2015 Press Releases
Remembering the Merchant of Venice
UCC has collaborated with Corcadorca to hold an exhibition and roundtable celebrating the 2005 production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
A decade after the theatre company’s ground-breaking performances at non-traditional indoor and outdoor locations across Cork City, the new exhibition is housed in the bottling plant of the old Distillery premises on North Mall, where the first half of the production was staged.
The exhibition, which runs until July 29, features the work of photographer Mike MacSweeney during the run of The Merchant of Venice in 2005, and a video installation curated by Pat Kiernan and Nicholas O’Riordan.
Part of a collaborative project ‘Creation and Reception’ led by Corcadorca and Dr. Anne Etienne (School of English, UCC), and supported by DUETS / CACSSS Creative Practice Support Fund, the exhibition is open to the public from 11:00 to 16:00 every day except Sunday.
The production had a 60-strong international cast including actress Eileen Walsh and the performances were part of 'Relocation', a concept that was the brainchild of Corcadorca and stems from the belief that theatre should exist outside of traditional venues.
This was a fabulous experience! Exhibition at Old Distillery from July15 & roundtable discussion @ucc July 18. https://t.co/yqFPwSqyTX
— UCC Library (@UCCLibrary)
July 13, 2015
The other strand of the project will see many of the cast and creative team from The Merchant of Venice reunite for a roundtable event titled ‘Remembering The Merchant of Venice', to be held at UCC’s O’Rahilly Building (Room G27) tomorrow, July 18, between 10.45 – 13:00 and 14:00 – 16:00.
Open to the public, the free event will also discussion between the creative team and the audience on how they can connect anew and create such ambitious civic events in the context of funding cuts to the arts.
The panel includes Pat Kiernan (Director), Roma Patel (Set Designer), Mel Mercier (Composer), Eileen Walsh (Portia), Ryszard Radwanski (Tubal), Kieran Ahern (Antonio), Mary McCarthy (Director, The National Sculpture Factory) and Liz Meaney (Arts Director Performing and Local Arts, The Arts Council).
Looking forward to hearing actress Eileen Walsh @mumstrokesactor speak at UCC on July 18th about her role as 'Portia' in MOV 2005.
— MOVCork2005 (@MOVCork2005)
June 29, 2015
Pat Kiernan, Artistic Director of Corcadorca, commented on the project: "I'm more used to looking forward and planning the next production, excited by the possibilities of a new script or working with new collaborators, but this re-looking at The Merchant of Venice production is proving a very interesting and rewarding process.”
“It has reminded me of the huge potential for a theatre production to become a large and exciting civic event that captures the attention of a city.”
A dedicated website provides further details of the project and associated events: https://merchantofvenicecork2005.wordpress.com/