A Unique Reading Of ‘Merchant of Venice’

WATERBURY — The Mattatuck Museum will transport guest to Venice during “Shakespeare on a Summer’s Night: A Reading of the Merchant of Venice” on Thursday, August 9, beginning at 5:30 pm.

Surrounded by etchings of Venice by artists including Ernest Roth, Shakespeare on a Summer’s Night will offer a unique theater experience featuring a professional play reading of The Merchant of Venice. The event is directed by Ed Wierzbicki and performed by a company of actors gathered specifically for this event.

Attendees are welcome to bring their own copy of the play and follow along, according to Museum Director Bob Burns.

The program is in conjunction with “Reflections and Undercurrents: Ernest Roth and Printmaking in Venice, 1900-1940,” on view at the museum until August 26. Organized by Eric Denker, Ph.D., senior lecturer at the Smithsonian’s National Gallery, the exhibit includes 95 etchings, preliminary drawings, etching plates, sketchbooks and photographs focusing on the art of Ernest David Roth (1879-1964), one of the most significant etchers of the first half of the 20th Century. The exhibition places the art and artist in the broader context of American and European etchers of the period.

Admission to the reading program is $15 ($7 for museum members. The performance will be followed by a reception.

Registration is requested and can be done through the museum’s website (www.mattatuckmuseum.org) or by calling 203-753-0381, extension 10.

The Mattatuck Museum is a Blue Star Museum, which offers free admission to active duty personnel and their families through Labor Day.

The museum is at 144 West Main Street, Waterbury, with free parking located behind the building on Park Place.