By Keith Tomasek, Jan. 15, 2025
McGill University and the Stratford Festival are producing two events that invite reflection on a compelling question: if William Shakespeare could counsel today’s leaders, what insights might he offer for navigating the complex challenges of our times?
The two events, held in Montreal, promise to delve into this provocative inquiry, blending the Bard’s timeless wisdom with contemporary debates on sustainability and the meaning of value. For example, does society value financial growth over human wellbeing?
Whether you’re a scholar, a business leader, or simply a lover of Shakespeare, join Laurette Dubé, Director of the McGill Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics, Antoni Cimolino, Artistic Director of the Stratford Festival, and others for this unique opportunity to explore how the Bard’s wisdom can shape a better future for all.
Morning Symposium
Reimagining Shakespeare, Remaking Modern World Systems
3420 rue McTavish
At the Armstrong Building on McGill’s campus, leaders from diverse fields—cultural, financial, social, and economic—will gather for a morning of thought-provoking discussions.
The event, titled “Reimagining Shakespeare, Remaking Modern World Systems,” runs from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and is designed to explore how Shakespeare’s works might inspire innovative solutions to today’s pressing global issues.
By examining the intersections between the qualities of money-making—wealth and power—and the qualities of meaning-making—the search for purpose, identity, and significance—participants aim to determine how these forces can converge and coexist to create a better world for everyone.
Featured speakers include Nick Drager, former Director of the Department of Ethics, Equity, Trade and Human Rights and Senior Adviser in the Strategy Unit, Office of the Director-General at the World Health Organization and former CEO of the TuBurculosis Vaccine Initiative, Ann-Marie MacDonald, celebrated novelist and playwright, and the Department of English’s Richler Writer-in-Residence.
The symposium will be moderated by Paul Yachnin, Tomlinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies.
DETAILS DETAILS
Reimagining Shakespeare, Remaking Modern World Systems
January 21, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Armstrong Building 365 & 370
3420 rue McTavish
Get Details Online: https://delve.mcgill.ca/read/reimagining-shakespeare-event/?
Evening Lecture
The Annual Shakespeare Lecture: Reimagining Shakespeare, Remaking Modern World Systems
Available to watch online
3644 Peel Street
The 2025 Annual Shakespeare Lecture will be held at Chancellor Day Hall from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Presented by the Friends of the McGill Libraries and the Stratford Festival, the lecture will seek to answer the question, how can Shakespeare’s characters and stories enable us to open new pathways toward restoring the convergence between money-making and meaning-making?
From the ambition and greed in “Macbeth” to the redemptive possibilities in “The Tempest,” Shakespeare’s works have long explored the complexities of human ambition and the search for meaning.
The discussion is inspired by Canadian economist Mark Carney’s call to restore the full meaning of the word “value(s)” — integrating both economic worth and ethical purpose.
Antoni Cimolino, Artistic Director of the Stratford Festival, promises to share insights from both the Bard’s work and his own experiences.
Joined by Laurette Dubé, Scientific Director of the McGill Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics, and Paul Yachnin, they will examine plays like “The Merchant of Venice” and “King Lear” to explore the relationship between wealth, morality, and societal well-being.
By reimagining Shakespeare as a guide for modern leadership, these gatherings underscore the power of the arts to bridge past and present.
DETAILS DETAILS
Shakespeare Lecture | Reimagining Shakespeare, Remaking Modern World Systems
January 21, 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.
Chancellor Day Hall
3644 Peel Street, Moot Court: enter through the Nahum Gelber Law Library and turn left
Book to watch online: https://www.alumni.mcgill.ca/aoc/events-travel/EventDetails.php?id=NTM3MDM%3D
Book to attend in-person: https://www.alumni.mcgill.ca/aoc/events-travel/EventDetails.php?id=NTM3MDI%3D
Don’t miss my Podcast with Rodrigo Beilfuss a Brazilian-born Canadian actor-director, who trained in England and now calls Winnipeg, Manitoba his home. He is the Artistic Director of Shakespeare in the Ruins.
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