News & Events

Meeting of the DVS

The next Society meeting will be at the Chichester Minerva Theatre on Saturday 8 September from 12.00. Members and their gusts are invited to book their own tickets for the matinee performance of I am Shakespeare by Mark Rylance (view details) which commences at 1415. For details, click the News & Events link, left, which carries a direct link to the Minerva Theatre's website where you can book online.

Members can meet in the delightful Chic Lounge and enjoy a two-course meal for £15.50. members and guests can order their own lunch and pay for it on the day. Please inform the Hon Treasurer (by Thursday 6 Sept) of your intention to attend so that arrangements can be made with the Theatre for tables. Do not send money to the DVS for this occasion.

Kevin Gilvary
Hon Treasurer DVS
6 Rosedale
Titchfield
Fareham
PO14 4EL

Declaration of Reasonable Doubt Signing event
To coincide with both the DVS meeting and the performance of Mark's new play, there will also be the first public signing in England of the "Declaration of Reasonanble Doubt" under the auspices of the Shakespeare Authorship Coailition (SAC) whose chairman, John Shahan, has supplied the following update:

The next event offering an opportunity to attract major media attention is the "Doubters' Day" signing ceremony in Chichester on September 8, following the matinee performance of Mark Rylance's new play on the authorship issue, "The BIG Secret Live -- I am Shakespeare -- Webcam Daytime Chat-room Show," at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Plans for this event are on schedule. Sir Derek Jacobi is expecting to be there. Hopefully the combination of a high-profile play on the authorship issue, plus the first Declaration signing event in the U.K, will gain us attention.

Given the absence of new catalysts, the addition of 101 signatories, for a total of 233 in the three months since the Declaration was launched, is a respectable showing. More important than the total number is the quality of our signatories. The proportion of college and university faculty members is well over 25%, while the proportion with advanced degrees is holding near 50%. Many others have impressive accomplishments. Certainly the quality is such that those who hold negative stereotypes of authorship doubters must be experiencing great cognitive dissonance.

Perhaps most significant is the fact that no one from any authorship persuasion has had anything but good things to say about the Declaration. No fact has been challenged, and many people have remarked on its quality. Some orthodox scholars have read it, and are taking it seriously. So despite the lack of media coverage to date, and despite the fact that many high profile doubters have yet to come forward and sign on to it, opinion leaders are likely to feel more comfortable with it over time when they see that it is capable to withstanding the scrutiny of the orthodox.

Meanwhile, I encourage all of you to continue to use the Declaration to convince potential converts that the authorship issue really is legitimate. The most helpful thing you can do is help recruit additional signatories, followed by adding links to our website to increase our Internet visibility. The signing deadline for the next update is October 14. I look forward to seeing some of you in Chichester for Doubters' Day on September 8.

Thanks!

Sincerely,

John Shahan
SAC Chairman