drama Alumni. Recently he played Bosley in Bloodletting (Pork Filled Productions) and Friar Laurence in Romeo & Juliet (Theatre Battery). He is also an occasional playwright and had his short play Musika featured at the first annual Chicago Filipino-American Theatre Festival in October of this year.

Hannah Votel

Portia

Hannah is a Seattle-based actor/writer/director. Recent acting credits include Dacha’s A Midsummer Dice Dream and Backyard Bard with Greenstage. Up next: Escape Klause with Lit Immersive! When not performing, Hannah works as a teaching artist with South End Stories. Many thanks to the artistic team for creating such a challenging and rewarding project. Forever love to my parents who are seeing me in a musical for the first time in almost 2 years!

Elise Cogan

Jessica & Messenger

Having just received her BFA in musical theater from the Sargent Conservatory of Theater Arts at Webster University, Elise is ecstatic to be making her Seattle debut with Merchant. Recent roles include Marya in Natasha, Pierre…1812 and Percy in The Spitfire Grill. Elise would like to thank Anna, Daniel and Jeremy for the opportunity to be part of this journey. She would also like to thank M&D for their unwavering support.

Adam Nyhoff

Bassanio & The Prince of Moldova

After moving from Michigan last year, Adam Nyhoff has been seen as Romeo (Shakespeare’s R&J) and Malvolio (Twelfth Night: the Musical), both at Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts, as well as Jake Talbot (Murder Inn) at Edmonds Driftwood Players. Some of his favorite roles from back home include Pippin (Pippin), Leaf (25th Annual…), and Jack (Into the Woods). He would like to thank his family and echo his brother’s words; “You can be whatever you want, but always remember to be kind.”

Ben Swenson-Klatt

Lorenzo, Tubal, The Duke of Venice, & Suitor 2

Ben Swenson-Klatt (they/them) Favorite onstage credits include Scrambling the Goose; Cowboys with Questions (Washington Ensemble Theatre), The Tempest (Seattle Rep’s Public Works), dragonslayer (AnA Collaborations), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Tacoma Arts Live), Much Ado About Nothing (Dacha), Cabaret (St. Olaf College). They graduated from St. Olaf College with a B.A. in Theater and Dance and a Concentration in Women and Gender Studies. Much love to their partner Lío and two kitties Westley and Bao who provide them with endless support. @benswen2010

Kristen Carder

Gratiano, The Baron of England, & The Prince of Morocco

Kristen has been performing for over 20 years in the Bay Area, New York, Reno, and Seattle. Some favorite shows include 1776 (Richard Henry Lee), Spring Awakening (Ilse), Twelfth Night (Lady Olivia), and Shakespeare in Love (Viola de Lesseps). Big thanks to the entire creative team and cast for the commitment and energy you bring; it has been a joy working with all of you!

Kalli Allen

Nerissa, Shopkeeper, & Sea Captain

Hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Kalli moved to Seattle during the pandemic. She has a Music Education Degree from Michigan State University, and has many years of teaching/directing children; However, she’s currently pursuing other interests because “Teaching is amazing…but it’s also a lot.” In the Seattle-area, Kalli has loved participating in local readings/workshops for new works and learning cool things with Viva Vocalists. Through Centerstage’s first First Impression performance, Kalli got to witness Anna’s writing for the first time and immediately became her #1 fan. After meeting Anna, Kalli has had the pleasure to work with her and Daniel (also his #1 fan) to record several songs from Merchant of Venice, and, at this point, has played almost every character. For this set of performances, Kalli is so excited to premiere Nerissa and other morally-questionable characters. Enjoy!

