Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Highlights

More than thirty book lovers from Tampa and Sarasota gathered on June 19, 2019, for the 2019 Tampa Bay Great Books Council Drama Retreat, held at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Temple Terrace, FL.

TBGBC President Sara Cohen welcomed the group for today’s discussions of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and Tom Stoppard’s “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.”

Longtime moderator Patrick DeMarco headed one of two morning sessions discussing “Hamlet.”  Clockwise from bottom left: Garson Herzfeld, Brenda Tipps, Shoba Sharma, Regina Noonan, Tom Walker, Lydia Lombardo, De Marco, Tita de la Cruz, Barbara Brown, Lucinda Knox, Malcolm Harris, and Arlene Zimney (back to camera at bottom). 

The mental health of “the Melancholy Dane” came up for examination and some pointed comments from Shoba Sharma.

  • Sara, Patrick, Sylvia
  • Linda Feeney moderating
  • Patrick’s afternoon discussion
  • Linda’s afternoon discussion
  • Sara with winner Lucinda

Photos above with other highlights included:

The break for the Potluck Lunch provided the opportunity for a reunion of three of the Founders of the Tampa Bay Great Books Council (L-R): Sara Cohen, Patrick DeMarco, and Sylvia Sorrentino.

Linda Feeney, who conducts several literature classes at OLLI-USF in Tampa, led the second AM discussion group, including (clockwise: from bottom): Anne Strozier (wearing scarf), Nick Graves, Ken Kotecha, Shirley Herring, Sharda Khilnani, Bruce Gobioff, Sara Cohen, Feeney, Garney Cope, Jane Peppard, Cheryl Walker, and Moira Burke.

Focus was intense in the afternoon De Marco group, which included (clockwise from top left): Lydia Lombardo, moderator DeMarco, Sylvia Sorrentino, Sara Cohen, Garney Cope, Ken Kotecha, and Sharda Khilnani.

Linda Feeney moderated one afternoon group for an energetic discussion of “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead,” peeling the onion-like layers off the play-within-a-play-within-a-play-within-a-…obviously, it’s multi-layered, and the discussion invoked historical figures ranging from Martin Luther to Eric Idle!  Participants shown here include (clockwise from lower left): Tita de la Cruz, Lucinda Knox, Stanley Ashe, Barbara Brown, Tom Walker, and moderator Feeney

Attendees were invited to pre-register for the Fall 2019 TBGBC Conversation Conference, to be conducted on September 11th at the Tampa Palms Gold and Country Club, and a drawing was held among people who were ready to commit today.  TBGBC President Sara Cohen is shown here with the winner, Lucinda Knox, who received a comped registration for the Fall event.  Watch for more information about the Fall Conversation Conference on a current and controversial issue – Immigration!