AGM 2007: War and Remembrance

Come join your fellow Ricardians on September 28-30 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Worcester, Massachusetts!

Events planned for the weekend include:

• A trip to the Higgins Armory Museum, with one of the finest collections in the U.S.
• General meeting with keynote address by Prof. Lorraine C. Attreed, editor of the York House Books, 1461-1490, reflecting on three decades of Ricardian scholarship
• Explorations of Richard III in the dramatic arts, including a production of a new play and a behind-the-scenes look at puppet theater
• A gala costumed banquet
• A breakfast with talks by two published fiction authors
• Time to connect with like-minded defenders of Richard III and history enthusiasts.

The American Branch sales table will be open for much of the AGM -- plan to shop for instant gratification. And the meeting will include its usual fund-raising raffle

Schedule | Speakers | Hotel | Transportation |Higgins Armory | Menus | Register Online

 AGM Schedule

All meals & events will take place within the Perennials A & B Meeting Rooms, other than the Saturday morning field trip to Higgins Armory.

Friday, September 28, 6-10 pm

• Registration and Reception. Sign in, get materials, and enjoy the hors d'oeuvres as you meet new and old friends! Take advantage of the cash bar!

Saturday, September 29

• 8-9:30 am Executive Continental Breakfast
• 9:35-9:45 am Drive to Higgins Armory [view map]
• 10 am-12:30 pm. Visit to Higgins Armory
• 12:30-1:00 pm Return to Hotel, Short Break before Lunch
• 1:00 pm-3:30 pm Hot Buffet Lunch and Annual General Meeting.
  Keynote Speaker: Lorraine Attreed
  Title of Speech: Ricardian Studies: A Scholar's Perspective
• Banquet: 6:30-10:00 pm (See menu page.)
  First Presentation: Elizabeth Wadsworth speaks of presenting medieval and Renaissance theaterpieces for puppets, including Shakespeare's plays, and costume design.
  Second Presentation: Petitions, a play by Maria Elena Torres about a libel case is brought by Richard III against Shakespeare will be performed by a local group under the direction of Gino diOrio, an Associate Professor of Theater at Clark University in Worcester, where he teaches both acting and playwriting.  His own plays have been produced in New York and in other locations around the world.

Sunday, September 30

• Breakfast 8:00-11:00 am
  Speakers: Anne Easter Smith & Sandra Worth.
  present "A Novel Road to Richard."

SPEAKERS 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Lorraine C. Attreed, Ph.D.
Lorraine C. Attreed, Professor of History at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, reflects on three decades of Ricardian studies. The first recipient of the American Branch's Schallek Award for graduate studies, Attreed was awarded a Ph.D. from Harvard University. As the American Branch research officer in the late 1970s and early 1980s, she presented annual reports on ongoing research and recent publications at the Branch's general meetings.

Best known in Ricardian circles for her critical edition of the late medieval council records of the city of York, York House Books, 1461-1490, Attreed has since worked on English towns more generally and on later medieval Spanish history. With her husband, James Powers, she has also taught a course on depictions on the middle ages in cinema, "War in Cinema."

Anne Easter Smith
Anne Easter Smith is a native of England who has lived in the United States for 33 years. Her love of English history goes back to age 10, when the British education system mandated history as part of the curriculum through graduation. She grew up with London on her doorstep and has walked much of the countryside described in her first novel, A Rose for the Crown, inspired by her fascination for Richard III after reading Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey in her youth. She is a proud member of the Richard III Society. Anne began her writing career as a freelancer for a small monthly publication in Plattsburgh, New York in 1980. From 1986 until 1995, she was the Features Editor of the daily newspaper there. A Rose for the Crown was published in March 2006 by Simon & Schuster and has been reprinted three times for a total of 50,000 copies. Her second, Daughter of York, will be out in February 2008. Anne has a contract for two more books with Simon & Schuster over the next few years: she is working on The King's Grace, which will focus on Perkin Warbeck; and the fourth will be about Cecily of York. Anne is delighted to be a guest speaker at this year's AGM.

Sandra Worth
Sandra Worth holds an honors degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Toronto. She is a frequent lecturer on the Wars of the Roses and the author of three novels on Richard III. Earlier this year she was picked up by Penguin U.S.A. in a two book deal. She researched the Wars of the Roses for ten years before writing her ROSE OF YORK trilogy and is the winner of numerous writing awards and prizes, including the First Place Prize in the 2003 New Century Writer Awards sponsored by Ray Bradbury, Moxie Films, and Francis Ford Coppola. Her first book for Penguin is entitled LADY OF THE ROSES on the life of the Kingmaker's brother, John Neville, Lord Montagu, and Isobel Ingoldesthorpe, ancestors of both FDR and Winston Churchill. Her second book for Penguin, THE KING'S DAUGHTER, covers the life of Elizabeth of York, mother of Henry VIII. Both books are the first fictional explorations of their kind on these two historical personages.

