Oberon Shakespeare Study Group

Even though the Oberon group has yet to make its annual trip to Stratford, Ontario to attend the 2010 season (we're going in August), the 2011 season has just been announced (only about three hours ago, I think). Maybe some planning for our 2011 trip can begin now. The 2011 season will include four plays by Shakespeare (that mysterious playwright we all love). There will be Twelfth Night (with Brian Dennehy returning to play Sir Toby Belch), Richard III (with an interesting casting choice of Seana McKenna as Richard), The Merry Wives of Windsor , and Titus Andronicus . There will be two musicals: Camelot (which has been done there before) and Jesus Christ, Superstar . Other plays on offer will be an adaptation of Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath , The Misanthrope by Molliere (with Brian Bedford directing and appearing), Harold Pinter's The Homecoming , and two Canadian plays ( Hosana by Michel Tremblay and The Little Years by John Mighton). Other casting choices have al...

I came across an interesting article about Stratford, Ontario in the Toronto Star. The article, which appeared on June 19, 2010, is entitled "Arts meets high-tech in the new Stratford" The article is about how Stratford is trying to diversify its economy by welcoming "high-tech". This involves creating a satellite campus for the University of Waterloo, rigging the entire city for wi-fi (although it may not actually be free) and setting up "a 60-acre section of land with services to meet the needs of upstart technology companies". The mayor, Dan Mathieson, recognizes that Stratford cannot survive solely on its tourist industry (the theater) since restaurants, hotels, and stores don't do much business in the wintertime. Mathieson is quoted as saying, "We have to be grounded in three or four camps really to survive as a community" He also feels that if the new school and new industry brings in younger people the stores and restaurants will adap...

Dear Oberon, We need your help at Wednesday’s June 16, 2010 Oberon meeting at 7 p.m. at the Farmington Library, (Twelve Mile Rd. between Farmington Rd. and Orchard Lake Rd.) to critique the presentations we will be making at the Michigan Shakespeare Festival in July. You have heard of Cliff’s Notes?   Come to the meeting to hear Oxford notes, brief and interesting stuff you may or may not have thought of when you have seen or read  Romeo and Juliet  or  Comedy of    Errors . Come see Tom and Tom (Townsend and Hunter) presenting their  Romeo and Juliet discussion scheduled for July 24 just before the play itself is performed at the Festival. S ee Richard Joyrich’s presentation of the  Comedy of Errors  discussion scheduled just before the play on July 31. Then give thumbs up or thumbs down so we can get it right before our Festival dates in July. We will also hear Richard’s continued report about notable papers from the April conferen...

The cover article of Reform Judaism Magazine's summer 2010 issue, "Unmasking Shakespeare: Were the Greatest Works of Western Literature Written by a Woman?" by Michael Posner is a discussion of the Shakespearean authorship claim of Amelia Bassano Lanier. The following open letter from Richard Joyrich to readers of the RJM article addressing the Lanier claim and the Shakespeare authorship question. Dear readers, I would like to make some comments regarding the article which appears in the recent issue of Reform Judaism on the “true identity” of Shakespeare being Amelia Bassano Lanier. As the article correctly states there is indeed a growing number of people who are dissatisfied with the “traditional” attribution of the plays and poems written under the name “William Shakespeare” (frequently “William Shake-Speare” perhaps indicating a pseudonym) to William Shaksper (this is the way it is always spelled on legal documents) of Stratford-upon-Avon for many reasons (...

Lynne Kositsky asked us to share this information about the Shakespeare Fellowship newsletter, Shakespeare Matters : Thanks to Roger Stritmatter and Marty Hyatt, all issues of Shakespeare Matters from Fall 2001 to Winter 2009 are now available free online. To access them, click on Shakespeare Matters at www.shakespearefellowship.org . Our four most recent issues are available only to subscribers.