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TakeOff Festival

TakeOff Festival

The Academy took part in County Durham's 2015 TakeOff Festival with the Propeller Theatre Company performing their Pocket Theatre version of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

The Merchant of Venice is an uncompromising tale of greed and revenge. When Bassanio falls in love with the wealthy Portia, he becomes imprisoned in a bargain with a ruthless moneylender. A pound of flesh is sought in payment, and time is fast running to untangle the trap of his own making.

After a gripping hour, students were invited into the performance space to question the actors about the play, acting, Shakespeare and anything else that came to mind! 

TakeOff Festival is England's leading festival of theatre for children and young people with a  week of fantastic shows from the UK and abroad which were performed in venues across County Durham. Find out more here.

Pocket Merchant is a condensed version of one of Shakespeare’s darkest plays which uses the company’s unique revelatory style. The all-male cast brought Shakespeare’s text to life with their invigorating, engaging and often funny approach to the play.