If you would prefer just to watch the “performance” rather than read, please register for a Viewing Ticket.
There are a total of 27 speaking parts in As You Like It, 11 of which can be considered main characters. The title role, Rosalind has the most lines, (361), so we’ll split the Rosalind role into 2 readers, Acts 1 & 2 and Acts 3, 4 & 5. The other main roles will be Orlando (190), Celia (184), Jacques (168), Duke Senior (107), Oliver (101), Touchstone (97), Phebe (87), Silvius (75), Duke Frederick (63) and Adam (60). The other 16 roles will be split into 8 assemblies of minor roles. So we’ll need 20 readers in total.
Please register asap for a chance to read either a main part or an assembly of minor parts, as we must close registration on Friday, October 23rd, to give ourselves time to get everything set up. Once registration has closed, we’ll have a Zoom meeting to witness the pulling of registrant’s names out of a hat and assigning them to parts. Immediately after the drawing we’ll have a short “coaching” session.
If you’re planning to enter the lottery for a reading ticket, please be prepared to display background scenery** (that we’ll provide for you) behind your image on the Zoom meeting, and to wear some appropriate headgear to add realism to the performance.
We do hope that you’ll support this endeavor.
Recordingis availablenow
If you missed our reading of one of the Bard’s best-loved Comedies you can find a recording HERE. Enjoy!
Following the presentation you’re invited to join a small discussion group with the object of formulating a question that your group leader will be invited to present to our speaker to round out a fascinating evening.
Please register for the Presentation and a small discussion group HERE.
Please join our fellow alumni for an engaging presentation and audience discussion on a topic of vital interest to us all. Todd Buchholz, St. John’s, Cambridge, 1986, Economics, renowned economist, former White House director of economic policy, and best-selling author of The Price of Prosperity will discuss his experience in presidential decision-making and the forces that determine whether the economy climbs higher.
Todd, who also served as managing director of the legendary Tiger hedge fund and was awarded Harvard’s annual teaching prize in economics, is advising some of the hardest-hit companies – from major cruise lines to Broadway theaters – on their coronavirus comeback. His essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.
Todd wrote his first book, New Ideas from Dead Economists, while a graduate student at St. John’s. In January 2021, Random House will release the 4th revised edition.
Please take a moment to register for our third Virtual Team Trivia Challenge Match on Thursday, August 20th at 7.00pm. This will again be a Zoom meeting, open to all OxBridge, Harvard and Yale alumni and friends.
The Quiz will be led by a Harvard/Yale alum, this time. We will endeavor to continue our tradition of including some fiendishly difficult questions along with some rather easier ones.
Prior to the Zoom meeting, registered participants will be sent full details of the running of the quiz, along with the link to sign in to the Zoom meeting. Unless pre-arranged, you will be assigned to a team of approx. 6 participants, with a team name and captain, and after each question is posed your team will be automatically broken out into a private Zoom meeting for 90 seconds to confer, privately, on your answer, before the team captain submits the team answer.
Please support your Alma Mater in their attempt to “carry away” the prestigious Challenge Belt. We do hope that you’ll join us.
REPORT ON VIRTUAL TRIVIA QUIZ
With the novel coronavirus pandemic showing little sign of letting up and large gatherings still being out of the question, we decided to have another, our third, Virtual Team Trivia Quiz, on Thursday, August 20th.
By 7.00 pm almost 70 OxBridge and Harvard/Yale alumni, from as far afield as Boston, NYC Chicago and San Francisco, as well as San Diego, of course, had signed in to a Zoom meeting arranged by our President, John Newsam, (Lincoln College, Oxford) (top in top-left hand panel). As our Trivia Quizzes are team events, and team consultation on the correct answers needs to be private, a few minutes was taken up in setting up break-out groups of, typically, 6-8 players each.
