International scholars speak at Shakespeare Festival

Mary Floyd- Wilson will speak at the conference

Toowoomba will play host to two renowned Shakespearean scholars during the USQ Shakespeare in the Park Festival’s inaugural academic symposium this week.

Professor Paul Yachnin, former President of the Shakespeare Association of America, author and McGill University scholar and North Carolina author, Mary Floyd-Wilson will travel from America and Canada respectively for the conference.

The international keynote speakers will be joined by some of Australia’s most exciting young scholars to present at a three-day symposium, an initiative of the USQ Public Memory Research Cluster.

'In the year that the Festival will focus on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it seemed appropriate to reflect on the theme of 'reverie' in Shakespeare’s theatre,' said symposium organiser Dr Laurie Johnson.

'In our world, reverie captures the idea of being lost in thought, even daydreaming; but in early times, it was understood as something less fanciful.

'This is a great opportunity to rediscover the origins of reverie in regards to early modern Shakespearean theatre.'

Held at Cobb and Co Museum, the SHAKESPEAREAN REVERIE SYMPOSIUM will run over three days (6-8 October) and include presentations, workshops and a book launch.

'The symposium will also offer workshops for schools teachers, as we seek to open an ongoing dialogue of exploratory practice and critical reflection between Shakespearean scholarship and the people at the coal-face; our school teachers,' added organiser Dr Darryl Chalk.

In the future, Festival organisers plan to increase inter-active learning opportunities and the interface between practice and scholarship by introducing a ‘universities weekend’; inviting university groups from across the country to travel their own arts practice and innovations to Toowoomba to showcase and celebrate the best in Shakespearean exploration across tertiary Australia.

'This innovation properly integrates scholarship and research into the structure and fabric of the Shakespeare Festival, making it an even more unique Australian event,' said Dr Chalk.

Places are still available for some of the sessions and workshops – for further information, visit www.usq.edu.au/shakespeare or contact Laurie Johnson directly on 0402 120 356.

Contact Details:
Michelle Fox, USQ Artsworx, +61 7 4631 1114 or 0439 911 623