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Summerset Collection quotes Oberon chair

Dear Oberon,

You might by now have received in the mail or otherwise the latest edition of Somerset Mall's thick and glossy advertising magazine called Somerset Collection. On page 56, you will find a short article titled "The Bard is Back: In a society where old often becomes new again, a renewed fervor for Shakespeare" about Shakespeare's huge current popularity with a quote by yours truly as to why.  Reporter Taryn Bickley said:
The play’s the thing,” quote Hamlet in the eponymous tragedy by William Shakespeare. The Bard’s words still ring true. There’s a burgeoning trend among the younger set toward highbrow theater (think Academy Award nominee Abnne Hathaway doing viola from Twelfth Night in New York City’s Shakespear in the Park this year).
Thomas Hunter, chairperson of Oberon, a Shakespearean discussion and research group in Orchard Lake isn’t surprised. “His universality and eternal themes – identity, love, ambition, and evil. His passion for understanding who we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going. Who could resist all of these?”
Ms. Bickley judiciously omitted the reams of replies I gave her to other questions, but she did mention Oberon, although she erroneously put us in Orchard Lake (instead of Farmington Hills). Notice also that she did leave the theme of identity in the quote probably having no idea of the can of worms we can make of it.

Your chairperson,
Tom Hunter

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