BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:Europe/London X-WR-TIMEZONE:Europe/London BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1044@nicholaspriory.com DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260424T193000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260424T213000 DTSTAMP:20260127T195759Z URL:https://nicholaspriory.com/events/shakespeares-the-merchant-of-venice- south-west-shakespeare-festival-2/ SUMMARY:Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (South West Shakespeare Festiv al) DESCRIPTION: \;\n\nLightbear Lane presents Wild Thyme Theatre in a rare performance of one of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice"with a full\, professional cast. Get into the mood by exploring our exhibition about im pressions of Venice and enjoy refreshments at the bar from 6.45pm\n\n‘If you prick us\, do we not bleed? If you tickle us\, do we not laugh? If yo u poison us\, do we not die? And if you wrong us\, shall we not revenge? ’\n(Shylock\, Act 3 Scene 1)\n\nFor the inaugural South West Shakespeare Festival\, join our company of professional actors for a script-in-hand p erformance of William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice' in the am azing surroundings of one of Exeter’s oldest buildings. Arrive early to explore the priory and enjoy a glass of wine while getting into the mood w ith our "Impressions of Venice" exhibition in the undercroft.\n\n“The Me rchant of Venice” is another of Shakespeare’s problem plays\, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A Venetian merchant\, Antonio \, defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend\, Bassa nio\, and provided by Jewish moneylender\, Shylock\, with seemingly inevit able fatal consequences. The play explores themes of risk and revenge\, ex posing the tension that can exist between what is legal and what is right.  The play can potentially appear antisemitic\, but our stripped back rehe arsed reading will allow audiences to judge for themselves based on the te xt. Theatre should provoke and we hope the presentation sparks useful refl ection and conversations about thorny topics that still have relevance tod ay.\n\nAbout\n\nBuilding on the success of Titus Andronicus and Measure fo r Measure\, Lightbear Lane is delighted to team up again with Wild Thyme T heatre\, founded by Charlie Coldfield and Micha Colombo. The company works with professional actors to breathe new life into classical texts and the y have successfully performed ‘Titus Andronicus' and ‘Measure for Meas ure’ at St Nicholas Priory and Barnfield Theatre\, Exeter. They share a  vision with Lightbear Lane to create a focal point for Shakespeare\, giv ing audiences an entertaining experience of quality Shakespeare close to h ome\, and giving performers a platform to build community and develop thei r classical and sight-reading skills. We continue a series of rehearsed re adings of lesser known and problematic classical plays\, leading to fully staged productions and broader events in future. Follow them Wild Thyme Th eatre on instagram and facebook @wildthymetheatre or email them for updat es about future projects and to share your feedback\n\n\n\nDirections\nSt Nicholas Priory is on Mint Lane with walking access from Fore Street or Ba rtholomew Street West.\n\nThe nearest car park is Mary Arches Street\, whi ch is a five-minute walk. Exeter Central railway station is a ten-minute walk. The bus station is a 15-minute walk with many buses stopping on th e High Street which is ten minutes away.\n\nAccess\nUnfortunately\, due to the nature of this historic building\, there is no wheelchair access for our upstairs rooms.\n\nFacilities\nOur outdoor toilet block can be made av ailable on request.\n\nIf you have any questions or concerns about your vi sit please email admin@nicholaspriory.com ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nicholaspriory.com/wp-content/uploads/20 26/01/Venezia-masks.png CATEGORIES:Arts,Featured,Opening LOCATION:St Nicholas Priory\, Mint Lane\, Off Fore Street\, Exeter\, Devon\ , EX4 3BL\, United Kingdom X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mint Lane\, Off Fore Street \, Exeter\, Devon\, EX4 3BL\, United Kingdom;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=St Nicholas Priory:geo:0,0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260329T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR