COMING TO PORTLAND, OREGON OCTOBER 2023
The Villainy You Teach

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Portland, Oregon
Thursday, October 26, 2023, 12 pm at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE)
Tickets are free with Museum admission.
More performance dates in additional regions to come!

photo by Taso Papadakis

photo by Taso Papadakis

photo by Taso Papadakis

photo by Taso Papadakis
ABOUT THE SHOW
The character of Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice has long been a source of debate. Some have argued that his 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.
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.
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Created by theatre dybbuk and presented in collaboration with Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) and the Philosophical Research Society (PRS) on March 2, 2023 in the library at the Philosophical Research Society.
COMPANION PIECE
The Villainy You Teach was developed as a companion piece to our show The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad, which premiered in Los Angeles on May 12, 2023 and is currently touring throughout North America. Both works explore William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
TOUR LOCATIONS
The Villainy You Teach is touring alongside The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad as part of our residencies program. It was performed at the Coronado Public Library as part of our San Diego Area residency on Thursday, June 15, 2023 and at The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM) as part of our San Francisco Bay Area residency on September 10, 2023.
An upcoming performance is scheduled at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE) as part of our Portland, Oregon residency in October of 2023.
THE TEAM
Los Angeles Premiere
Conceived and Directed by Aaron Henne
Cast:
Joe Jordan
Edgar Landa
Julie A. Lockhart
Diana Tanaka
Inger Tudor
Jon Weinberg
Keyboardist: Max Bergmanis*
Audio Support: Daniel Tator / Launch
Costume Designer: Kathryn Poppen
Touring
Conceived and Directed by Aaron Henne
Cast:
Aaron Henne
Joe Jordan
Adam Lebowitz-Lockard
Julie A. Lockhart
Diana Tanaka
Inger Tudor
Keyboardist: Andrew Anderson*
Costume Designer: Kathryn Poppen
*music improvisations inspired by the compositions of Fahad Siadat