Merchant of Venice: The Musical at Aspire Repertory Theatre
Dates: (11/1/2024 - 11/10/2024 )
Aspire Repertory Theatre |
Amaranth Turtle Stages
11030 8th Avenue NE
Seattle,WA 98125
Tickets: $10-20
Amaranth Turtle Stages is delighted to present a staged reading of Merchant of Venice: The Musical in collaboration with Aspire Repertory Theatre.
Dive into a bold reimagining of Shakespeare's most controversial play, adapted as a musical for the first time. Witness the world premiere of this dark comedy created by local artists and featuring entirely original songs.
Music By: Daniel Arthur
Lyrics And Book By: Anna Tatelman
Directed By: Jeremy Radick
Presented By: Amaranth Turtle Stages
Where: Aspire Repertory Theatre (11030 8th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125)
When: November 1st-3rd and 8th-10th
Tickets are between $10-20. Although we have production costs to cover, we are committed to making our show accessible to anyone who wants to attend. There is no difference between the ticket tiers apart from the price. We thank you in advance for whatever amount you give in support of our new musical!
Audiences are invited to join our talkbacks following the performances on Saturday November 2nd, Sunday November 3rd, and Sunday November 10th.
Starring:
Adam Womack as Antonio
Matt Dela Cruz as Shylock
Hannah Votel as Portia
Elise Cogan as Jessica
Adam Nyhoff as Bassanio
Kalli Allen as Nerissa
Ben Swenson-Klatt as Lorenzo
Kristen Carder as Gratiano
Inspired by the Shakespearean play, Merchant of Venice: The Musical takes place in 16th-century Venice. It's about Antonio, a merchant, and his friend Bassanio, a man who wishes to woo an heiress named Portia. To help Bassanio impress Portia with a display of wealth, Antonio makes a deal with Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, despite his distrust of the Jewish population. When Antonio is unable to pay back his loan, Shylock decides that it's time to mistreat Antonio in the same way both he and his people have been mistreated for years.
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.
We sincerely hope you will want to join us for this compelling new musical.
Cast and Creative team for Merchant of Venice: The Musical at Aspire Repertory Theatre
Cast
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!
Creative Team
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!
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