SHAKESPEARE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18760, 17 July 1935, Page 11

SHAKESPEARE

EXECUTIVE ABILITY

LECTURER'S VIEW

MELBOURNE, July • 3. So much mystery surrounds the detail of the life of Shakespeare that reasonable speculation conserning his obvi-

\ ously many-sided activities is permissI ible to all manner of Shakespearean ' students. j Whilst: cutting down such speculation to the barest possible mmimum> Mr. 1. Selbv. who lectured on the "Life of i Shakespeare" before the Old Players j and Playgoers' Association last night, j put forth the novel though by no | means unreasonable view that it was I as a business man—that is, an actor- ' playwright with a shrewd knowledge of the' theatre audience—that Shakespeare was pre-eminent, and his moral gran- | deur, wit and intelligent ability inevith I

ably invaded this business arena. That a man should marry' in his 'teens, acquire the part ownership of two large London theatres, and enjoy an income of over £IOOO a year in his forties, bespeaks executive and business ability of a high order for a middle?" class Warwickshire citizen of Queen Elizabeth's days, and the lecturer was at pains to demonstrate that in Shakespeare such executive ability was very marked, right down to his capacity for supervising the minutest details concerning the management of the Globe Playhouse.