Exploring the evidence that the works of Shakespeare were written by Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

SOF Hartford Conference: Inside Scoop

By Don Rubin

Hartford Conference Coordinator

As most people know, the SOF’s next conference is to be held October 17-20, 2019 at the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. For those still trying to decide if they are coming, here are a few words about the events being planned to help you make up your mind. Information on registration and lodging is on the SOF website at: https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/2019-sof-conference/. If you are already registered, here’s a look at what you’ll be finding there.

Some Background:

In the 19th century, Hartford was the largest and most important city between New York and Boston. At just under 200,000 people, the city was the center of the American insurance industry and the home to two of America’s greatest writers—Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Mark Twain, author of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn—and the stage star William Gillette. Indeed, they all lived literally within a stone’s throw of one another. Hartford today, like many American cities, has had its downtown core hollowed out with many of its still affluent citizens moving to the suburbs, leaving the center of this proud and beautiful city rather quiet in the evenings. But far from silent. Hartford still has its share of theatres, museums and restaurants.

The Venue. The Tours and The Sessions:

Is Shakespeare Dead? by Mark Twain
Is Shakespeare Dead? by Mark Twain

Our conference venue is, of course, the splendid and world-famous Mark Twain House and Museum. All official sessions will be held in the Museum’s impressive 175-seat theater with coffee breaks, lunches and receptions scheduled for the lobby area just outside the auditorium. Located between an exhibition room of Twain memorabilia and a small screening room showing Ken Burns’ evocative 23-minute documentary about Twain’s life (it is shown on a loop so people can drop in anytime to catch it), there is also a well-stocked Twain bookstore on the same level. And yes, it does carry the Oxford Press edition of Twain’s Is Shakespeare Dead?

On the second floor of the modern museum building is another smaller exhibition room as well as a café selling sandwiches, sweets and drinks.

The Twain House itself—across the lawn from the museum—is a 19th century architectural masterpiece designed and built for Twain and his family. Dubbed by National Geographic as America’s answer to Downton Abbey, the house was the family home from 1874 to 1891, a period in which he wrote some of his most important works including the aforementioned Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.

The Museum itself offers 45-minute guided tours of the home throughout the day (limited to groups of about 15 people) which normally cost $20 per person. Private guided tours of the House are scheduled within the program for all conference attendees between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 19. For conference attendees, the tour is included in their registration package at no additional cost.

For those waiting to take their tour (and for those returning from the tour), the conference will offer a reception in the lobby area from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. It will include a baked potato station (with all the toppings), a dessert table, coffee, tea and a cash bar.

Why schedule the tours at that particular time?

Keir Cutler in “Is Shakespeare Dead?”

Because following the tour/reception, will be one of the conference’s highlights—a live performance of Keir Cutler’s highly-acclaimed one-man show, Is Shakespeare Dead? Tickets to the show are also included in the conference package with additional tickets available for $20. Any remaining tickets will be sold to the public by the Twain House as part of the SOF’s outreach efforts. The show will be followed by a short question and answer session with Keir.

Official conference sessions—with exact details and paper titles still to be finalized—will be held from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 17th, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

As usual, an official opening reception will take place after the Thursday papers from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. with finger food and drinks offered. For the record, a sandwich lunch is included in the SOF Friday schedule with a buffet lunch offered on Saturday. Sunday’s closing banquet—also included in the package—will include a full hot and cold buffet along with a cash bar.  Complimentary coffee breaks (coffee, tea, cold drinks) are scheduled during each morning and afternoon session.

The Hotel:

We’ve chosen the Hilton Homewood Suites Hotel as our home in Hartford because it is one of the closest hotels in the city to the Twain House and because of the great rate offered to us of $149 a night (single or double). Rates at this venue are normally as high as $400 a night. Each of their rooms is indeed a suite and includes free wi-fi and a hot breakfast daily. It is probably also worth joining Hilton Honors (no charge) to collect points and to get free bottles of water during your stay. As of this moment, a limited number of rooms are still available at the hotel. Book as soon as possible though at the following website:

http://group.homewood-suites.com/ShakespeareOxfordFellowship

If you can’t get a room at Homewood Suites, the nearby Capitol Hotel, one block away at 440 Asylum Street is offering a limited number of rooms for the same $149 price for the four nights of October 16-19. To book, call the hotel at (959) 888-3000. Tell them you would like to book for the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship conference at the “group rate” and give them the specific dates. If any question, tell them that the rate was arranged by the hotel manager, Cheryl Leblanc. You can also e-mail them with the same request at GM.CT163@choicehotels.com. If you have any problems booking a room for the conference, contact Don Rubin at drubin@yorku.ca.

For those coming to Hartford on Wednesday night or earlier, the hotel offers its own free wine and cheese reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. during the week. Homewood Suites also offers outdoor parking behind its building for $16 a night. If the lot is filled up at any point (it is usually fairly empty after 5), keys can be left with the attendant and they will take care of your car until a vacant space opens up.  If you are driving to the Twain House, parking there is free.

Wood carving, Trinity Chapel

Because the Twain House and Museum is located about a mile from Hartford’s downtown, we have arranged shuttle buses for those without cars from the hotel to the Twain House and back starting 45 minutes before the beginning of each day’s program. The shuttle will slow down at various points during the day and will pick up in frequency again near the end of each morning or afternoon session. The ride from the hotel is less than five minutes and the shuttle bus service is also included in the conference fee.

For anyone wishing to get back to the hotel at other times, Hilton Homewood Suites has its own ten-person van which will also be available to us free throughout the conference. Taxis and even Uber are also available for between $6 and $10 a ride (less if shared).

For those who want to discover Hartford, the hotel itself is within easy walking distance of the impressive Connecticut State House which is surrounded by a park. The beautiful Trinity College campus is a ten-minute drive away. The unusual wood carvings in the Trinity Chapel are worth a visit.

Restaurants and More:

There are some excellent restaurants around the hotel, ranging from a Cajun jazz house right next to the hotel to a higher-end steak and seafood house called Max Downtown and a fine Spanish tapas restaurant called Porro within two streets. There’s also a Starbucks nearby. A full list of local restaurants and sites will be included in each conference kit.

We are also currently looking into the possibility of putting together a visit to the Harriet Beecher Stowe House—well worth the time—just across from the Twain.

In the Summer Newsletter, the program committee will be announcing a preliminary list of speakers and paper titles. First call for conference papers is June 1. Final call is August 1. You may submit your proposal to Earl Showerman at earlees@charter.net.

Booking forms for the conference itself can be found on the SOF website at: https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/2019-sof-conference/.Discounted prices are offered to SOF members there, along with an additional discount if you book by September 1st.

See you in Hartford.

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