Forthcoming Meetings, Exhibitions, Events, etc
This guide gives details of all the Lewis Carroll related events, around the world, which have come to our notice, including events arranged by the Lewis Carroll Society. If you know of an event which is not listed, we would be pleased to hear from you. Click Here to send us information about an event.
We are grateful to The Lewis Carroll Society of North America for providing details of some of these events.
Events, Meetings, Performances and Lectures
(See below for Exhibitions)
Peter and Alice
Noel Coward Theatre, London
Various dates, booking until 1 June 2013
Judi Dench plays Alice and Ben Wishaw plays Peter in Logan's new play.
When Alice Liddell Hargreaves met Peter Llewellyn Davies at the opening of a Lewis Carroll exhibition in 1932, the original Alice came face to face with the original Peter Pan. Enchantment and reality collide as this brief encounter lays bear the lives of these two extraordinary characters.
Click Here for full details.
Lewis Carroll in Putney
Putney and environs, South West London
16 May 2013
A Putney Society event for the Wandsworth Arts Festival
Organised in association with the Lewis Carroll Society.
A two-part event which comprises a 45 minute walk exploring literary Putney and its environs, and a talk by Mark Davies (author of Alice in Waterland) on Lewis Carroll, which delves into his connections with the area.
Talk: 7.45pm at St Mary’s Church, Putney.
This is a free event, but booking is essential. The walk is now fully booked, but there might still be some places available at the talk.
Email: Sue Rolfe: rolfe.sue3@gmail.com
Photo: Beatrice Henley, daughter of the Vicar of Putney, photographed by Lewis Carroll, 1864.)
Lewis Carroll's Mathematics
Birmingham and Midland Institute, Margaret Street, Birmingham, B3 3BS
18 May 2013
A one day conference exploring the mathematical work of Charles Dodgson.
The event follows the success of the Lewis Carroll, Man of Science meeting of 2011 and is organised jointly by the BSHM, the Lewis Carroll Society and the Birmingham and Midland institute.
Talks begin at 10:30 (tea/coffee and registration from 10:00). Event ends at 17:00 approx.
Full details of the programme and other information can soon be found at the following regularly updated website: www.lewiscarrollmanofscience.com
Programme
Keith Hannabuss opens the day with a talk on mathematics in Victorian Oxford, putting Dodgson’s work into an historical context.
Edward Wakeling explores some of Dodgson’s lesser known mathematical manuscripts, revealing the diversity of his work.
Robin Wilson examines Dodgson’s challenging ‘Pillow Problems’.
Mark Richards analyses Dodgson’s methods of solving ‘sorites’ problems by the use of symbolic logic.
Iain McLean reveals the importance of Dodgson’s work on voting procedures.
David Singmaster traces the history of the 'Monkey and the Coconuts' problem.
Bookings
Attendance Fee £25 – includes coffee and buffet style lunch.
Special rate of £20 for BSHM members (and members of the other organisations)
We would appreciate pre-payment if possible, but bookings may be made by email.
Please make cheques payable to The Lewis Carroll Society and send them to:
50 Lauderdale Mansions, Lauderdale Road, London, W9 1NE.
For all enquiries contact Mark Richards by email: markrichards@aznet.co.uk
Alice in Wonderland Ballet
Napa Valley Opera House, California
23 May 2013
Napa Regional Dance Company presents its 4th season of the classical ballet 'Alice in Wonderland'.
Click Here for further details.
Alice in Wonderland Mother's Day Tea Party
Christ Church, Oxford
30 May 2013
Following the hugely successful event last November, Christ Church are running more Tea Parties with the Alice theme. An optional guided tour of Christ Church is included.
Click Here for full details.
Alice in Wonderland - Theatre Production
Iris Theatre, St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, London
26 June to 26 July 2013
A new stage version presented as part of Iris Theatre's summer season at St Pauls' Church, Covent Garden.
"Moving through the magical rose-filled gardens of this historic 17th century English church, this open-air production will take you down the rabbit hole and deep into the heart of Alice's imaginary childhood world.
This new production will take the audience down a long dark rabbit hole from which they will emerge into magical rose-filled gardens of St Paul's, the setting for Alice's imaginary childhood world. People will be invited to run a caucus race, play crochet with the Queen, have tea with the Hatter and dance a Lobster Quadrille. "
Full details and booking facility: www.iristheatre.com
Alice's Day
Various Locations Around Oxford
6 July 2013
Oxford's annual celebration of Lewis Carroll's Alice with events all around the city, including talks, exhibitions, story-telling, performances, music, etc.
