New Episode: The Quality of Mercy Project Part 2!

In this episode, Geoff talks with another group of collaborators from the Qualities of Mercy Project about how they felt about the process and the end results of the work they did with their students and The Merchant of Venice in production. What were some of the challenges of production/quality? What impact did the region/cultural milieu of the students have on the way they interpreted Shakespeare's ideas? Moreover, the guests chat about how much the project made students consider their institutional position as their performances were paired with performances from students all over the country. How did the institutions/administration respond to the project? How do you manage a variety of views and interpretations coming from the students while still needing to impose a coherent theme? What were some of the more important and significant staging choices these students made in making the text resonate with them and their communities?

Joining Geoff this time are Vanessa Corredera (Andrews University), Ruben Espinosa (University of Texas El Paso), Katherine Gillen (Texas A&M - San Antonio), and Katheryn Vomero Santos (Trinity University).

Listen to the new episode here! And if you missed part one, you can find it here.

And you can watch the fruits of the project here!

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New Episode: The Qualities of Mercy Project, Part 1!

In our latest episode, Geoff talks with some of his co-participants in The Qualities of Mercy Project, an initiative among Shakespeare instructors who collaborated to bring The Merchant of Venice to college campuses nationwide and to discuss what "mercy" means in a regional sense. Our guests discuss the ways their students responded to the plays notions of forgiveness and mercy, ostracization, and racism/antisemitism in the wake of some of America's deadliest shootings, as well as the implications of anachronism and letting Shakespeare "off the hook." Also, what does it mean for pedagogy when we literally ask students to "embody" Shakespeare's plays and cultural discussions?

Joining Geoff for this conversation are Jonathan Burton of Whittier College, Ambereen Dadabhoy of Harvey Mudd College, Brooke Carlson of Chaminade University, and Mary Janell Metzger of Western Washington University. Check out the episode here!


We'll be back in two weeks with another group of participants in this incredible project. In the meantime, you can watch the project here!



Please remember to share, rate, review, and subscribe! We can be found on Twitter and Facebook at humanitiesremix, and reach us via e-mail at humanitiesremix@gmail.com.