. . . as accused by Marco Acelli, The Honorable Judge Joseph Curtel presiding: A Supposition on ‘The Merchant of Venice,’” written and directed by P.J. Grisar to be performed on Monday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m.
1. Where did you come up with the creative idea for your piece?
The idea came to me when I was reading about the controversy over the character of Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice.” It seems there is a wide array of opinions about Shakespeare’s intentions but most argue that his anti-Semitism (if it was that) was a reflection of a widely held sentiment at the time, rather than peculiar to Shakespeare. I decided that this could be a great way to explore the deeper meaning of what defines a man – his faith, his heritage, or his words and deeds.
2. Where do you think your piece succeeds, and where do you see challenges for yourself as a playwright or director?
I think my piece conveys everything it needs to. The protagonist, Acelli, (played by Evan Judson) is an extraordinarily deep character, sympathetic but also selfish, and carrying a great deal of guilt. He questions his faith as we all do, but ultimately he becomes a paradigm of a victim of his time.
The challenge for me was working in everything I wanted to include. I touched on art and plays; I touched on the history of that time, the hunting down of Catholics by the Anglican church, the forced conversion of Africans, the Inquisition, all of which were incorporated in analogies used by our victim, Acelli. But the main challenge was having the courtroom scene imitate that of Shakespeare’s play, having all my characters parallel those in Shylock’s forced conversion scene. I think I succeeded, and I also think I made it accessible to everyone, not just those familiar with “The Merchant of Venice,” though you will definitely get a lot more out of my play if you have already read Shakespeare’s. But the message and questions remain the same.
3. What is the greatest challenge you have found so far (writing, working with actors, tech, etc)?
Getting people to audition! Getting the thing published would have been easier. Most kids who sign up to act in SpringFest want to be in a comedy, they don’t sign on for drama because there’s this assumption floating around that something serious can’t be fun. I personally prefer drama. You can flex your acting muscles; complex, non-stereotyped characters in comedy are hard to come by. Also due to the deficit in guys auditioning I had to cast a girl in an all male play! Aleah Papes plays the Bard, but she is so incredibly talented, her lack of a Y-chromosome is immaterial.
4. Why were you interested in writing/directing a piece for SpringFest? What aspects of SpringFest lend themselves to this type of work?
I’d like to think of myself as a playwright—for better or for worse. I wrote my first one-act play for last year’s SpringFest, and I have since spent most of my free time writing. I’ve been encouraged to pursue the craft – I love it. I became involved in theatre years ago as an actor, and I just love everything you can do with the medium of the stage. You don’t get that cathartic feeling too often with movies or TV.
5. What other pieces, besides your own, are you looking forward to? Why?
“Company,” because I have friends in it and I think it’s just a great, clever musical. You can’t beat Sondheim.
6. In addition to writing and directing, are you performing any other roles, performance or technical, in SpringFest?
Yes, I am in Ross Carstens’ “Erosion Science,” and Ezra Shrage’s “A Helping Hand.” In “Erosion Science” I play a CIA-type guy confronting a man he’s tortured, and I play a thug in Ezra’s play. They should be good.
Copyright 2008 NewCastleNOW.org