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Conferences
Shakespearean Authorship Trust Conference 2011
The Shakespearean Authorship Trust, in collaboration with Brunel University, hosts an advance screening of a major new authorship documentary, Last Will. & Testament at Shakespeare's Globe on Sunday 27 November.
At a time when the Shakespeare world is being rocked by the imminent appearance of Roland Emmerich’s feature film, Anonymous, as well as the publication of several books based on new research, including Richard Roe’s The Shakespeare Guide to Italy and Katherine Chiljan’s Shakespeare Suppressed, there comes the first major documentary on the authorship question for 22 years. The timing could not be better, and we are very fortunate to have the film’s director Lisa Wilson with us to introduce the work and answer questions on it. (Lisa was also a consultant on Anonymous, and is a trustee of the SAT.) She will be joined by no fewer than seven luminaries who took part in the documentary: Diana Price, author of Shakespeare’s Unorthodox Biography, Professor Roger Stritmatter of Coppin State University in Baltimore, actors Sir Derek Jacobi* and Vanessa Redgrave*, the Chairman of the SAT, Mark Rylance, Dr. William Leahy, Head of the School of Arts at Brunel University, and Charles Beauclerk, author of Shakespeare’s Lost Kingdom.
Last Will. & Testament is a 90-minute film that explores the evolution of the authorship question since Shakespeare’s time, with particular reference to William Shakspere of Stratford and Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, though other candidates are discussed. Among those defending the orthodox position are Stanley Wells and Jonathan Bate, both of whom were invited to speak at the conference. The documentary is beautifully shot and has exclusive access to footage of Roland Emmerich’s Anonymous, which is due for general release on 28 October 2011. The film will be shown in three parts in order to give conference attendees proper time to digest and discuss the material as the day unfolds. It promises to be a fascinating and provocative experience, with plenty of opportunity for the audience to engage with guest speakers.
*subject to availability
Date: Sunday 27 November 2011
Time: 11:00 – 18:15 (Tea and coffee available from 10:30)
Venue: Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London, SE1 9DT
Tickets: £35 (including tea and coffee)
Booking: Shakespeare's Globe Box Office:
Tel: 020 7401 9919
Booking opens: 17 October 2011
Click here for the programme schedule in pdf format.
Shakespearean Authorship Trust Gathering 2010
Shakinomics*: Building Bridges in Shakespeare Studies
This was presented by The Shakespearean Authorship Trust, in collaboration with Brunel University, at Shakespeare's Globe on Sunday 28 November 2010.
This day featured presentations, discussions and debate by academics, independent scholars, biographers and actors and concentrated on the issue of current themes in Shakespeare Biography.
Click here for the programme schedule in pdf format.
Conference reports
These two reports were taken on the day and represent an accurate view of events as perceived by the two reporters. One is a SAT trustee and one is a student at Brunel who was asked to do such a report. The purpose of these reports is to enable those people who were not available to attend to get some idea of the matters covered. As such, the function of the reports is to disseminate this information with good intentions.
Report 1 (in pdf format), Report 2 to follow soon.
*Shakinomics [noun]
1.(functioning as singular) making new connections in Shakespeare Studies with particular reference to the cultural capital of Shakespeare; the Shakespeare industry, heritage, tourism, authority and authorship issues. The bringing together of and mutual respect for knowledge produced by academics, independent scholars, actors, directors, film makers, biographers and creative writers in the field of Shakespeare Studies. See also Shakespeare authorship question, 'Bardolatry', national identity, author attribution.
2. (pl) cross sector/disciplinary knowledge in Shakespeare Studies: "the Shakinomics of the project are excellent."
Past Conferences
In 2003 the theme of the weekend was Richard II. In the following year the conference was based on Measure for Measure.
The 2005 conference focused on Collaboration. Speakers at the conferences included Michael Wood, Prof Dan Wright from Concordia University, and Robin Williams.
Download Mike Llewellyn's lecture on Collaboration
Download the full report by Sarah Dustagheer from the conference.
In 2009 the theme of the conference, held in conjunction with Brunel University, was Challenging Authority.
If you are interested in attending future conferences and wish to be placed on our mailing list, please contact us at info@shakespeareanauthorshiptrust.org.uk
Click on poster image above for a pdf version.
Click on poster image above for a pdf version.
