Parodos Theatre Company will present a fully immersive performance of Shakespeare’s classic The Merchant of Venice at the Villa Marina Gardens in Douglas.

The tale of court battles, revenge and friendship will be staged from Thursday, September 7, to Saturday, September 9, and audiences are invited to ‘embrace the outdoors’ by bringing along rugs, blankets and chairs.

It comes after Parodos Theatre Company, co-founded by Alex Armstrong and Charlie Williams, staged an incredibly popular production of Much Ado About Nothing at King’s Court Theatre over Easter 2022.

Explaining why they chose The Merchant of Venice, Charlie told Island Life: ‘The themes and undercurrents of The Merchant of Venice are, unfortunately in many ways, still as relevant today as they were when it was first performed.

‘We wanted to tackle a play that was perhaps not as well known to audiences and which was of a slightly different persuasion to the light hearted nature of our debut production.

‘Many will know of the call by Shylock for the “pound of flesh” from Antonio the merchant but audiences will discover that it is difficult to find characters who can be defined as good or evil in this play.

‘The complexities of these characters and the exposure of human nature is in part what attracted Parodos to tackling The Merchant of Venice.

‘It also however has moments of levity, humour and romance and our wonderful cast will bring these forth in their performances.

Thomas Iain Dixon plays Shylock, alongside Bryony Grant (Portia), John Walker (Antonio), Daniel-Sebastian Gray (Bassanio), Peter Shimmin (Gratiano), Jade Boylan (Nerrisa), Meg Walker (Jessica), Ben Gale (Lorenzo), Orry Wilson ( Launcelot Gobbo), Sean Reaney (Salanio), Charlie Williams (Salarino), Alex Duncan (Prince of Morocco), Geoff Pugh (Prince of Arragon), Chris Jagus (Duke of Venice) and Andy Williams (Tubal).

Charlie said: ‘Rehearsals are going really well.

‘We have rehearsed in both indoor and outdoor spaces, including in the section of the Villa Gardens in which the performance will take place.

‘Sarah Wilson-White’s (head of culture and arts) team and the VillaGaiety have been a huge support to us in the preparation for this show, which will be the first of its kind to be performed in the Villa Gardens.

‘We are excited to welcome back David Dawson as director and Sarah Holland as assistant director, both of whom brought our well received debut production of Much Ado About Nothing to life last year.’

Charlie added: ‘Performing this production outdoors adds new challenges for the cast and production team but it also allows for a different experience for Manx audiences; an outdoor show in the heart of Douglas.

‘We have a wonderful cast, some familiar faces from previous Parodos Theatre Company productions but also many new ones.’

Evening performances start at 7pm. Friday’s performance is already sold out.

The Saturday matinee starts at 2pm and will be a relaxed performance.

Audiences are invited to embrace the outdoors and bring along rugs, blankets and chairs to enjoy the late summer evening on the grass.

Designated areas will be in place for wheelchair users if desired.

Tickets cost £18 for adults and £15 for over 65s and under 16s. They are available online at villagaiety.com/merchantofvenice or call the box office on 600555.

The principal sponsor is Ravenscroft and each performance has a different sponsor.

Charlie thanked them for their invaluable support.