October 2025

Deception is the currency. Love is the jackpot. Justice is always a roll of the dice. For 2025, Fort Bend County Libraries’ Shakespeare-by-the-Book Festival will feature The Merchant of Venice: Vegas Edition – where every secret is a wild card, revenge has a price, and the fate of the players hangs on a single hand.

In conjunction with The Live Oak Playhouse, Fort Bend County Libraries presents the 2025 Shakespeare-by-the-Book Festival featuring live theatrical performances of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice at George Memorial Library in Richmond on Fridays and Saturdays, October 17 and 18, and October 24 and 25, beginning at 7:30 pm, in the library’s Jodie E. Stavinoha Amphitheater.

Re-imagined with the glitz and temptation of 1950s Las Vegas -- amid smoky lounges and the neon lights of the Sin-City Strip, where fortunes are won and lost in the blink of an eye -- this performance embraces the gamble of justice and betrayal of The Merchant of Venice.

Neither a comedy, a tragedy, a history, or a romance, Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice defies traditional genre classification, coming closest to being defined as a “tragi-comedy.” Known as the “problem play,” it is one that raises far more questions than it answers.    

This year, FBCL’s Shakespeare-by-the-Book team accepts the challenge, faces the conundrum of The Merchant of Venice head on, and conquers with an iteration that audiences are sure to love.

When charismatic casino boss Antonio puts everything on the line for his friend Bassanio, he strikes a perilous deal with Shylock, a ruthless moneylender whose terms are as unforgiving as the desert sun. As love, loyalty, and revenge collide on The Strip, heiress Portia swaps her ballroom gowns for Italian tweed, ingeniously navigating the flashing lights and hidden dangers of Vegas to turn the tables in a trial that will leave Sin City’s elite reeling.

During its previous 18-year run from 1987 to 2005, Fort Bend County Libraries’ Shakespeare-by-the-Book Festival was a popular family event drawing people from around the state, introducing many theatergoers of all ages to the literary work of William Shakespeare in a way that was understandable and entertaining.

FBCL’s Shakespeare-by-the-Book Festival got its second wind in 2024, when The Live Oak Playhouse accepted the challenge and began a new era with Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

The Live Oak Playhouse -- a nonprofit community-theater group in Missouri City -- is dedicated to enriching the lives of their audiences by presenting entertaining, thought-provoking experiences, first-hand involvement, and arts education.

This year’s performance is directed by Joseph “Chepe” Lockett with The Live Oak Playhouse. A thorough “Bardolater,” he has acted in or directed 25 of Shakespeare’s 38 plays. Artistic production is also provided by The Live Oak Playhouse.

“We are very excited to be able to offer the Shakespeare-by-the-Book Festival to the community,” says Library Director Roosevelt Weeks. “Many people received their first introduction to the works of William Shakespeare at the library’s Shakespeare-by-the-Book performances. We hope those same theatergoers will now return with their families for this new chapter of the festival.”

Pre-performance entertainment will begin at 7:00 pm each evening.

The Shakespeare-by-the-Book Festival is generously made possible by the Friends of the George Memorial Library.

About the Venue

Seating in the outdoor theater is concrete, so theatergoers are encouraged to bring stadium seats or cushions. Theatergoers may bring bottled water, sunscreen, and/or a small umbrella. Food trucks will be on site for refreshments; water fountains and restrooms are available inside the library's Bohachevsky Gallery. Beach and lawn chairs will be allowed in two designated rows ONLY, and space is available strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. Glass bottles and alcoholic beverages are not permitted.