Showerman reports on Toronto conference

Earl Showerman reported on the Shakespeare authorship conference to be held in Toronto October 17-20, 2013:

North America’s two leading Oxfordian associations – the Shakespeare Fellowship and the Shakespeare Oxford Society – are pleased to announce that their 2013 Joint Conference will take place in Toronto, Canada from October 17 to 20, 2013. The Joint Conference , held with the support of the Theatre and Drama departments of  York University and the University of Guelph, two major Canadian universities,  will take as its theme “Shakespeare and the Living Theatre.”

“The man who wrote under the name of Shakespeare,  “said conference organizer Professor Don Rubin of Toronto’s York University, “was clearly a man of the theatre. We know that William of Stratford had connections to the Globe but few people know that the 17^th Earl of Oxford, also had significant theatre connections to both adult and children’s companies of the period.

“We are hoping that the Conference will offer new understandings of these connections as well as insights to theatrical conditions of the time and put to rest the idea that William of Stratford was the only candidate in the authorship debate with strong and profound theatrical involvement.”

In addition to papers related to the conference theme, there will also be a variety of papers on related subjects, a trip to Canada’s internationally-acclaimed Stratford Shakespeare Festival to see a production of Merchant of Venice with Brian Bedford, an open public debate on the authorship question between Stratfordians and Oxfordians, a screening of at least one new film about the authorship question and keynote speakers (to be announced) hopefully from the world of the living theatre. The conference will also include the annual general meetings of both organizations.

The Conference will be held at the Metropolitan Hotel in Toronto. A special conference rate of $135 per night has been negotiated. To obtain this rate and to confirm your room, you can call the hotel at 1-800-668-6600 or by e-mail (reservations@tor.metropolitan.com).  Use the reservation ID # 269-931 or mention either the Shakespeare Fellowship or the Shakespeare Oxford Society. A one night refundable deposit (up to five days before the conference) is required.  The conference rate will be valid from three days before the conference to three days after.

Registration forms will be posted on the Shakespeare Fellowship and Shakespeare-Oxford Society websites in the near future.                                   

CALL FOR PAPERS

North America’s two leading Oxfordian  associations --  the Shakespeare Fellowship and the Shakespeare Oxford Society – are now accepting proposals for papers for their upcoming joint conference to be held in Toronto October 17 to 20, 2013.

While the organizers are happy to consider papers on any aspect of Oxfordian studies, the conference planning committee is particularly interested in receiving proposals for papers connected to the official conference topic for 2013, “Shakespeare  and the Living Theatre”  connecting Oxford/Shakespeare to actual theatre conditions in the late 16^th and early 17^th centuries.

Anyone interested in proposing a paper should send a 250-500 word abstract plus a few sentences indicating their professional backgrounds and any connections to Oxfordian studies to the Conference Organizer:

Prof. Don Rubin, Department of Theatre, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada.

E-mail:  drubin@yorku.ca

All proposals will be acknowledged. The Planning Committee will announce its selection as early as possible.  Paper proposal deadline: 15 June 2013. A second call for papers will go out after June 15 if necessary.