Daniel Arthur

Composer, Music Director, Pianist, & Producer

Daniel Arthur (he/they) is a composer, music director and pianist with a unique and varied musical background. In high school, Arthur began his professional career accompanying for musical theatre productions at Seattle Children’s Theatre, followed by work as a repetiteur for the Seattle Opera Company’s youth programs. In 2013, Arthur left for Montreal to study jazz at the Schulich School of Music. Over the next 6 years, he kept very busy as an accompanist and music director for several musical theatre productions, a jazz pianist for many groups in the city, a composer and leader for his contemporary jazz trio which won 3rd place in the 2017 Conad International Jazz Competition, and co-founder/musical director of an independent contemporary opera company. As a ballet pianist, Arthur received his training at l’École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec and has since then worked for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Northern Ballet, and The Australian Ballet. Recently, he was a pianist for the 2nd national tour of Disney's Aladdin, and is currently the rehearsal pianist and keyboard 1 chair for The 5th Avenue Theatre's Production of Mary Poppins. He is looking forward to relocating to France in the new year to begin work as a pianist for the Paris Opera Ballet. I am so proud of this cast for their incredibly hard work on this challenging music, and we can’t wait for you to experience this exciting new work!

Anna Tatelman

Playwright, Lyricist, Props Master, & Producer

Anna Tatelman (she/her) is honored to have such a talented team bringing her musical to life! She owes far more than a pound of flesh in gratitude to her writing partner Daniel, the entire production Krewe, and everyone in the audience for being part of this new musical's development. Anna holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans. You may have previously seen her work at Aspire Rep during the Creators' Series. Her plays have also been produced by other local organizations like Centerstage, As If Theatre, Drunken Owl Theatre, and Pacific Play Company. Additionally, she has had plays shown both across the country, such as at Detroit Repertory Theatre and the Mid-America Theatre Conference, and across the pond, thanks to Pitchy Breath Theatre. Recent accolades include winning the 2023 Seattle One-Act Play (SOAP) commission from Baker Theatre (in partnership with ACT Theatre and Hugo House), getting an excerpt included in Smith & Kraus’ Best Male Monologues of 2023 anthology, and being named a finalist for the 2023 Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting award. When not posing as the female reincarnation of Tennessee Williams, Anna can usually be found drinking too much caffeine, befriending feral cats, and/or eating ice cream. www.annatatelman.com

Jeremy Radick

Director, Set Designer, Lighting Designer, & Lighting Operator

Raised in British Columbia, Jeremy began acting at age 11. He spent 25 years appearing in film and television projects, notably “The X-Files,” “Psych,” “Reaper,” “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” and "Doctor Who." A graduate of New York’s Circle in the Square Theatre School, Jeremy was a co-founder of Vancouver’s Fox & Hounds Theatre Co, directing productions of Mark Medoff’s “The Wager,” Hrant Alianak’s “The Blues,” and David Mamet’s “Bobby Gould in Hell.” In Seattle, he recently directed Baker Theatre Workshop’s “Lear 1x3.” Jeremy is honored to be part of bringing Daniel and Anna’s amazing vision to the stage, and thanks the incredible company of actors!

Thank You For Visiting Venice!

Thank you for coming to our show and supporting new musicals! We have been hard at work for weeks (or in Anna and Daniel's case, for years!) on this show, but no work of theatre is complete without an audience. We sincerely appreciate you being a part of our show's development and hope you enjoy the production.

This may be our world premiere, but Merchant of Venice: The Musical's journey is far from over. Please consider helping us further develop our show through one or more of the following:

1) Following or posting about us on social media. Our Instagram handle is @merchantofvenice_themusical, our Facebook is @Merchant of Venice: The Musical, and our hashtag is #movmusical.

2) Providing development opportunities. If you are an artistic director, literary manager, or other theatre artist interested in helping the creative team through workshops or other development opportunities, please contact Daniel and Anna at merchantofvenicethemusical@gmail.com.

3) Making a donation to the creative team's development fund. Anna and Daniel will use this money for submission fees, rehearsal space, travel stipends to out-of-state development programs, and other costs related to Merchant of Venice: The Musical's future. Donate by scanning the QR code below or visiting https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-the-future-of-merchant-of-venice-the-musical.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Kevin Finney and Drunken Owl Theatre for the use of their stage cubes.

Endless Gratitude to 4Culture for Making This Reading Possible!

This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP0152 awarded to King County, Washington by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.