Although the whole event is aimed at families, with activities for children of all ages, there is always plenty for the adult Carroll enthusiast!
Full details can be found on the Story Museum Website.
The Lewis Carroll Society has teamed up with the Old Fire Stations arts centre to host a series of talks around the theme of nonsense. Starting at 10:15, the talks form a continuous programme; those attending may arrive and leave at will.
Mark Davies looks at a number of famous Oxford writers of fantasy and nonsense.
Franziska Kohlt discusses Lewis Carroll's nonsense poems, with readings from, classic and lesser known pieces.
Mark Richards explores how artists and film-makers have found ways of portraying the nonsensical aspects of Carroll's works.
LCS members may also be interested in a "Pilgrimage Walk" at 4pm with local historian and author of Alice in Waterland, Mark Davies, following the route of the rowing trip of 4 July 1862, on which the tale of 'Alice' was first created. Starting from Alice's Shop, 83 St Aldate's, the walk will proceed along the River Thames towards the Treacle Well at Binsey and cross Port Meadow to end in Jericho, where the first ever editions of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland were printed in 1865. Tickets: £7 from: www.oxfordalicewalks.eventbrite.co.uk
Alice Day at Blists Hill
Blists Hill, Legges Way Madeley, Telford, Shropshire TF7 5DU
24 to 26 August 2013
Augmenting our usual cerebral events, the LCS is offering members something different this year: a weekend primarily devoted to socialising! Centred on the Ironbridge Gorge museum of Blists Hill, we will be able to step back in time and experience life as Carroll did through the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a recreated Victorian Town.
Victorian characters will give you a fascinating insight into Victorian life as they go about their daily lives in their cottages, shops and places of work.
The site covers an area of 52 acres and is mostly outdoors. You will need to be adequately dressed for the weather as well as for walking on unmade roads.
Blists Hill will be hosting a themed event over the Bank Holiday weekend of 24 - 26 August based on Alice in Wonderland. Come along dressed as Alice, or another character from the book, and take part in the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Blists Hill’s actors will be dressed as characters from the book acting out scenes around the town. Join the Queen of Hearts for a game of croquet and follow a clue-led trail to find the Cheshire Cat. There will also be hands-on activities for children, while the Kaleidoscope and Sundial theatre groups will perform cameo mimes and drama in character.
Tickets |
Adult |
60 Plus |
Child |
Blists Hill Victorian Town ONLY (day ticket) |
£15.95 |
£12.50 |
£10.50 |
Ironbridge Annual Passport ticket |
£24.00 |
£19.00 |
£15.25 |
For members planning to go to Blists Hill on both Saturday and Sunday, it is obviously more economical to purchase the Annual Passport ticket. As well as giving unlimited access to the Victorian Village, this will also cover entry into the numerous other museums and historical sites in this area (see schedule below), and can be re-used as often as required for the succeeding twelve months. The other museums are: Enginuity, Coalport China Museum, Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron & The Old Furnace, The Iron Bridge and Toll House, The Museum of the Gorge, Broseley Pipeworks, The Tar Tunnel, and Jackfield Tile Museum which I am reliably informed has some Carrollian tiles on display. Most of them are open Monday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm, and make a small charge for parking.
Although still being planned, the probable schedule for the weekend is as follows:
Saturday 24th. Arrive Blists Hill museum between noon and 3pm for an ongoing buffet lunch in a room reserved for us. Then at 3pm, we will have a Welcome talk by the staff there, followed by a leisurely look at the site. In the evening, we will congregate at a local restaurant for dinner and unrestrained conversation!
Sunday 25th. Arrive at Blists Hill museum by 10am for coffee/tea in our room, accompanied by a talk. Spend the rest of the day enjoying the Alice-related activities there, and maybe explore some of the other nearby museums listed above, if you've bought an Annual Passport ticket .There will be mime and theatrical performances at Blists Hill throughout the day, plus a talk in the Schoolroom by Keith Wright at 1pm on ‘Was Alice a Real Girl?’ which he wishes to stress is aimed at non-Carroll-experts! There are a number of onsite places to eat lunch. The school room and one of the cafes are at the bottom of a steep slope but there is a inclined plane lift which is self operated so anyone who wants to can use that: it sounds rather good fun! Once again, we will congregate locally for a convivial evening meal.
