CAS Creativity – “The Merchant of Venice”

On 20^th of February, 2010, the IBDP students of Dr. Pillai Global Academy, New Panvel entered the world of theatre to further their CAS experiences. The students adapted the Shakespearean play “The Merchant of Venice”, modifying and streamlining the script, and yet staying true to the spirit of the play. This version then was enacted, and presented as a period drama on the 1^st Annual Day of Dr. Pillai Global Academy.

The drama was directed by Ms. Shameem Mulla, who acted as CAS supervisor for this CAS Creativity activity. Lines were rehearsed, costumes designed and donned, the nuances of acting and expression, and of voice modulation were studied. The students were also appropriately guided by their CAS Coordinator Ms. Beena K. Thambi in this endeavour. It was a wonderful experience for the students, and they transformed into 15^th Century European characters on stage.  In their enactment, they also involved students from lower grades to enact the number of characters, thus passing on the experience.

William Shakespeare is often called 'England's national poet' and the "Bard of Avon". His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. Through his works, including such classics as Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, As you like it, Comedy of Errors, as many as 1380 characters have been brought to life. 

In the twentieth century, his work has been repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world. For example, the recent Hindi film 'Omkara' was based on Shakespeare's tragic play "Othello", and the Amitabh Bachchan-starring "The Last Lear", based on Shakespeare's "King Lear".

The IBDP students discussed these and many more aspects of the relevance and beauty of Shakespeare’s works, which retain their value even 400 years after they were originally written.