Upcoming Events and Opportunities

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

Shakespeare and the Queen’s Men: an Update

Since our successful tour last fall 2006 with the Hamilton and Toronto performances of Famous Victories of Henry V (edited by Karen Marsalek, St Olaf’s College), Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (edited by Christopher Hicklin, University of Toronto), and King Leir (edited by Andrew Griffin, McMaster University), we have moved ahead in several areas.

Our first priority is to finalize the editions of the each of the three plays, in old spelling and in modern spelling with annotations and introductions, so that the plays can be put on line: The Queen’s Men Editions, under the general editorship of Helen Ostovich (McMaster), will be part of the electronic site, Internet Shakespeare Editions, under the executive editorship of Michael Best (University of Victoria, British Columbia). We have been assigned a separate space on the ISE electronic platform, and details of access and logos are now been sorted out. We hope to have the first three plays up by the end of the summer. This is a free site, open to worldwide use. Once this task is accomplished, we hope to continue with the six other identified plays of the Queen’s Men.

Our next task is to have production notes prepared by our director Peter Cockett (McMaster) added into the commentaries of the plays online. We will also be adding illustrations from our productions – still photos and (pending negotiation) film clips. Peter Cockett will also be working with Holger Syme (University of Toronto at Mississauga), our executive producer of the video releases of the plays in production, Helen Ostovich, and Geoffrey Rockwell (McMaster), our multimedia advisor, to generate our DVD archival copies of the productions of Fall 2006 from our best filmed footage. Copies of these archival DVDs will be distributed to libraries or research units without charge.

We have also selected scenes and created commentary for a DVD on the pedagogical and research values of last fall’s work. That DVD is primarily intended for use by graduate students and instructors as a teaching tool for classroom or library use. For undergraduate students, we are also preparing a streaming website as a simpler and more easily accessible and searchable resource. This past summer, we acquired the services of a professional DVD technician who will work with Geoffrey Rockwell and Holger Syme on the pedagogical DVD. Peter Cockett, Geoffrey Rockwell, and Helen Ostovich have also successfully applied for a grant from the Centre for Lifelong Learning (McMaster) to pay a graduating 4th-year student (Honours English and Multimedia at McMaster) to create the website, working closely with our contracted professional. That website is almost ready for testing.

At the same time, Holger Syme and Helen Ostovich, assisted by Andrew Griffin, have prepared a collection of essays on the Queen’s Men: Locating the Queen’s Men: Material Practices and Conditions of Playing, 1583-1603. This volume is currently with a publisher and we hope it to be available by the end of 2008.

Finally, another play in the “Shakespeare and the Queen’s Men” list, The True Tragedy of Richard III, has been edited by Jennifer Roberts-Smith (University of Waterloo), for a workshop in June 2006 and a full production in fall 2007. That play will, of course, be the next text mounted on The Queen’s Men Editions by the summer of 2008, possibly with film footage or archival DVD, if funding becomes available. We certainly would welcome further donations from early theatre supporters for that purpose.

Heaven Touching Earth
Heaven Touching Earth: A Production of 'The Parliament of Heaven' and 'The Annunciation' from N-Town. Presented by the Centre for Performance Studies in Early Drama (PLS) and Sine Nomine, Ensemble for Medieval Music. Directed by Andrea Budgey and Janet Ritch. Friday/Saturday, December 21-22.

Baroque Dance Classes and Audition
at the Winter Weekend Workshop
sponsored by
Amherst Early Music and Fine Arts Department of Rutgers University of Camden

In historic Philadelphia
Friday, January 18 to Monday, January 21, 2008

Classes taught by Kaspar D. Mainz (Germany) and Dorothy Olsson

Baroque Dance Technique. 9:00-10:30 (Sat., Sun., Mon.) Mainz, Olsson
A gentle warm-up followed by a focus on basic steps and step combinations for the bourée, chaconne, passacaglia, menuet and other dance types; some attention will also be given to arm movements. Two levels.

Chaconne and Passacaglia. 11:00-12:30 (Sat., Sun., Mon.) Mainz, Olsson
Phrases from notated chaconnes and passacaglias will be taught from original notation. An introduction/review of Beauchamp-Feuillet notation will also be offered. Two levels.

La Matelotte and other French Contredanses. 1:45-3:15 (Sat., Sun.) Mainz
The popular English country dance was enthusiastically embraced yet modified for the French court. Learn La Matelotte (“Female Saylor”) and other contredanses in the French style.

Baroque Deportment and Gesture. 3:30-5:00 (Sat., Sun.) Olsson
An introduction to 18th century deportment (how to stand, walk, etc.), stage posture and gestures (for hands, arms, feet and face) based on period sources. For singers and dancers.

Scholarship Audition for accomplished dancer. There will be an optional audition for those wishing to apply for a scholarship for the Historical Dance Program at the Amherst Early Music Festival, July 2008. See www.newyorkhistoricaldance.com for more information.

Classes are held at Rutgers University, Camden, NJ. Other events at the workshop include a Faculty Concert, Historic Walking Tour, instrumental and vocal ensemble classes, notation and more!

Gala Faculty Concert, Sunday, January 20 at 8 p.m.
St. Peter’s Church at 3rd and Pine Street. Free to workshop participants; non-participants pay at the door ($15/$10 students and seniors).

No prior experience is necessary for these dance classes; bring comfortable shoes (dance sneakers recommended).

Tuition: $190 for all 10 dance classes (including lunch), or $25 per individual class. Work-study tuition available for full-time students, please inquire.

For registration and more information: www.amherstearlymusic.org, or email: info@amherstearlymusic.org

Amherst Early Music, Inc.
47 Prentiss St.
Watertown, MA 02472
617-744-1324
fax: 617-744-1327
www.amherstearlymusic.org

Department of Music and Musicology - Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV)
Professional Master’s Degree Programme: The Performance Practice of Medieval Music
A professional master's degree programme in The Performance Practice of Medieval Music was created in 2005 at the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV).

It is designed to respond to the needs of advanced-level musicians (mainly singers) who wish to complete their training with theoretical and practical instruction given within a university context. The programme's implantation at the Sorbonne is justified not only by the presence of a team of instructors recognized for their professional excellence both as scholars and performers, but also by the possibility of collaboration with other academic departments teaching related disciplines, specialized schools nearby (ƒcole Nationale des Chartes, ƒcole Pratique des Hautes ƒtudes), and the Musée National du Moyen åge.

For further information lease visit http://www.paris4.sorbonne.fr/fr/article.php3?id_article=2965.
The application for the entrance exam must be submitted before 30 April 2007 (or before 10 September 2007 for the second admission session, assuming that places are still available).

For questions relating to the course, please contact: kataliv@mac.com and/or bagbysequentia@aol.com
For administrative questions (transfers of credit, equivalency) please contact: Frederic.Billiet@paris4.sorbonne.fr