Honorary Fellowship Nominations 2017
20th September 2016
The following message is sent on behalf of Andrew Jarvis, chair of the BSA’s Fellowship Committee.
The British Shakespeare Association endows two Honorary Fellowships each year. This year, 2016, the Fellowships were given to Emeritus Professor Ann Thompson and to Emeritus Director of the RSC John Barton – at a special Fellowship Event during our Conference at the University of Hull.
The BSA now needs to be thinking about who the recipients will be for 2017.
I would like to invite all current Members of the BSA to offer nominations for next year’s award.
The choice for nomination should fulfil the following criterion :
The title of ‘Honorary Fellow of the British Shakespeare Association’ should be reserved for those who, at whatever level, have made, or are making, a major contribution to the field of Shakespeare activities, whether it be Scholarship, Education more generally, or the Performance of the plays.
It is certainly permitted for Members to individually take soundings within the wider field of Shakespeare activities, but on the understanding that enquiries will need to be tactfully made, that information should remain strictly confidential, and that no candidate should be approached individually.
All proposals, from whichever area, should then be accompanied by TWO nominations (a Proposer and a Seconder) and a formal written proposal stating the case for nomination (a short paragraph).
Once all Nominations have been received, the Fellowship Committee will then make a decision – via discussion and vote – on who the two candidates shall be. Those two names will then be presented and recommended to a meeting of the full Board of Trustees – a process which then requires the Board’s ratification.
Previous recipients of the Fellowships over the past few years have been : Cicely Berry, John Joughin, Reginald Foakes, Terence Hawkes, John Russell Brown, Janet Suzman and Chris Grace. As you know, this year, the two Fellowships were endowed on Emeritus Professor Ann Thompson and Emeritus Director of the RSC John Barton.
I really would welcome as many names as possible, from all the constituencies of the BSA. The closing date for Nominations is December 10th.
Please send all nominations to the Chair of the Fellowship Committee – Andrew Jarvis – via e-mail to : jarvis-andrew@hotmail.com