This talk explores the work of Edward de Vere as a lyricist and lyric poet, and its relationship to his role as a patron of music composers. Did he also write music? Cheryl explores his education, training, travels, sources, servants, and colleagues, in the search to understand the 17th Earl of Oxford’s musical ability and legacy.
In addition to the extant lyric poetry, she looks at the songs embedded in the plays, and the musical properties of the Sonnets and long poem as clues to the author’s talent as a writer and musician. Michael Delahoyde’s work on de Vere’s madrigals, Alexander Waugh’s research into the music inherent in his poems, and Sally Mosher’s exploration of the Oxford’s relationship with composer William Bird will provide a foundation for further inquiry. Additional sources for evidence about the music and lyrics written by Oxford and his contemporaries include works by Steven May and Katherine Eggar. Was Edward de Vere not just the great innovator who changed Elizabethan theater, but also, by default, the inventor of the modern musical?
Bio: Cheryl Eagan-Donovan, M.F.A., is a writer, director, and producer whose documentary, Nothing Is Truer than Truth, premiered on Hulu in 2019, is now available on Amazon Prime in the U.S. and Canada, and has been released in Europe and the rest of the world as Shakespeare: The Man Behind the Name. The 2019 Oxfordian of the Year, Cheryl has served on the Boards of Directors of Women in Film and Video New England, The Next Door Theater, and the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship.
Her debut documentary, All Kindsa Girls, screened at festivals and art house theaters in London, Toronto and throughout the U.S. She is a frequent lecturer at conferences, has published articles about screenwriting and film in journals and magazines, has appeared on several podcast series, and serves as a manuscript consultant for screenwriters and producers. She is currently working on a book for screenwriters, Shakespeare Auteur: Creating Authentic Characters for the Screen.
Cheryl has also interviewed filmmakers from around the world for online film festivals, awards programs, at conferences, and for magazine features. She teaches writing, film, and literature at Lesley University, Northeastern University, and Grub Street Center for Creative Writing in Boston. She also provides script consultations for screenwriters and producers, and has been a judge for several screenwriting contests and fellowships.
Recently she received a research grant award to travel to London and study manuscript circulation for her next film project. She moderated a panel on screenwriting at the Association of Writers and Writing Professionals (AWP) 2019 conference, was a mentor for the South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival and spoke at The National Press Club in 2020, and co-hosted the international online SOF Shakespeare Symposium in 2021.
Learn more at shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/
15 янв 2024
