| Date: 12 February 2020 Topic: A Touch of Love from Shakespeare Speaker: Stuart Varnam-Atkin Venue: Tokyo American Club Time: 11:30 Social Gathering 11:50 Luncheon Fee: ¥5,000 members ¥6,000 guests RSVP by noon on Thursday, 6 February 2020 |
<Reservation>
CWAJ Members: If you are a member of CWAJ, please go to the reservation site.
Non-members: If you are not a member of CWAJ, please contact at “membership@cwaj.org.”
—————————————————————————————
Please join us for this wonderful opportunity to enjoy a presentation from a true Shakespearean expert who is also a media personality and a truly engaging speaker. Given his love of Shakespeare I am sure we will be fascinated by his knowledge and be entertained by his exploration of just some of what Shakespeare said about love, a perfect presentation for our February Luncheon which is only 2 days before St Valentine’s Day! Stuart wrote “In any book of quotations, you will probably find more on the subject of love written by William Shakespeare than any other writer. In his plays, long poems and sonnets, he covered just about all aspects of love, producing unforgettable passages filled with wisdom, wit, passion, frivolity, bawdiness, sarcasm, and sometimes desperation and despair. Many of them involve much ado about infamous couples: Juliet and Romeo, Cleopatra and Antony, Rosalind and Orlando, Katherine and Petruchio, Beatrice & Benedick, Thisbe and Pyramus – all, of course, originally played by men. In preparation for St. Valentine’s Day, Stuart Varnam-Atkin will be presenting some fine examples, and perhaps requesting a little postprandial participation!”
Speaker profile:
Stuart was born in Birmingham, UK, just down the road from Stratford-upon-Avon. His parents often took him to the Royal Shakespeare Company to see the likes of Judy Dench, Helen Mirren and Ian Holm in action, and he has been a Shakespeare aficionado ever since, acting, reciting and lecturing on the Bard, as well as writing prose versions of the plays. He graduated from Oxford University and first came to Japan in the 1970s. Ever since, he has worn a variety of work hats in the world of words, including radio and TV presenter (such as NHK’s Trad Japan, Hoso Daigaku’s Walking with Writers), sumo commentator, Discover BUNRAKU navigator (The National Theatre), and narrator for the Foreign Ministry’s Japan Video Topics and countless TV documentaries. He has also written many books on Japanese culture, and co-translated manga, including Chihayafuru and The Tale of Genji. He was a founding member of the Albion-za and Za Gaijin theatre groups, has acted in various TV dramas, and worked as a voice coach for Japanese actors. His loves include sashimi, Ukiyo-e prints, kokeshi, and analog cameras.
Our usual Q&A session will complete this Touch of Love with Shakespeare.
2019 Luncheon Program Coordinators
Ursula E Bartlett
Misa Yamada
(Yukari Kusafuka)
2020 Incoming Luncheon Program Coordinators
Ritsuko Fukawa
Ingrid Toyoda
– Menu –
| Starter |
| ~ Manhattan Clam Chowder |
| Main |
| ~ Braised Beef Daube with Vegetables ~ Vegetarian Option: Grilled Vegetable Brochette with Saffron Risotto |
| Dessert |
| ~ Chocolate Cream Pie |
