Christopher “Kit” Marlowe (baptised 26 February 1564 – 30 May 1593) was an English dramatist, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. The foremost Elizabethan tragedian before William Shakespeare, he is known for his magnificent blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his own untimely death. The Jew of Malta (1589) is an original story of religious conflict, intrigue, and revenge, set against a backdrop of the struggle for supremacy between Spain and the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean. The Jew of Malta is considered to have been a major influence on William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. The play contains a prologue in which the character Machiavel, a Senecan ghost based on Niccolò Machiavelli, introduces “the tragedy of a Jew.” (summary by Wikipedia) Thomas Heywood: The well-known dramatist of the time has included Prologues and Epilogues both for the court and the Cock-Pit theatre “…making choice of you unto whom to devote it;” . (summary by David Lawrence) Cast:Ferneze, as Governor of Malta and - Lars Rolander Lodowick, his son - Jay Saunders Selim Calymath, son to the Grand Seignior - Damien Tavis Toman Martin del Bosco, vice-admiral of Spain - Michael Sirois Mathias, a gentleman - Daniel Hutton Jacomo, a friar - Kevin Vinck Barnardine, a friar - Aaron Elliott Barabas, a wealthy Jew - EHehl Ithamore, a slave - Denny Sayers Katharine, mother to Mathias - Gesine Abigail, daughter to Barabas - Andrea Lee Bellamira, a courtezan - Silence Pilia-Borza, a bully, attendant to Bellamira - CM Slosson First Jew and First Knight - Miriam Esther Goldman Second Jew, Second Officer, Second Knight and Second Merchant - Ryan DeRamos Third Jew, Slave and Carpenter - Laurie Anne Walden Officer/First Officer - Eric J. Katowitz Merchant/First Merchant - Anna Simon Messenger - Lucy Perry Machiavel, as Prologue Speaker - ontheroad Announcer - Jennifer Stearns Audio edited by - David Lawrence