Oberon Shakespeare Study Group

In past years, Oberon has not often met in August, substituting an outing for a meeting. This year we are doing both. Some of us will be attending The Merchant of Venice in Stratford, Ontario this Saturday, the 25th. In the meantime, a gratifyingly good turnout appeared for the regular meeting on Thursday, August 16. Thank you to Sue, Linda, Mara, Robin, Rey, Richard, Tom, Joy, Barb, and Rosey for making it another enjoyable evening. There were three highlights in addition to our reliable Treasurer’s Report. The first was Linda’s presentation on the possibilities of the blog in which she created a entry for our Oberon blog on the computer in front of our very eyes. (See Aug. 16 photo and entry below.) Will the marvels of this electronic age never cease? In addition to being impressive, Linda’s demonstration showed us that blogging offers many possibilities and opportunities to Oberon, including facilitating communication among members; creating a record of members’ thoughts, activities...

Dear Oberon, Don't forget our top of the summer meeting Thursday at the Farmington Library. Regular meeting starts at 6:45. Pre-meeting in the coffee shop about nothing in particular just to hang out for those who arrive early at 5:30. Linda will be taking us into the world of blogging, as we expand our Internet capabilities. There is a good chance that Tom Townsend will be back with a regular -- and prized -- feature of our meetings, the Treasurer's Report. If the other Tom can get it together, there will be a report from the Utah Shakespeare Festival as well as some direction for the Hamlet Project and a brief retrospective on the Jackson Experience at the Michigan Shakespeare Festival, plus possibly a surprise or two. So the plate is full. Good things happen when we get together. See you Thursday! Tom

It is the 4th of July and the fireworks are over. We (Rosey, I, my brother Jerry, his wife Dianne and my other sister-in-law Margie) just had lunch with James Newcomb, who we saw last night at the Utah Shakespeare Festival as Coriolanus. James Newcomb is the best. We talked about Oxfordian connections to the play that are important to him, as well as much else about acting, both Shakespearean and non-Shakespearean. He did an amazing Coriolanus, a really tough role in a really tough play, which is probably why it's not produced all that often. We will see him tonight as Kent in King Lear. I'm still pinching myself. See you all soon. I hope that it will be at our own Michigan Shakespeare Festival in Jackson on July 21. Happy 4th! Tom