Seymour Centre and Sport for Jove present
The Merchant of Venice Symposium
A HSC Symposium Series Event
"…a pound of flesh…nearest his heart…so says the bond…"
The Merchant of Venice is an eternally relevant study of justice, mercy, and religious division.
It's a story Shakespeare couldn't resist: an unfathomable sadness in a man's heart; the mysterious terrors of the ocean; hate crime and religious intolerance; money, and our willingness to gamble with our lives - things that still hurt and hinder us to this day in our struggle to know the difference between mercy and justice.
The Merchant of Venice features some of Shakespeare's most extraordinary characters, such as Portia, the brilliant young woman who dresses as a man to save a merchant's life, or Bassanio, the man with nothing who would have it all at any cost, or Jessica, the girl who would trade her mother's and father's memories for a monkey.
And at the centre of them all, in the court of Venice, stands a Jewish moneylender, Shylock, legally demanding a pound of flesh from a man who is willing to have his heart torn out of his body as a gesture of love for his friend.
Sport for Jove's performance symposium offers a unique and thrilling opportunity for students to dissect this formidable play.
Image credit: Seiya Taguchi
"Myself and my students got SO much out of the HSC Symposium for Merchant of Venice. I have completely changed my approach to the text and am now looking forward to teaching it again. The performers were incredible."Teacher Survey Respondent
Writer William Shakespeare
Director Damien Ryan
Set Designer Damien Ryan
Costume Designer Bernadette Ryan
Tickets
$33 per student. One teacher free per 10 students; $33 for each additional teacher.
Payment
Find out how our school bookings process works. Full payment for this event is due 6 weeks before each symposium event date.
Curriculum links
Suitable for students in years 7 to 12:
Stage 4, Stage 5 and Stage 6 Preliminary English and Drama
Stage 6 HSC English Standard, Advanced and English Studies Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences
Detailed curriculum links can be found here.
Post-show Q&As
Join director, Damien Ryan, for a 15-minute Q&A following each symposium.
Workshops
Workshops can be organised through Sport for Jove. Please contact the team at info@sportforjove.com.au for further information.
Resources
Education Resources will be distributed following each performance via email. If your school group has not received the resources, please email education@seymour.sydney.edu.au.
Your visit
Find out how to get here, where to eat and when to arrive.
Find out about our COVID-Safe measures.
Risk assessment
Find our 2025 risk assessment information here.
Join University of Sydney Student Ambassadors for a free tour of the Camperdown/Darlington campus. Students will get an inside look at Australia’s oldest university and receive the answers to any questions they have about the tertiary experience. Tours are usually one hour in length, and highlight popular sites including the Quadrangle, Great Hall, Sydney Nanoscience Hub, and the Abercrombie. A thirty-minute presentation can also be included as well as a visit to the Chau Chuk Wing Museum.*
Please book online and indicate in the text box field at the end of the form that you are attending a show at Seymour Centre with the event details, for more information about Campus Tours email schools.outreach@sydney.edu.au.
*Visiting the Chau Chuk Wing Museum will increase the duration of the tour and may incur a fee. The minimum booking period is 3 weeks with a 72-hour cancellation period. Campus tours are not available during University semester breaks.
Suitable for students in years 7 to 12:
Stage 4, Stage 5 and Stage 6 Preliminary English and Drama
Stage 6 HSC English Standard, Advanced and English Studies Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences
York Theatre
| Thu 12 Jun | 10:30am |
|---|
Approximately 150 minutes including a 15-minute interval and a 15-minute post-show Q&A.
| School Student | $33 |
|---|---|
| Teacher | $33 |
| General Public | $45 |
$6 transaction fee applies for general public bookings. No transaction fee applies for school bookings.
One teacher free per 10 students; $33 for each additional teacher.
Subsidised tickets for all 2025 Sport for Jove Arts Education shows are available to low ICSEA and regional schools through Sport for Jove’s Universal Access Program.
