Trinity Rep will host a free public forum to discuss the history and issues surrounding The Merchant of Venice in conjunction with its production of Shakespeare's controversial play. The discussion will take place on Saturday, February 25 at 2pm at Trinity Rep, 201 Washington St. in Providence.

Titled The Merchant of Venice: Sympathy for the "Other", the forum will serve as an enriching counterpart to the Shakespearean tragedy that has challenged both audiences and scholars for centuries. The forum will specifically examine the history of The Merchant of Venice, the issues of anti-Semitism and race that the play raises, and how Trinity Rep's production presents these concepts onstage.

The panelists for the forum will include Patricia Ybarra, Associate Professor of Theater at Brown University; Coppélia Kahn, Professor of English at Brown University; and Trinity Rep Artistic Director Curt Columbus, who directs this production of The Merchant of Venice.

For more information and tickets to The Merchant of Venice click here.