The Merchant of Venice was sponsored by Murray ó Laoire Architects 
Venue: Old Irish Distillery(North Wall), City Courthouse & Liberty St
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Pat Kiernan
Cast
Mark D'Aughton - Bassanio
Eileen Walsh - Portia
Jerzy Gralek - Shylock
Conor Moloney - Gratiano
Ewa Szumska - Jessica
Niamh Linehan - Nerissa
Paul Mulcahy - Lorenzo
Damien Devaney - Salanio
Sean Duggan - Salarino
Brendan Conroy - Gobbo
Anthony Morris - Launcelot Gobbo
Enrique Fonseca - Arragon
Ryszard Radwanski - Tubal
David Ugo - Morocco
With its long history of merchant classes, its busy port and river channels bisecting the city it made sense to us to see Cork as a kind of modern Venice. To quote Pat Kiernan, Corcadorca's Artistic Director, "In choosing to produce 'The Merchant of Venice' during Cork's designation as Capital of Culture it is our intention to examine the city as it is today, particularly within a European context. How we judge the caskets in Belmont ("All that glistens is not gold") or Shylock ("Hath a Jew not eyes?") is a central theme in the play. It seems appropriate to look at 'The Merchant of Venice' at a time when in Cork and Ireland we find ourselves suddenly exposed to different resident cultures and colours. How tolerant and welcoming are we?"
"Ranks as the single most impressive cultural contribution to the millennium year bar none."
The Irish Examiner.
"Spell binding. Universally superb."
The Sunday Tribune. | 
