Secret Theatre Announces THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Fresh from receiving six New York Innovative Theatre nominations for A Chorus Line the team of Richard Mazda [A Chorus Line, Richard III] and Alberto Bonilla [To Protect The Poets, Richard III] follow their wildly successful award winning Richard III with a production of The Merchant or Venice. This is one of two Shakespeare productions this coming season at The Secret with the team of Mazda/Bonilla with a production of King Lear featuring beloved character actor Austin Pendleton going up in March 2017.

Set in northern Italy on the day in April 1945 when Adolf Hitler kills himself, Bonilla's Merchant envisions a war-torn Europe that is a mesh of opposing and extreme ideals. While Italian citizens and American occupying forces celebrate the death of Hitler, Italy's landscape is littered with racist propaganda from both the Axis and Allied forces promoting their competing views of "the enemy." Against this polarized backdrop, Shylock [Richard Mazda] attempts to navigate a Europe that imprisoned and murdered his people. Antonio falls in love with Bassanio, [Zachary Clark] an American soldier who is in love with Portia [Joy Donze], socialite from the island of Manhattan. Dramatic, funny and surprisingly relevant, this production of The Merchant of Venice finds new relevance in this unique setting.

The Show is directed by Alberto Bonilla, produced by Richard Mazda, [double-duty as Shylock] with a Set Design by Sandy Yaklin [The Honeycomb Trilogy], Lighting Design by Paul T Kennedy [A Chorus Line, Putnam Spelling Bee] and Production Stage Manager is Michael L. Tosto*, & Costumer Anna Winter.

The cast features Zachary Clark * , Joy Donze * , Richard Mazda, Michael Vincent Carrera *, AB Lugo, JB Alexander * , Matt Biagini * , Grace Merriman * , Isabella Curti, Dylan Cote, Tom Harney* & Mike Lee

*These actors appear by permission of Actors Equity Association under Approved Actors Equity Showcase code.

Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door and are available from secrettheatre.com or box office 718 392 0722