Maria Elena Torres
Maria Torres is a New York based playwright and an official Ricardian since the early 1990s. Her mother, Sandra Torres, was also a playwright and a member of the Richard III Society. Maria's concentration is on historically-based characters and incidents. Productions of her work include: Wallenberg, which was produced as part of the first In Sight series, sponsored by the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre; The Briars, a play about Napoleon on St. Helena; and Loyalty Lies, a play about the historical Richard III, that counters Shakespeare, and which was also produced by the In Sight series. In 2006, the In Sight series produced another of her plays, Three Men on A Base, about Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Elizabeth Wadsworth
Dollmaker, puppeteer, and costumer, Elizabeth graduated from the University of Connecticut's puppet arts program in 1987, where she studied with Frank Ballard. Using extensive visual aids, she will discuss the difficulties of adapting medieval and Renaissance theatre pieces for puppets, specifically two productions she has been involved with: The Second Shepherd's Play (for which she adapted the script from the original medieval English) and Comedy of Errors. She designed costumes and built sets for both productions. She has performed with Choices: An Alternative Educational Puppetry Program since 1990.

She will also display and discuss the Richard and Anne dolls she costumed a few years ago. Her original porcelain doll designs have been featured in Contemporary Dolls Magazine.

About the hotel

The Hilton Garden Inn is now sold out. They suggest two nearby hotels:

Crowne Plaza: 508-791-1600
(this hotel is next door to the Hilton)

Hampton Inn: 508-757-0400
(this hotel is on the same block, just around the corner)

The Hilton Garden Inn, Worcester
35 Major Taylor Blvd.
Worcester, Massachusetts 01608

The hotel amenities include a complimentary fully-equipped fitness center, an indoor heated swimming pool, a hot tub, a complimentary business center, anda 24-hour pantry & 24-hours guest laundry. Each room has a refrigerator, microwave, coffeemaker, 32' plasma screen TV with premium cable, a clock radio which can play an mp3 player, an ergonomic chair, and 'sleep comfort bed.' There is an UNO's Chicago Bar and Grill on-site for lunch and dinner for those extra days (at the convention rate), room service, a full bar, and the Great American Grill for breakfast.

MAKING RESERVATIONS AT THE HILTON GARDEN INN

When making reservations, please mention that you are with The Richard III Society to get the special rate of $109 + tax per room per night, whether single or double. Please also indicate whether a room with a street view or quieter room is preferred.

Phone: +1-508-753-5700

(See www.worcester.stayhgi.com) for photos of this new hotel and directions for reaching it.

Parking: $9.95/night

Take extra time to enjoy the famous fall colors, Sturbridge Village, the Johnny Appleseed Trail, and much more!

TRANSPORTATION

Detailed information will be sent to registrants.

 Airport Distances from Worcester

• Logan Airport, Boston - 46 Miles
• T.F. Green Airport, Providence, RI - 53 miles
• Bradley International Airport, Hartford, CT - 60 miles
• Manchester, NH Airport - 75 miles

HIGGINS ARMORY
100 Barber Avenue
Worcester, MA 01606
Phone: (508) 853-6015
www.higgins.org

Hours:

• Tuesday-Saturday 10 am- 4pm
• Sunday: 12 Noon-4 pm
• Closed Monday & some holidays

Free parking. Gift shop. Cameras allowed, but no large bags are permitted inside.

An $2 optional audio tour is available for independent exploration after the presentation which will be given to us.

The four-story museum, which opened in 1931, is built in an Art Deco style of glass and steel to house the thousands of artifacts John Woodman Higgins collected over his lifetime. The eclectic collection contains items originating as far back as ancient Greece to as recently as the Renaissance and includes combat, ceremonial, and tournament armor. Demonstrations of the use of armor are frequently presented.

Inside this large building is a Great Medieval Hall.

MENUS

Friday, September 28

• 6-10 p.m. Welcome Reception. Hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar

Saturday, September 29

• 8-9:30 a.m. Executive Continental Breakfast. Coffee, tea, chilled juices, assorted pastries, bagels and cream cheese, fruits, and yogurt.
• 1-3:30 p.m. Hot Lunch Buffet. Tossed salad, a choice of 2 or the 6 entrees, some vegetarian, rolls & butter, potatoe or rice & vegetables, cakes & dessert, and coffee.
• 6:30-10 p.m. Evening Banquet Buffet. Dress up in your finest medieval or modern clothes and enjoy the dinner buffet. A cash bar will be available.
  Appetizers: Soup du jour, tossed seasonal greens.
  Entrees: chicken marsala, roast sirloin with madeira sauce, vegetable lasagna
  Seasonal vegetables, potatoes, and rice
  Desserts such as NY-style cheesecake, tiramisu, Oreo cookie pie, chocolate mousse cake or other assorted choices will top it off as we enjoy the entertainment
  Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, & specialty teas

Sunday, September 30

• 8 - 11 a.m. Breakfast. Includes Saturday morning items plus fluffy scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage, and breakfast potatoes.

Registration Form