Currency

Currency is a series of short films and a theatre show that smash open “The Merchant of Venice” and place the infamous merchant Shylock at the center of our world, not as a caricature but instead as a reflection of the immigrant, working class, citizens of our port cities. Using direct address monologues and rap songs, “Currency” visits the marketplaces of West Oakland, Hong Kong, Managua, Downtown LA, and Venice to connect those "othered" by society with the larger issues of place, race, privilege, ownership, violence, and revolution.