Playing Shylock

In this theatrical funhouse mirror, an actor, Saul Rubinek, is played by the actor Saul Rubinek, who is playing Shylock in a production of The Merchant of Venice that is running in whatever theatre you're in, whatever night you're there. You've arrived just in time for the second act, but the show does not go on. Instead, the actor portraying Shakespeare's most controversial character steps out of the role and into the spotlight to share why the show has been cancelled. Centuries of artistic tension collide with today's call for accountability, all channelled through one actor's life story and his plea for understanding as he fights cancellation and, possibly, extinction.