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Cary student performs at the 35th Annual National Shakespeare Competition in New York City

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Morgan Swales performing at Lincoln Center in New York City

April 26, 2018 — New York City: April 23 may have been a normal Monday for most high school students, but for Morgan Swales from Apex High School it will be a day to remember forever. Morgan, student of Laura Levine, placed as a semifinalist at the 35th Annual National Shakespeare Competition on William Shakespeare's birthday while competing against 55 students from around the US on stage at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater in Lincoln Center as the culmination of a year-long competition hosted by the English-Speaking Union (ESU).

Prior to arriving in New York City for the competition, Morgan wrote:
Shakespeare has a lasting impact on the arts. So many popular titles are based off his work. It's amazing to think how one artist can change so much. It feels surreal to be representing and performing famous work at a national competition. I'm honored to be attending. I am most excited about the hustle and bustle of the city, the food and to see other students' performances.

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Region IV Annual Meeting

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Alice Irby, Ralph and Francine Roberson at Carolina Country Club

Research Triangle Branch was pleased to host the ESU Region IV 2017 Annual Meeting in Raleigh, March 24-26. We met old friends and made new ones from the various branches in Virginia and North Carolina, and heard presentations by Christopher Broadwell, ESU Executive Director, and Dr. Julia C. Van de Water, Regional Chair.
Weekend events included: Welcome Dinner Friday night at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course Clubhouse on the Centennial Campus; Annual Meeting and Lunch Saturday morning at the Hampton Inn Crabtree; Gala Dinner Saturday evening at the Carolina Country Club featuring the always-entertaining Dr. Elliott Engel speaking on Winston Churchill; Farewell Brunch Sunday morning at the North Carolina State University Club.

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John White and the First Pictures of the New World

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Jenny Skinner presenting talk on artist John White

On February 5, 2017, at a well-attended brunch at the NCSU University Club in Raleigh, Jenny Skinner presented an entertaining and informative lecture on the travels and work of John White, an accomplished artist and governor of the Roanoke Island settlement that became the Lost Colony in North Carolina. His watercolors were the first pictures of the New World.

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Fellowship and BBQ at Milburnie Fishing Club

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On November 13 at the Milburnie Fishing Club in Raleigh, members and guests enjoyed a scrumptious buffet of barbeque, oyster casserole, roast chicken, hush puppies, and loads of sides. The Milburnie Fishing Club sits on land granted around 1730 by King George to the Hinton family. The club was founded in 1913, when A. H. Byrum, E. P. Maynard, R. P. Dickson, T. C. Powell, and J. P. Timberlake each contributed $500 to buy the 65 acres neighboring Midway Plantation from Charles Lewis Hinton. It remains today the rustic retreat of Raleigh's old guard.

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Following the Scotts: A History and Mystery Exhibition and Presentation by Perry Hurt, NC Museum of Ar

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On September 25, participants enjoyed a delightful English tea, a lecture, and a special tour of the early British Renaissance portraits exhibit at the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh.

As Perry Hurt, Associate Paintings Conservator, explained, seven of the NCMA's portraits descend from the Scott family of Kent, UK, and include the probable portrait of Sir John Scott (1564-1616), family patriarch, Knight, Member of Parliament and a very well-connected man of his day. After nearly six years of study they know much more about Scott, his extended family, the paintings, and their place in history along with Elizabeth I, James I, the Spanish Armada, colonization of North America, and more. September 25 marks the 400th anniversary of Sir John Scott's death, an appropriate day to remember an interesting man who lived in interesting times.

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First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare

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Shakespeare's First Folio, 1623

On Friday, May 6, 2016, the ESU Research Triangle Branch hosted a gala exhibit preview and private cocktail reception at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. The evening was a grand celebration of the opening of the exhibit of a 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare's plays, on national tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. The First Folio contains 36 of Shakespeare's plays—18 of which had never been published previously—and as such is one of the most influential books in history. Without the First Folio, "Macbeth," "Julius Caesar," "Twelfth Night," "The Tempest," and "As You Like It" would have been lost to history.

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Shakespeare at Governors' Club

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An Evening Devoted to Shakespeare
Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Invited by the Governor's Club Arts society, Branch president Francine Netter Roberson introduced the ESU and its mission, and the exciting visit of Shakespeare's First Folio coming in May 2016 to the North Carolina Museum of History. Michelle McGoogan, Branch winner, 2015 National Shakespeare Competition, won over the audience with a recitation of her competition performance. Dr. Mary Floyd-Wilson, Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Term Professor, UNC College of Arts & Sciences provided a comparative analysis across a number of plays and speeches.

Photo:
Francine Netter Roberson, Branch President; Michelle McGoogan, 2015 Shakespeare Competition winner; Dr. Mary Floyd-Wilson, Prof. of English at UNC; Koko Marie Thornton, Theater teacher Enloe HS; Matt Arnold, Arts Society host at Governors' Club

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Welcome Message from the Research Triangle Branch President

Welcome Message

Dear Members and Friends:

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Research Triangle Branch of the English Speaking Union, I am pleased to welcome you to another wonderful season of fellowship, fun and learning. The Board has a full and exciting schedule planned for the coming months, and we invite you to join or renew your membership for another year. Your membership dues and donations are tax deductible and go toward support of our programs, and allow us to provide support for area high-school students participation in the popular Shakespeare Competition. Take a look at our News and Events page for the schedule of activities planned for the coming year.

Kindest regards,
Betsy K. Moye
President
Research Triangle Branch ESUUS

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