ENGLISH-SPEAKING UNION - Washington DC Area Branch

February & March Attractions

Joan Holmer Asks 'What is Love?' in Shakespeare

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, at 12:00 noon

COSMOS CLUB, 2121 Massachusetts Avenue NW

Luncheon and Program $35

In Twelfth Night the jester Feste asks "What is love?" For Shakespeare, references to this emotion are frequently romantic, sometimes tragic, often bawdy. His contemporary Francis Meres praised the poet for dramatizing "the perplexities of love." Indeed, he led all others in representing the varieties of affection on the early-modern stage. Neither of Shakespeare's most important dramatic rivals, Christorpher Marlowe and Ben Jonson, tended to make love a central focus in their plays. But eros in its many forms pervades nearly all of the Bard's works, often in surprising ways. At this month's Shakespeare luncheon Joan Holmer, a retired Georgetown professor, will talk about the playwright's treatment of this all-important theme in Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice. Business attire (e.g., jackets and ties for gentlemen) will be required for attendees at this stimulating event. For details and for reservations, contact Mark Olshaker by e-mail (esuwdc@verizon.net) or by phone (202-234-4602).

ESU Washington's Shakespeare Competition

MONDAY, MARCH 8, from 9:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

LANSBURGH THEATRE, 450 7th Street NW

No Admission Charge, but Reservations are Required

We're delighted to invite you and your friends and loved ones to ESU Washington's 21st annual Shakespeare Competition for the National Capital Region. This gathering is part of a national contest that culminates near Shakespeare's Birthday at Lincoln Center, and it provides a chance for students in grades 9-12 from public, private, and parochial schools in the metropolitan area to recite sonnets and perform brief dramatic monologues by the playwright who has been described as our most reliable guide to the mileposts of life. Once again we're privileged to be co-sponsoring this event with the world-renowned Shakespeare Theatre Company, and we're honored to mention that support for the endeavor comes in part through a generous 2009 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. For details and reservations, contact Mark Olshaker by e-mail (esuwdc@verizon.net) or by phone (202-234-4602).

Tips from WETA's 'Around Town' Critics

THURSDAY, MARCH 11, at 12:00 noon

WOMAN'S NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CLUB, 1526 New Hampshire Avenue NW

Luncheon and Program $30

As part of ESU Washington's revived and re-energized relationship with the Woman's National Democratic Club, we're pleased to join the Shakespeare Guild as a co-sponsor of one of WETA's most popular services, its indispensable "Around Town" feature. Hosted by Robert Aubry Davis, who has long been a favorite on both radio and television for the station and who is now an international presence on Sirius XM satellite radio, this gathering will also feature Paul Bachmann, Joe Barber, Bill Dunlop, Janis Goodman, Trey Graham, and Jane Horwitz. They're all popular critics, with regular followings not only on TV26 but in such media outlets as National Public Radio, the Washington Post, and Washington City Paper. As in the past, they'll showcase current offerngs in film, music, theatre, and art. To reserve, call the WNDC office at (202) 232-7363. For additional information, please contact Mark Olshaker either by e-mail (esuwdc@verizon.net) or by phone (202-234-4602).

ESU WASHINGTON and the Media

BBC Radio 4's "Any Questions?"

On December 7, 2001, the British Broadcasting Corproation came to the Jack Morton Auditorium at George Washington University for the first U.S. presentation of one of its most venerable offerings. In collaboration with GWU and BBC America, ESU Washington helped arrange this event, and for several months those who logged onto www.bbc.co.uk could download either the audio recording or a transcript of a special edition of Any Questions? Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but focusing primarily upon the U.S. response to more recent acts of aggression (Al Qaeda's September 11 assaults upon the World Trade Center and the Pentagon), host Jonathan Dimbleby presided over a discussion that included reflections by historian Amanda Foreman (author of a biography of the Duchess of Devonshire that has now been made into a major motion picture), by writer Ted Halstead of the New American Foundation, by journalist Williaml Kristol of The Weekly Standard, and by bureau chief Hafez al Mirazi of Arab television channel Al Jazeera.

We're pleased to note that on Friday, January 16, 2009, Jonathan Dimbleby and his colleagues returned to America's capital for another edition of an attraction that is now in its seventh decade. Mr. Dimbleby is one of Britain's most revered journalists, and among his numerous distinctions are several influential books, among them The Palestinians, The Prince of Wales, The Last Governor, and Russia: A Journey to the Heart of a Land and its People. Once again the BBC assembled an eminent panel, with contributions by Renee Amoore, Deputy Chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania and a candidate for the co-chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, journalist Christopher Hitchens, author of numerous books and a regular contributor to Vanity Fair magazine, Thomas E. Mann, a widely published political analyst at the Brookings Institution, and Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, and now a lecturer at George Washington University and other institutions.

As in 2001, Mr. Dimbleby invited questions from an audience of approximately 200 attendees, all of whom were there as guests of the sponsoring organizations, and topics included such issues as (a) whether a country that had twice installed a leader widely reviled in Europe could be forgiven now that it was inaugurating Barack Obama as its 44th President, (b) whether America's new chief executive should expect any power plays from Hillary Clinton, the defeated candidate he'd nominated to serve as his