A new Quizmaster, Davis Goodman, (Cambridge and Harvard) explained the rules and asked the first of his frequently searching questions. Answers were submitted by Team Captains via the Zoom Chat feature. The quiz continued for about 2 1/2 hours, with a half-time break, with time to confer on the task of naming the 12 Countries who have hosted the Winter Olympics (2 points for each correct answer and two point deducted for each wrong answer). See HERE for the answer. Only one team, Darwin, got all 12 correct.
After another closely fought contest, one of the Harvard/Yale teams, aptly named Crimson and Blue, emerged victorious, again. We’ll have a return match in the Fall, date to be advised.
If you would prefer just to watch the “performance” rather than read, please register for a Viewing Ticket.
We do hope that you will support this new endeavor.
While we’re not able to attend a live performance of Shakespeare at the Old Globe, we thought that this would be an ideal time to organize an online reading of one/some of the Bard’s plays. We’ll kick off the series with a reading of one of his most famous tragedies, Macbeth. There are a total of 37 speaking parts in Macbeth, 8 of which can be considered main characters. The title role has by far the most lines, so we’ve decided to split the Macbeth role into 3 readers, Acts 1 & 3, Acts 2 & 4 and Act 5. The 7 other main roles will be read throughout by one reader. The other 29 roles will be split into 10 assemblies of characters, spread across the 5 Acts.
Please register asap for a chance to read either a main part or an assembly of minor parts, as we must close registration on Wednesday, July 22nd, to give ourselves time to get everything set up. Once registration has closed, we’ll have a Zoom meeting to witness the pulling of registrant’s names out of a hat and assigning them to parts. If you don’t like the part you’re assigned we’ll put your name back in the hat and pull out the next name, etc. until we’ve filled all of the parts. Parts will be “gender blind” to give more alums an opportunity to read. If you don’t get a role we’ll ensure that you’re first in line for the next reading. Immediately after the drawing, we’re hoping to have a short “coaching” session from a member of the Old Globe staff, to help us prepare for the reading on Friday July 31st.
We’re hoping that readers will be able to find appropriate headgear for their character(s), and that we’ll be able to provide “scenery” for readers to display behind their Zoom images, depending upon the scene we’re up to.
Macbeth Reading Report
Since we’re not able to attend the Old Globe theater this Summer, on Friday evening July 31st, the Oxford and Cambridge Society of San Diego organized a live reading of one of the Bard’s most famous tragedies, Macbeth. Lots had previously been drawn to select readers from a pool of Oxbridge and IvyPlus alumni who had registered to read either a major or a selection of minor roles – Macbeth has more speaking roles than almost any of his plays, with 10 major roles and 28 minor roles! Macbeth has many more lines, 750, than the next most important role, so the title role was split between three different readers. 18 alumni read either a major role or a set of minor roles.
There are 28 different scenes in Macbeth, and scenic backgrounds were provided for readers to display behind them on the Zoom meeting, for the scene that they were appearing in. Readers were also encouraged to wear appropriate headgear and accessories and a number of readers excelled themselves, particularly Lady Macbeth and the three Witches!
A national audience of over 60 alumni and friends tuned in from Boston to Berkeley and tributes poured in for the alumni performances and the entire production, which included Elizabethan music between scenes, sound effects and stage directions to bring the reading alive. A recording of the performance is available on Dropbox – contact Brian Beeston
ALUMNIREVIEWS
It was a ton of fun, please let me know if you have a recording! Favorable would be an understatement for me! It was incredibly lovely and I can’t wait to attend the next one. Stay safe,
Kevin M., Pembroke, Cambridge, 2016
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The readers put on a great performance. I enjoyed it very much. I would like a copy of the performance. Thanks everyone.
Paul F, Christ’s, Cambridge, 1990
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A fantastic event last evening! It brought out so much fun! I also got a chance to re-open my Complete Shakespeare book. I look forward to another play. Thank you all very much!
