The Merchant in Venice

The Arts Hour heads off to Venice for a production of The Merchant of Venice taking place in the city’s Jewish Ghetto to mark the 500th anniversary of the Ghetto and the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. The play is followed by a real life appeal on behalf of Shylock, presided over by the eminent US judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg. What will her verdict be? Will Shylock get his pound of flesh from Antonio after all and will he succeed in overturning the ruling he must convert to Christianity?

As the Rio Olympics begin we hear from the artists who occupied The Ministry of Culture. Ellen DeGeneres talks about playing everyone’s favourite forgetful fish in the film Finding Dory. We hear from members of The Palestine Youth Orchestra, a family of four siblings who have formed their own quartet and reporter Anna Bailey brings news of the Pärnu and Tallin music festivals in Estonia.

(Photo: Andrea Brugera as Shylock #4 ©Andrea Messana)