The Merchant of Venice Symposium

SPORT FOR JOVE’S HSC SYMPOSIUMS OFFER A MORE INTENSIVE, MORE THEATRICAL FORM IN 2026, WITH LARGER SECTIONS OF THE PLAYS OFFERED IN PERFORMANCE, ON A BESPOKE SET, WITH NEW, IMMERSIVE AND ENLIVENING PERSPECTIVES ON THE TEXTS.

Scene work from the HSC syllabus plays is interspersed with expert commentary from Damien Ryan and his team—exploring famous scenes & speeches in multiple ways, opening up diverse critical readings, unlocking language & character, hearing actors discuss the plays’ famous ambiguities and challenges, and answering students’ questions.

A complete, hands-on experience that combines the unfiltered relationship students need with the plays’ action and narrative while also ensuring they are ‘watching with understanding’, in other words, extracting the key ingredients and critical thinking required to write on the plays under exam conditions. Every aspect of the work is geared toward the curriculum and the specific needs of students studying these plays. Don’t miss our SYMPOSIUMS in 2026!

Image credit: Dowling and Dowling Designs