The Shakespeare Theatre Company has not staged Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” for more than a decade. Now the honored Ethan McSweeny returns to direct a production of the classic starring fellow D.C. native Julia Coffey as Portia. “This is my first Shakespeare non-ing?nue role,” Coffey said. “I’m thrilled to be moving into more mature characters and to be working with Ethan. Living on the Hill, we both attended schools that were connected, he at St. Albans and I at National Cathedral School, but the first time we met was at Lansburgh Theatre where he was auditioning actors for ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ I was 16, still in high school, and pushing the envelope.”
Although Coffey did not win the role, she had all the confidence of one who has been performing the classics since elementary school. Motivated by her teachers and an advanced curriculum, she played Ophelia in the fourth grade, reveled in Moli?re comedies by fifth grade and played in Greek tragedies during sixth grade.
| Onstage |
| ‘The Merchant of Venice’ |
| Where: Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harmon Hall, 610 F Street NW |
| When: Through July 24 |
| Info: $20 to $98 at Box Office, 610 F St. NW, 202-547-1122, 877-487-8849 or [email protected] |
Those early experiences on stage and attendance of performances with her parents while growing up cemented her determination to become an actor. After graduating from Florida State University, she moved to L.A. to work in small theaters for several years before heading to England for training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
“I saw the need for more in-depth classical training and decided to go to my favorite city,” she said. “There’s so much theater there and I felt connected to the history. I drew inspiration by studying Chekhov and Shakespeare and constantly seeing good productions. The experience enabled me to keep improving myself.”
“The Merchant of Venice” is Coffey’s fourth appearance locally, her third with Shakespeare Theatre Company. After living on the road for so long, she is overjoyed to be back home with support from her parents and brother. She is excited that they and her former classmates will see a unique production of this masterpiece.
“Ethan has set the locale in New York just before the crash,” she said. “He’s added modern details about the influx of immigrants and the prejudices people hold against them and others who are different. I play an heiress from Newport, Rhode Island who falls in love with a down-and-out Bassanio.
“There is no better time than now to do this play because we’re living in a capitalistic society. Just like today, the society and economy during that era were topsy-turvy and people had to look toward themselves to solve the problems. Portia can tell others how to behave, but she can’t get a handle on herself without tripping over her own foibles. In honing her faults, I discover more and more about her, get to see her new perspective and share her challenging journey.”
