Frequently Asked Questions

Can I attend if I do not register? If there is space available, you may come the day of the event without prior registration. Registration is recommended. Space is limited and prior registration guarantees you a space. Registration on the day of the event will be on a first-come, first-served basis depending on space availability. Please watch this Website. We will post the number of spaces available the last two weeks prior Festival Conference. In the event that we fill to capacity, and cannot accommodate walk-ins on the day of the event, we will place an announcement on the Welcome page.

Can I come to just one presentation? Yes, you may attend any or all sessions during the weekend. Please see our Admission and Registration page for details. It is still a good idea to register to ensure a space.

Is there public transportation? Yes. The MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line stops in Concord. The Concord Free Public Library and the Masonic Temple are an easy 10 to 15 minute walk from the station. Please see our Map page and Directions & Parking for walking directions from the station. Please see the MBTA web site for schedule and fares.

Are the venues handicap accessible? Friday evening’s event at the Concord Free Public Library is handicap accessible. There is a wheelchair ramp on the side entrance facing Sudbury Road. Saturday’s and Sunday’s events at the Masonic Temple in Monument Square can be wheelchair accessible with a ramp we will place over two steps entering the building. If you let us know ahead of time when you plan to arrive, we will look for you. Otherwise, when you reach the Masonic Temple, please ask a volunteer who will place the ramp over the steps.

• The restrooms are located on the first floor where our presentations will take place. We regret that the restrooms are not wheelchair accessible. However, there is a Visitor Center near the Masonic Temple that is wheelchair accessible. Their hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. We apologize for this inconvenience. If you need any assistance to get to the Visitor Center, a volunteer will be happy to assist you.
• Stairs: The Masonic Temple is an historic building that does not have an elevator. There is a lower-level dining area where coffee, tea, and Sunday lunch will be served. Anyone who cannot take the stairs may exit the front door of the Mason Hall and follow the driveway to the rear entrance of the building. The rear door enters the lower-level dining area. We will have a volunteer available for anyone who may need assistance.
• Handicap accessible parking: The Masonic Temple does not have parking. Municipal free parking is available very near the Temple in Concord Center. However, if you require a parking space close to the building, please contact us for information. For details of all parking, please see our Directions & Parking page.

What ages are appropriate for this Festival Conference? Many of the presentations will consist of a talk for 40 minutes and some will have actors performing one or more scenes from the play to illustrate the speaker’s points. Then there will be a discussion. The talks will be college-level. High school students interested in Shakespeare will be able to enjoy the presentations. Use your judgment for younger children.

There are a few presentations that will be more performance oriented, but most others will require being able to sit quietly during a college-level talk followed by a discussion. Each of these presentations will be one to one and one half hours long. Please see the Program page for details of presentations.

Do I need to be familiar with the Shakespeare plays that are being discussed at the Festival Conference? No, you are not required to come with any prior knowledge. There will be people of many different knowledge levels at this event. All are welcome, and we are very pleased to have newcomers attend.

If you would like to familiarize yourself with any of texts that will be discussed, please visit your local library, bookstore, or the Web for the following: William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest, King John, and Macbeth. Rudolf Steiner’s The Gate of Initiation will also be discussed. For more information about Steiner’s work, please visit the Church of the Ancient Mysteries and the Rudolf Steiner Archive.

What is the Authorship question? Controversy has been brewing for many years in Shakespearean circles about the authorship of the plays. There are some who think William Shakespeare of Stratford could not have possibly written these works, and others who think there is no controversy at all. If you would like an overview of the authorship question, we suggest The Shakespeare Controversy by Warren Hope and Kim Holston, Who Wrote Shakespeare? by John F. Michell, and, for an amusing introduction to the authorship question, Chasing Shakespeares by Sarah Smith.

• What is a Stratfordian? A Stratfordian is one who believes that William Shakespeare of Stratford is the author of the Shakespeare canon. This is also known as the “traditional” or “orthodox” perspective. We recommend Shakespeare’s Lives by Samuel Schoenbaum and Ian Watson's Shakespeare: The Evidence for studies of Shakespeare written from the Stratfordian position. To read more about the Stratfordian side of the authorship argument, please see the Shakespeare Authorship Page by David Kathman and Terry Ross, Hardy Cook's "Shaksper" site, or Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet.
• What is an Oxfordian? An “Oxfordian” is one who thinks that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays attributed to William Shakespeare. For more information about Edward de Vere, we suggest "Shakespeare" by Another Name by Mark Anderson, Shakespeare: Who Was He? The Oxford Challenge to the Bard of Avon by Richard Whalen, Alias Shakespeare by Joseph Sobran, Shakespeare Identified by J. Thomas Looney, and The Mysterious William Shakespeare by Charlton Ogburn. Please also see the Shakespeare Fellowship and the Shakespeare Oxford Society Websites.
• Good reading for anyone from any point of view: The Meaning of Shakespeare, Vols. 1 & 2, by Harold C. Goddard.

Is the Festival Conference about the Authorship question? This is a Shakespeare event that will include presentations from both traditional Shakespeare scholarship and Oxfordian viewpoints. There will be about an equal number of presentations that talk about or refer to the authorship question and Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, as presentations that are from the traditional Stratfordian viewpoint. There will also be a few sessions that are “authorship neutral.”

How can I purchase tickets to the Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s production of King John? Please visit the Actors’ Shakespeare Project Web site, or see our King John information page. The ASP is becoming Boston’s premiere Shakespearean acting company. We are grateful that Ben Evett, Founder and Artistic Director of ASP, who will be directing their production of King John, will be speaking on Sunday, June 1, about his interpretation of of this rarely performed Shakespeare play.

What should I know about the Masonic Temple? It is a historic building. It is not air-conditioned. If the weather is warm, please dress accordingly.

Food and beverages, except water, are not permitted in the Masonic Temple’s meeting space. We will be providing coffee and tea during breaks on both Saturday and Sunday in the Temple’s lower-level dining hall. We will be serving sandwiches for lunch on Sunday in the Masonic Temple’s lower-level dining hall. Your admission includes Sunday lunch. Attendees can visit area restaurants on Saturday for lunch and dinner, or pack a picnic. Please see our dining page for a listing of local establishments.