A former politician who read the complete works of Shakespeare four times during a six-year prison term will be a headline speaker when The University of Queensland hosts the VIII World Shakespeare Congress in 2006.
UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay, AC, told the Congress launch tonight (Monday, November 21) Professor Anwar Ibrahim had agreed to be one of the many engaging speakers at the six-day event in July 2006.
Professor Ibrahim, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, is now a visiting professor at Georgetown University and visiting fellow at St Anthony’s College, Oxford University.
“Professor Ibrahim will be in distinguished company,” Professor Hay said.
“Other speakers will include Queensland-born author David Malouf, internationally-recognised Australian stage director Gale Edwards, Professor Ania Loomba of the University of Pennsylvania and Professor Michael Neill of the University of Auckland.
“This will be the first time in the 30-year history of the Congress that it has been staged in the Southern Hemisphere.
“This is one of the literary and dramatic world’s most celebrated events, with past venues including Stratford-upon-Avon, Berlin, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Washington DC and Valencia.
“UQ’s success in securing the Congress has caused a surge in interest in Shakespeare’s works.
“The Bard will come to life not only on the streets of our city, but also in schools, libraries and performance spaces throughout Queensland.
“Organisations including the Queensland Government (Department of Education and the Arts), Brisbane City Council, the Brisbane Festival, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, the Museum of Brisbane, the Supreme Court Library, the State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Arts Council are working with UQ and planning Shakespeare-inspired events to complement the Congress.”
At the launch, Minister for Education and the Arts, Rod Welford, released details of Education Queensland’s new program to enliven students’ interest in Shakespeare.
Dame Judi Dench, President of the event’s co-host, the International Shakespeare Association said she was thrilled the VIII World Shakespeare Congress was being held in Brisbane in 2006.
“I personally, am immensely grateful to Shakespeare, who has kept me in work for many years,” Dame Judi said.
“His writings continue to inspire communities in all corners of the world and wonderful artistic and academic work has emanated from Australia and from Australian artists and academics in many different countries.
“I wish the organisers all good fortune in the lead up to July 16, 2006."
Professor Richard Fotheringham, UQ’s Executive Dean of Arts and the Congress convenor, said in As You Like It (an early Shakespearean play), Benedick was so eager to escape the attentions of Beatrice that he "… will go on the slightest errand now to the Antipodes that you can devise to send me on".
“Our 2006 bonanza of Bardolatry will be the perfect excuse for lovers of Shakespeare, drama and theatre to visit the Antipodes,” Professor Fotheringham said.
“As well as priceless cultural benefits, the Congress is expected to attract more than 1000 international and Australian delegates, who will generate $2.7 million for the Brisbane economy alone.
He said the World Shakespeare Congress would be the core of World Shakespeare 2006, which would encompass a broad range of educational, exhibition, performance and community activities.
He said it would coincide with the Brisbane Festival, which would feature Shakespearean performances presented by a collaboration of World Shakespeare 2006, Brisbane Festival and QPAC, details of which will be announced next year.
“World Shakespeare 2006 will set Brisbane, Queensland and Australia on the world stage as internationally significant, vibrant and culturally sophisticated,” Professor Fotheringham said.
Actor Paul Bishop, who portrays Sgt Ben Stewart in the television drama Blue Heelers, was the master of ceremonies for the launch and said having the 2006 World Shakespeare Congress and affiliated workshops, events and performances in “Our Brisbane” was tremendous.
“I hope all who are touched by the Congress are inspired by what they experience, and I hope his reach into the community is as wide and meaningful as Shakespeare himself would have ensured,” Mr Bishop said.
The World Shakespeare Congress will be held at Brisbane City Hall from July 16 to 21, 2006.
The theme is Shakespeare’s World/World Shakespeares, focusing on the ways in which the Bard’s stories emerged from Elizabethan England and, 400 years later, have been reinterpreted in many different countries, languages and cultures world-wide.
For more information on the VIII World Shakespeare Congress go to www.shakespeare2006.net
Media inquiries: Melissa Western, Senior Program Manager, VIII World Shakespeare Congress (+61 7 3365 1125, melissa.western@uq.edu.au) or Fiona Kennedy at UQ Communications (+61 7 3365 1088 or 0413 380 012).
