Hutton Honors College

A Rose By [Some] Other Name

Who Wrote the Works of Shakespeare?

Saturday, March 3, 2012
Hutton Honors College, 811 E. Tenth St.
SIGN-UP REQUIRED; tickets: $5

12:30-1:30 pm: A light lunch and preview of Shakespeare authorship controversy in the HHC Great Room
2-4:40 pm: A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Ruth N. Hall Theatre
5-6:15 pm: Supper and discussion in the HHC Great Room

The makers of the recent movie Anonymous are only the latest to suggest that William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon did not in fact write the plays and poems attributed to him. Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud, Charlie Chaplin, and Malcolm X all argued that the evidence we have-and the evidence we lack-point to a different author. Supreme Court Justices John Paul Stevens and Antonin Scalia, who rarely agree on anything, agree that someone else wrote the works carrying Shakespeare's name. The Internet teems with sites debating the true identity of the Bard.

At the heart of the debate are vital issues of evidence: What sort of evidence is needed to answer a question posed? How do we find or acquire it? How do we judge the accuracy of information and the reliability of sources? What assumptions and inferences are valid-or not-when there are gaps in the data?

These issues don't just lie at the heart of the Shakespeare authorship controversy-they lie at the heart of all critical thinking and thoughtful, well-informed decision making. They are as important to someone casting a vote in this year's presidential election as they are to moviemakers and citizens pondering who wrote A Midsummer Night's Dream. So, whether you're a Shakespeare fan, a voter, or just someone who likes a good puzzle and a vigorous debate, join us for A Rose By [Some] Other Name: Who Wrote the Works of Shakespeare?-including a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Contributors: Attorney and SPEA Professor Beth Cate; director Gavin Cameron-Webb; dramaturg Tom Shafer.

SIGN-UP and TICKET INFO: If you are interested in attending this undergraduate event, please check your schedule to make certain you can attend the entire program and then stop by the HHC building (811 E. Seventh Street, on the northwest corner of Seventh and Woodlawn), Room 210H, weekdays between 8 a.m. and noon or 1 and 4 p.m., to sign up and to purchase your ticket(s). You are welcome to sign up friends as well as long as they are IU undergraduates. Ticket(s) may be paid for with cash or a check. (Checks should be made out to the "Hutton Honors College/IU Foundation"). Be sure both you and your guest have your student IDs with you on March 3. This program is co-sponsored by the Hutton Honors College, the Wells Scholars Program, and the IU Department of Theatre and Drama.

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