Dr. Vivian Rakoff contextualizes the social and political framework behind one of Shakespeare's most contraverial plays, The Merchant of Venice. Themes explored include the work of stereotype in the text, how the play has been interpreted and appropriated throughout history, and the role of the defeated "other", Shylock. (Recorded on March 19, 2013 at the Toronto Reference Library as part of the On Stage Art Series. Introduction by Festival Board Chair David Goldbloom.)
The power of money features in The Matchmaker , Wanderlust and The Best Brothers . Lucy in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is obsessed with money and 42nd Street even has a song about it. But money is often pitted against true love and the lack of it perceived as an enemy to art. Is there a way to redistribute wealth, as Dolly Gallagher Levi says, so that it "circulates like rainwater and flows down among the people?" Would love and art flourish if it did?Our summer podcast series is proudly sponsored by BMO.
Recorded on July 19, 2012, before a live audience at the Tom Patterson Theatre, this edition of our 2012 podcast series features a Talking Theatre discussion about the theme of storytelling in our sixtieth season playbill.The conversation is led by General Director Antoni Cimolino and Education Consultant Pat Quigley.
John Hirsch claimed that telling stories was his way of coping with survivor's guilt. The characters in Cymbeline tell their stories to achieve forgiveness and reconciliation. In You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, book reports reveal more about the storytellers than about the original story. We have always explained our existence, learned to relate to one another and been entertained and consoled through storytelling. Do we still value our storytellers as we did in the past?Our 2012 podcast series is proudly sponsored by BMO.
Recorded on August 9, 2012, before a live audience at the Tom Patterson Theatre, this edition of our 2012 podcast series features a Talking Theatre discussion about the conflict between the need for security and the desire for adventure in our sixtieth season playbill. The conversation is led by General Director Antoni Cimolino and Education Consultant Pat Quigley.
Wanderlust presents the conflict between the security of the familiar and the longing for adventure. Characters in The Matchmaker long for adventure and go to New York City to find it. The lost princes in Cymbeline are frustrated by the confines of their simple life and long for action in the larger world. Yet adventure is risky. Are we better off letting others take the risks for us and then reading about them? If the writers choose safety over risk, where will we turn for our adventures?Our 2012 podcast series is proudly sponsored by BMO.
Recorded on August 16, 2012, before a live audience at the Tom Patterson Theatre, this edition of our 2012 podcast series features a Talking Theatre discussion about the theme of honour in our sixtieth season playbill. The conversation is led by General Director Antoni Cimolino and Education Consultant Pat Quigley.
Recorded on August 21, 2012, before a live audience at the Festival Theatre, this edition of our 2012 podcast series features a Lobby Talk by Director of Communications David Prosser about our sixtieth season production of Much Ado About Nothing
Our 2012 podcast series is proudly sponsored by BMO.
Recorded on August 23, 2012, before a live audience at the Tom Patterson Theatre, this edition of our 2012 podcast series features a Talking Theatre discussion about the theme of love in our sixtieth season playbill. The conversation is led by General Director Antoni Cimolino and Education Consultant Pat Quigley.In Much Ado About Nothing, Claudio claims to love Hero; Posthumus similarly claims to love Innogen in Cymbeline. Yet each man is readily deceived into thinking his beloved has betrayed him, and reacts violently to this betrayal. Could their anger stem from loving an ideal instead of a person? Do Beatrice and Benedick, or Dolly and Horace in The Matchmaker, have a more realistic chance at happiness?Our 2012 podcast series is proudly sponsored by BMO.