The study of Shakespeare at the University of Auckland has been enlivened for over a decade thanks to the Dr Alice Griffin Shakespeare Fellowship.
The Fellowship was established and endowed in perpetuity by John Griffin in honour of his mother, Dr Alice Griffin.
Alice was a celebrated authority on Broadway’s ‘Golden Age’, dedicating her life to theatre and literature. She wrote 11 books and was published widely in the likes of Variety and the New York Times.
The Dr Alice Griffin Fellowship has brought a new Shakespeare scholar to the University each year since 2005.
It offers the chance for students, staff and the community to see Shakespeare’s centuries-old texts — still pored over by thousands of students each year — come alive in new ways, thanks to the unique insights of the visiting Fellows.
Alice Griffin Fellows come from all over the world to give public lectures and lectures to undergraduates, present high-level research to academic colleagues, support research students and contribute to intellectual life in the Faculty of Arts.
They also participate in the annual Auckland Writers Festival.
“The annual visit of the Dr Alice Griffin Shakespeare Fellow has been an important event in the intellectual life of English and Drama since its inception over ten years ago,” says Head of English, Drama and Writing Studies, Professor Tom Bishop.
The Fellowship offers fresh and creative ways of looking at Shakespeare, including cutting-edge modern interpretations.
The Fellow for 2016, Professor Jonathan Gil Harris of Ashoka University in India, delved into Shakespeare’s influence on Indian film. The Fellow for 2015, Professor Peter Holland of the University of Notre Dame, spoke about how dramatisiations, mash-ups, spin-offs and novelisations based on Shakespeare are flourishing.
“Presentations have included Shakespeare’s appearance in popular culture, the history of illustrations to his works, and the character of his earliest printed plays,” says Tom.
“The Fellowship has included scholars and theatre practitioners from around the world, and mixes younger and emerging scholars doing original and innovative work with more established figures.”
This Fellowship would not exist without the generosity of John Griffin. We are grateful for his support, which ensures Shakespeare’s work will continue to thrive in the University and in the wider community.
We look forward to welcoming the next Alice Griffin Fellow in 2017.
If you are interested in philanthropic support of the Faculty of Arts, you can contact our Development Manager, Anne Liddle at a.liddle@auckland.ac.nz or +64 9 923 2309.