Anthony Y., Secretary (Oxon), The Oxford and Cambridge Society of San Diego
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It was a ton of fun, please let me know if you have a recording! Favorable would be an understatement for me! It was incredibly lovely and I can’t wait to attend the next one. Stay safe,
Kevin M., Pembroke, Cambridge, 2016
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I really enjoyed the performance. What a fun event! Sincere thanks to all the performers for their hard work in putting their scenes together. The props were really fun! Great job.
Deanna K, Oxford, 2012
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Congratulations to all involved! In particular, I thought that Lady Macbeth was brilliant.
I know that a lot of work goes into a reading like that. My best wishes for your future endeavors in this domain (in which I may volunteer to participate). Patricia L., St. Anne’s, Oxford, 1956
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Much appreciated! Thank you – a lovely evening. Best,
Cathi W., Harvard Graduate School of Design, 2000
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I loved the evening…. All of the readers spoke slowly & clearly. I suggest King Lear for your next reading.
Nancy H., On Cape Cod, MA
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It was a brilliant performance. I enjoyed the evening , especially watching Lady Macbeth.
Thank you to all the performers. Best to all.
Konnie D., St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, San Diego
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Thank you all for an evening of real fun last Friday. Your backgrounds and head costumes were very successfully creative. And a fantastic performance by the talented Lady Macbeth. Thanks so much. Hope you do it again and hope I’m lucky enough to be invited again. Maybe a comedy like Two Gentleman?
Beverley K, Vassar
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We, too, loved the witches! They really went “all out” on the depiction of their characters!
Victoria M., Harvard
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The performance last night was wonderful. I’ve seen a few virtual performances and this was the best as far as actors wearing costumes, some with a set-like background, and performance quality voicing. I only wish the timing on the east coast was earlier as it’s hard to stay awake till 12:30 am.
Please register for our second Virtual Trivia Challenge Match. The Quiz will again be led by Alex Moreno (JD Harvard/LL.M. Cambridge (King’s)), who will endeavor to continue his tradition of including some fiendishly difficult questions along with some rather easier ones.
Prior to the Zoom meeting, registered participants will be sent full details of the running of the quiz, along with the link to sign in to the Zoom meeting. If not pre-arranged, you will be assigned to a team of approx. 6 participants, with a team name and captain, and after each question is posed your team will be automatically broken out into a private Zoom meeting for 70 seconds to confer, privately, on your answer before the team captain submits the team answer.
Report onvirtual trivia quiz–Wed, June 24th
Fig. 1. Screen-shot of 25 of the Quiz Contestants
With the novel coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of letting up and large gatherings being out of the question, we decided to have another, our second, Virtual Team Trivia Quiz, on Wednesday, June 24th.
By 7.00pm almost 60 OxBridge and Harvard/Yale alumni had signed in to a Zoom meeting arranged by our President, John Newsam, (Lincoln College, Oxford) (second top-left in Figure 1.). As our Trivia Quizzes are team events, and team consultation on the correct answers needs to be private, a few minutes was taken up in setting up break-out groups of, typically, 6 players each.
Our long-time Quizmaster, Alex Moreno, (Cambridge and Harvard) (top-left in Figure 1) explained the rules and asked the first of his frequently searching questions. Answers were submitted by Team Captains via the Zoon Chat feature. The quiz continued for about 2 hours, with a half-time break, with time to confer on the task of naming the First ten elements in the Periodic Table (2 points for each correct answer and one point deducted for a wrong answer). See HERE for the answer.
Fig. 2. Typical, difficult question. Only one of the 10 teams got the correct answer, HERE
After a very closely fought contest, the final question was the decider – What was the date of the Brown vs Board of Education Supreme Court Decision. See HERE. One of the Harvard/Yale teams, aptly named Crimson and Blue, emerged victorious, confirming the Harvard/Yale supremacy, for now, with a fourth consecutive win. We’ll have a return match shortly, date to be advised.
The Oxford & Cambridge Society of San Diego 