To confirm your school’s eligibility and express interest in accessing subsidised tickets, please contact Sport for Jove directly at 02 8970 1921, or info@sportforjove.com.au.*
*Subsidised ticket eligibility is determined directly by Sport for Jove, and not Seymour Centre. We kindly ask that you please only contact Sport for Jove directly at the above contacts regarding subsidy eligibility, or with any questions that you may have, and not the Seymour Centre Box Office.
Contains haze smoke and racial violence. Photography and filming strictly prohibited.
The only authorised ticket seller for this event is Seymour Centre. If you purchase from an unauthorised seller, you risk that your tickets may be fake or invalid.
Suitable for students in years 7 to 12:
Stage 4, Stage 5 and Stage 6 Preliminary English and Drama
Stage 6 HSC English Standard, Advanced and English Studies Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences
York Theatre
| Thu 12 Jun | 10:30am |
|---|
Approximately 150 minutes including a 15-minute interval and a 15-minute post-show Q&A.
| School Student | $33 |
|---|---|
| Teacher | $33 |
| General Public | $45 |
$6 transaction fee applies for general public bookings. No transaction fee applies for school bookings.
One teacher free per 10 students; $33 for each additional teacher.
Subsidised tickets for all 2025 Sport for Jove Arts Education shows are available to low ICSEA and regional schools through Sport for Jove’s Universal Access Program.
To confirm your school’s eligibility and express interest in accessing subsidised tickets, please contact Sport for Jove directly at 02 8970 1921, or info@sportforjove.com.au.*
*Subsidised ticket eligibility is determined directly by Sport for Jove, and not Seymour Centre. We kindly ask that you please only contact Sport for Jove directly at the above contacts regarding subsidy eligibility, or with any questions that you may have, and not the Seymour Centre Box Office.
Contains haze smoke and racial violence. Photography and filming strictly prohibited.
Writer William Shakespeare
Director Damien Ryan
Set Designer Damien Ryan
Costume Designer Bernadette Ryan
The only authorised ticket seller for this event is Seymour Centre. If you purchase from an unauthorised seller, you risk that your tickets may be fake or invalid.
Tickets
$33 per student. One teacher free per 10 students; $33 for each additional teacher.
Payment
Find out how our school bookings process works. Full payment for this event is due 6 weeks before each symposium event date.
Curriculum links
Suitable for students in years 7 to 12:
Stage 4, Stage 5 and Stage 6 Preliminary English and Drama
Stage 6 HSC English Standard, Advanced and English Studies Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences
Detailed curriculum links can be found here.
Post-show Q&As
Join director, Damien Ryan, for a 15-minute Q&A following each symposium.
Workshops
Workshops can be organised through Sport for Jove. Please contact the team at info@sportforjove.com.au for further information.
Resources
Education Resources will be distributed following each performance via email. If your school group has not received the resources, please email education@seymour.sydney.edu.au.
Your visit
Find out how to get here, where to eat and when to arrive.
Find out about our COVID-Safe measures.
Risk assessment
Find our 2025 risk assessment information here.
Join University of Sydney Student Ambassadors for a free tour of the Camperdown/Darlington campus. Students will get an inside look at Australia’s oldest university and receive the answers to any questions they have about the tertiary experience. Tours are usually one hour in length, and highlight popular sites including the Quadrangle, Great Hall, Sydney Nanoscience Hub, and the Abercrombie. A thirty-minute presentation can also be included as well as a visit to the Chau Chuk Wing Museum.*
Please book online and indicate in the text box field at the end of the form that you are attending a show at Seymour Centre with the event details, for more information about Campus Tours email schools.outreach@sydney.edu.au.
*Visiting the Chau Chuk Wing Museum will increase the duration of the tour and may incur a fee. The minimum booking period is 3 weeks with a 72-hour cancellation period. Campus tours are not available during University semester breaks.