Antonio - The Merchant of Venice - is sad, but his friends cannot discover why. All the ships in which his money is invested are at sea, but he claims this is not what is worrying him - he has many ships, which makes good business sense. His best friend, Bassanio, asks Antonio to lend him even more money than he already owes him, to help him win the hand of a rich and beautiful heiress, Portia. Antonio has not got any spare cash, but agrees to borrow money to help him.
Portia complains about the restrictive terms of her father's will to her maid, Nerissa. She can only marry the man who correctly guesses whether her portrait lies within a gold, silver or lead casket. She wittily attacks the most recent batch of suitors. The only man she has ever met whom she thinks worthy of praise is Bassanio.
Antonio and Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, arrange the details of the loan: Shylock will provide Bassanio with 3000 ducats, but instead of charging interest, Antonio will owe Shylock a pound of his own flesh if the money is not repaid within 3 months.
Playwright: William Shakespeare
Director: Bruce Guthrie
Movement Director: Scott Graham
Production Designer: Richard Kent
Lighting Designer: Rick Fisher
Sound Designer: Mike Walker
Composer: Ruth Ling
Casts & Ensemble:
Daniel Jenkins
Matt Grey
Gerald Chew
Perri Snowdon
Richard Corgan
Johnson Chong
Julie Wee
Isabella Chiam
Remesh Panicker
Pushan Kripalani
Sean Lai
Krissy Jesudason
Marcus Lim
Tiffany Ann Dass (Ensemble)
Ensemble:
Miriam Cheong
Jo-ann Heng
Yvonne Low En Yu
Tham Sze Rong
Egan Chan
Ben Spratt
Bradley Yam Li-Jian
Associate Lighting Designer: Gabriel Chan
Stage Manager: Victoria Lim
Deputy Stage Manager: Caroline Ruth Liew
Rehearsal Assistant Stage Manager: Tennie Su
Assistant Stage Managers: Sunitha Nayar, Sandhya Silva
Production Assistants: Alisa Ang, Salif Hardie
Props Coordinators: Joyce Gan, Wai Yin Kwok
Props Interns: Marilyn Ang, Lim Shien Hian
Hair & Wigs: Ashley Lim
Make-up: The Make Up Room
Wardrobe Managers: Jessica "Hutch" Hutchinson, Joan Tan
Senior Dressers: Melissa Aslam, Klaire Tan
Junior Dressers: Nurfarah Hani, Sim Yan Ying
Sound Operator: Ctrl Fre@k (Marco Curcio)
Stage Crew: Mohamad Muzaffarshah Bin Ismail, Raihanah Binte Mohammed Ali
(Source: Singapore Repertory Theatre Programme)