Don Rubin assists anti-Strat counsel
Newly elected SOF board member Don Rubin is assisting attorney Guy Pratte who is legal counsel representing the anti-Stratfordian position in a mock trial to decide whether there is enough evidence to unseat William of Stratford as the author of Shakespeare’s plays. The event titled “Authorship Appeal” will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 4, 2014 in the Festival Theatre, 55 Queen Street, Stratford Ontario. The Stratford Festival of Ontario is sponsoring the event.
“Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, of the Supreme Court of Canada, will convene a special panel of judges to consider whether there is sufficient evidence to refute the claim that Shakespeare was the principal author of the canon,” according to the Festival website. They add that Antoni Cimolino and Colm Feore will make special appearances.
Tickets are free and are available on the Festival website. The event will be live streamed from the Stratford Festival Forum — Live.
Rubin told attendees at the SOF conference in Madison this weekend that to the best of his knowledge, the judge will not render an opinion on the issue, but will hear briefs from both sides and adjourn. Rubin said:
This event will be chaired by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada although no decision will be rendered. The goal is to open the issue to a wider public.
Arguing for the anti-Stratfordian position is Guy Pratte, a well-known attorney who has become interested in the issue and is also a member of the Stratford Board of Governors. His initial goal was to get more lawyers interested in being at Stratford. Last year, he did a trial of the Merchant of Venice trial scene which was positively greeted.
This is his second event for the Festival. He says he is determined to make audience members walk out with their traditional belief in the Stratford man shaken. Perhaps there will be more such events in the future.
I am acting as an informal advisor to Mr. Pratte and have been passing on a range of materials including the Shahan-Waugh Shakespeare Beyond Doubt? book as well as books by Pointon, Price, and Roe among others.
