Eunice playing her role to the hilt

Shylock (Eunice) confronting Portia (Carmen)

Cast and crew of the theatre production

Kuala Lumpur, 1 August 2008 - UCSI’s English Literature Class today staged a modern take to Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice with part of the proceeds of their ticket sales going to Pusat Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Harmoni. UCSI’s auditorium was packed half an hour before the show started last night at 8 p.m. The main characters in the play were Eunice Au as Shylock, Dwina S. Adinda as Antonio, Louis Lim as Lancelot, Carmen Chow as Portia and Narvinder Jit Singh as Bassanio. Directed by Mohd Nur Uzair and assisted by Yvonne Lee, the mostly female cast elicited tumultuous applause at the end and lots of laughter in between.

The same class had in the middle of July, organised a charity bazaar, with its proceeds channelled to the same centre. The theatre production is aimed at promoting a more acute appreciation towards literature as well as challenging the students to produce a full-fledged theatre production independently. Eunice Au, one of the main cast members who played the key character, Shylock, said, “We definitely got a better understanding of the play, Merchant of Venice and will be able to ace any final exam questions about the play!” 

She went on to say that the production would not have been possible if it was not for their lecturer, Ms. Lilian Leong Swee Yoke, Eunice said that, “ It was she who helped us to collaborate with the relevant authorities, rallied other lecturers to support our play, guided us through rehearsals. She had also stayed until late each rehearsal night, and provided help in numerous tasks, big and small, that made our production possible. With just over two months to prepare, rehearsals were conducted on a weekly basis, with up to 7 hours a week just for memorising lines, and perfecting their acting skills. Ms. Lilian also saw to it that the students received the right training from the right people to hone their talents. One such trainer was Mr. Kelvin Wong, the director of the acclaimed local production, How I Learned to Drive. 

“Producing a full-scale theatre production helped students to gain self-confidence, while improving their presentation skills. Working in a team inculcates team spirit, and disciplines students as they strive to perfect their acting skills, and memorise lines,” said Ms. Lilian Leong.