October 26 | 12-2:30pm (PT) | OJMCHE Galleries | Free with admission, free for members
The character of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice has long been a source of debate. Some have argued that he is an antisemitic portrait with long-lasting effects on the perception of Jews in our world, while others have stated that the character is a nuanced portrayal that, especially given the time and place of his creation, is empathetic to his plight. Often, at the center of this debate is found a speech in which Shylock proclaims his humanity while defending his vengeful desires.
Photo by Taso Papadakis
In The Villainy You Teach, theatre dybbuk explodes this famous speech and, through the use of heightened theatricality and repetition, investigates the ways in which language can both take on a wide variety of meanings and lose all meaning through persistent examination and exposure.
Audience members are invited to witness an actor perform this brief speech repeatedly over the course of most of the length of the play, reciting it dozens, if not hundreds, of times. This action is accompanied by a simultaneous performed reading of Merchant in its entirety – its words acting as the container within which Shylock’s speech exists.
Audience members can stay in the space for the duration of the (approximately) 2.5 hour performance or they can come and go, engaging with the event in the manner that they choose. Please note, this performance will be recorded in OJMCHE’s galleries.
theatre dybbuk is in residency in Portland through a partnership that includes the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE), Mittleman Jewish Community Center (MJCC), Eastside Jewish Commons (EJC), and Portland State University (PSU), with the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland acting as the hub partner. This performance is supported in part by a grant from The Covenant Foundation. You can find a complete list of the theatre dybbuk Portland performances and workshops here.
theatre dybbuk creates provocative new works that blend physical theatre with poetry and music for exciting, utterly singular live events. The company explores the rich world of Jewish history, building lyrical performances that illuminate the universal human experience for contemporary audiences. With an in-depth development process that can range from a few months to three years, Artistic Director Aaron Henne builds each piece with a cast of dedicated professional actors, designers, musicians, and scholars. The resulting works, from the dark and visceral dance theatre of cave… a dance for Lilith to the shadowy and immersive hell prepared: a ritual exorcism inspired by kabbalistic principles, performed within a dominant cultural context, are challenging and beautiful to behold.