Monday 26th. Leave Ironbridge mid-morning and travel in members' own vehicles (we’ll arrange lifts for those without cars) up to Daresbury (about a 90 minute drive) to look at the new Lewis Carroll room attached to the church (and maybe the birthplace site if we have time). The weekend concludes with afternoon tea either at the church or at Davenports award winning Alice-themed tea rooms.
This weekend has been designed to be as flexible as possible, so that members can join in at any point and leave at any point. The same flexibility has been applied to accommodation, in that you are free to book whatever you wish in the area, from a cheap bed and breakfast to a top class hotel. (See Trip Adviser and other online websites.) The least expensive hotel we have found which still has vacancies at the time of writing (although everywhere in that area is getting booked up fast so you are advised to secure your accommodation as soon as possible) is The Telford Whitehouse Hotel, Watling Street, Telford, TF1 2NJ, but it is quite basic and built on a busy road, so you’ll need to take that into account.
The idea of this unique weekend is to enable Carrollians to get together in an interesting environment and to enjoy each others’ company, whilst seeing the sort of world Lewis Carroll knew and thus gaining greater insight into his life and works. Both Blists Hill and Davenport’s Tea Rooms are great proponents of Carroll and Alice, while the new Lewis Carroll room in Daresbury Church is a tangible sign of the value in which our author is still held in his birthplace, so there could be no better place for us to let our hair down and just have a good time!
Please contact Keith Wright if you have any queries or want more information on the event and/or local facilities.
keith@cheshire46.freeserve.co.uk
Even if you have no queries, it would help if you could let him know if you are coming, and where you have booked in to stay. Hope to see many of you there!
The Roger Lancelyn Green Memorial Lecture
Art Workers' Guild, 6 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AT
13 September 2013
This important lecture, hosted by the Lewis Carroll Society, is always given by someone who has had a notable impact of the acceptance and understanding of Lewis Carroll's work.
Full details will be announced nearer the time.
Lewis Carroll Society of North America - Fall Meeting
Los Angeles
1 to 3 November 2013
The meeting takes pale in the University of Southern California (Doheny Library) and other venues. There will be a chance to view the Cassady Carroll Collection, and Linda and George Cassady are putting together a programme around the theme of “Lewis Carroll Outsiders.”
Saturday’s meeting will include presentations by artists, scientists, scholars, and others who approach Carroll from unique or particularly inventive points of view. Panelists and presenters will include video game makers, a physicist and science writer, graphic novelists, and others who might be considered to operate outside the direct realm of canonical Carroll studies.
On Sunday, artist Karen Mortillaro will give a tour of the foundry where she creates her Alice works, and give a presentation about her anamorphic sculptures.
More details to follow ... see the LCSNA Website
The Lewis Carroll Society Autumn Meeting
Art Workers' Guild, 6 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AT
15 November 2013
We are planning an evening of short papers and presentations.
The talks will be preceeded by our Annual General Meeting.
Full details will be announced nearer the time.
Lewis Carroll Society Christmas Celebration
Art Workers' Guild, 6 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AT
14 December 2013
Our usual celebration, with great food, great company, entertainment, quiz, etc.
Full details will be announced nearer the time.
The Common Denominator
University of Leipzig
20 to 22 March 2014
The aim of this three-day interdisciplinary conference is to bring together researchers from diverse academic and professional disciplines. By establishing mathematics as the common denominator between the individual panels, the links between mathematics and cultural studies are brought into focus. The conference will explore the reception and representation of mathematical concepts across such diverse fields as popular culture, literature, linguistics and didactics.
We do not know, as yet, if any of the paper will refer to Lewis Carroll, but we think the conference might interest LCS members.
For full details Click Here
Alice IN the Looking-Glass
University of Rochester, NY, USA
Until August 2013
An exhibition of carefully selected fascinating pieces from the Lewis Carroll collection of Jeanne Harper.
From the photographs this looks like an impressive exhibition but a longer-standing Carroll collector and LCS member.
ALICE (part one - the illustrators)
Dimbola Museums and Galleries (Julia Margaret Cameron Trust)
Until 6 October 2013
An exhibition of Alice illustrations.
To be supplemented later in the year by an installation based art exhibition picking up on the theme of Lewis Carroll's visits to the Island and his meeting Cameron and Tennyson.