The annual Newman University Literary Festival and Scholar’s Day is scheduled for April 4-6 and will feature the works of William Shakespeare. Teach the Torches to Burn Bright: Acting and Reacting to Shakespeare Today is hosted by the English Department at Newman University.
Keynote speakers for the event include Dr. David Bevington presenting Rigorous Justice, Mercy and Equity: Three Rival Theories of Law in Shakespear’s Measure for Measure. He will speak April 4, 7 p.m. in the Jabara Flexible Theatre. Dr Bevington is a well-known literary scholar and Professor Emeritus of Humanities, English Language and Literature, and Comparative Literature at the University of Chicago. He has taught there since 1967 and currently serves as the Chair of Theatre and Performance Studies. He has been lauded as “One of the most learned and devoted of Shakespeareans” by his colleagues and specializes in British Renaissance drama. Dr. Bevington plays many roles: he is not only a prolific scholar, author, and editor, but also an award-winning teacher. Most recently he published Shakespeare and Biography, a study of the history of Shakespearean biography, and Murder Most Foul: Hamlet through the Ages.
In addition, Dr. Tiffany Stern, professor of Early Modern Drama at Oxford University, will present Shakespeare on Page and Stage on April 5, 7 p.m. in the Jabara Flexible Theatre. Specializing in Shakespeare and theatre history from the 16th to the 18th century, her work involves the contexts that informed the ways playwrights wrote and actors performed. She is the author of Rehearsal from Shakespeare to Sheridan and Making Shakespeare, a book which focuses on Shakespeare’s London, actors, theatres, props and music. In addition, Dr. Stern is the co-author of Shakespeare in Parts.
Scholar’s Day will be Friday, April 5, as a forum for faculty and students to present research and special projects conducted across various fields of study. Presentations, displays and posters will represent areas of study outside of the traditional literature landscape like math, science and history.
Sponsors for Newman University’s Literary Festival and Scholar’s Day are Eighth Day Books and Scooter’s Coffeehouse. The event is free and open to the public. Additional activities are still being planned. Those interested may watch www.newmanu.edu/literaryfestival for the latest information and details.
Celebrating the work of Shakespeare doesn’t end with the Literary Festival. The Newman University Theatre Department will present the theatre production Measure for Measure on April 11 – 13 at 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. April 14 in the Jabara Flexible Theatre.
