BoHo Theatre @ Heartland Studio (Chicago, IL)
Bohemian Theatre Ensemble presents a production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. This comedy offers one of Shakespeare's most complex and gripping plots, focusing on a wealthy merchant who owes money to an unscrupulous moneylender, and on the courtship of the beautiful and clever Portia.
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The last date listed for The Merchant of Venice was Sunday August 24, 2008 / 2:00pm. (view all dates)
Currently at BoHo Theatre @ Heartland Studio:
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terrific ensemble, high energy performance.
I enjoyed this play very much. It was well directed and creatively set for a small theater. The acting was great and the characters well cast! I would recommend this to my friends and I recommend it to you!
Two decades ago, it was an empty storefront adjacent to the Heartland Cafe in the heart of Rogers Park. The space was refurbished and eventually converted into the Heartland Studio Theater, a tiny black box theater that is one of several venues in the Glenwood Avenue Arts District. A number of groups have called the theater home in recent years, including sketch comedy troupe Schedenfreude and,
Classical pieces of drama, seemingly, contain a different challenge for a theatre company in today's modern era. BoHo has decided to take up that challenge and create a work of art with themes that resonate today as strongly as they did when written. Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice allowed BoHo to stretch its artistic wings by focusing on the storytelling and natural drama of the piece and by adding in elements (projections, sound design by cast, and more) that enhance this age-old story.
The Merchant of Venice, set against a backdrop of high stakes finance and high stakes romance, tells the tale of long time enemies, two opposing cultures, two beautiful women and one pound of flesh woven into a tale of old-worn hatreds, new-found loves, long-time friendships and family betrayals.
While generally considered a comedy, The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s most grippingly dramatic plays. When Antonio defaults on a loan for his friend with romantic ambitions, the bitter lender Shylock demands a “pound of flesh” in payment. The legal crisis can only be resolved by a beautiful heroine disguised as a judge. This theatrical feast is rich with intriguing characters that show us how love and forgiveness can bridge the gaps between moral ideals and their imperfect human renderings.
The Merchant of Venice abounds in imagery that centers on deception, vice, and human weakness–and fittingly so. After all, the central characters in the drama are all deeply flawed or disturbed, exhibiting prejudice, hatred, greed, desire for revenge, depression, ignorance.
In today’s climate of blurred vision between being cautious and afraid, this BoHo production of The Merchant of Venice mirrors how one reacts and responds to the misgivings (and mistreating) of others.
Mission: Creating theatre that incorporates the arts as a whole -- Art for art's sake. Vision: To challenge convention through literary originality and eclectic expression while fostering an ever-evolving artistic environment in which people are inspired to learn, think, dream, and feel. To teach others and ourselves how to expand, create, and present art through theatre while reveling not only in the process, but also in the journey. Being "Bohemian": Bohemia is not so much a place on a map but a timeless concept that knows no geographic boundaries. The Bohemian recognizes that cherishing all aspects of art is tantamount to progression of mankind as more than just a living being. The Four Basic Principles of the Bohemian represent their core values: Truth -- That which is at the core of all things good and soulful Beauty -- The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. -Aristotle Freedom -- Without freedom, no art; art lives only on the restraints it imposes on itself, and dies of all others. -Camus Love -- Life in abundance comes only through great love.
