About this event
Join us on Silver Sunday for a jam-packed day full of free, drop-in performances, talks and activities in a double celebration of both older adults and the 100-year anniversary of Georgette Heyer’s famous novel, These Old Shades.
Programme for the day
All events in Blackwell Hall are free with no booking required – just drop in.
Booking is required for the free talks in the Sir Victor Blank Lecture.
Sessions in Blackwell Hall
Scenes from These Old Shades
Performances at 11.15 and 12.00 | 15 minutes
Join Erika Sanderson and Helen Davidge for the first performance of These Old Shades, where they shall be performing four scenes from the novel showing the evolution of the relationship between to the two lead characters.
Regency Buck book group
11.15 | 45 minutes
A book group in the Space for Reading to discuss Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer.
These Old Shades Book group
12.20 | 45 minutes
A book group in the Space for Reading to discuss These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer.
Dance display with live music
Performances at 13.00, 14.00 & 15.00 | 15 minutes
As the novel These Old Shades takes place in 18th-century Britain and France, we will be having 3 short dance displays demonstrating the different types of dance, contra dance in Britain and Baroque dance from the court of Louis XV at Versailles. We will be joined by baroque early music ensemble Follia, from London.
Living Library
13.15 | 45 minutes
Pick one of the following book titles and take it to the person who matches the picture to have a 10-minute chat about that particular title.
- ‘The Heyer fandom in the Digital Age’ with Choi Yuei James.
- 'From Heyer to Hallyu: an exploration into links between Georgette Heyer’s traditional Romantic themes in modern Korean dramas’ with Michele Rogers.
- ‘What can AI and Data Science tell us about The Black Moth’ with Dr Helen Davidge.
- ‘The Georgette Heyer Podcast’ with Sara-Mae Tuson
Devil's Cub book group
14.15 | 45 minutes
A book group in the Space for Reading to discuss Devil's Cub, the sequel to These Old Shades, by Georgette Heyer.
An Infamous Army book group
15.00 | 40 minutes
A book group in the Space for Reading to discuss An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer.
Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre talks
Booking is required for the talks in the Lecture Theatre. Tickets are free.
‘100 Years On: The Story of These Old Shades’
Dr Jennifer Kloester | 11.40 – 12.20
Written when Georgette Heyer was just 20 years old, the book that would become a beloved fan favourite and an international bestseller was intended as a sequel to her teenage novel, The Black Moth. A superlative achievement for such a young writer, These Old Shades remains etched in the reader’s memory. From its visual and visceral opening to its dramatic and moving conclusion it is a book that has stirred the hearts of four generations of appreciative readers. But there is more to this novel than meets the eye and the story of its creation and eventual publication reveals much of the young Georgette’s attitudes, ideals, and early writing life.
In this talk, Dr Jennifer Kloester traces the history of a remarkable book and its even more remarkable author. Years in the making and one hundred years on, still selling.
Book now
‘The Evolution of the British Army and its soldiers through uniform from 1740 to 1815’
Richard Marren | 12.40 – 13.20
Georgette Heyer's books notably utilised the conflicts Britain faced in the 18th and 19th century as a backdrop to her stories. In this talk, Richard Marren will discuss the evolution of the British army and its soldiers from 1740 to 1815 through its uniforms. Who wore them, how they were constructed and why they fought in them.
Book now
‘Still Selling: The Enduring Success of Georgette Heyer’
Dr Jennifer Kloester | 14.20 – 15.00
More than fifty years after her death in 1974, Georgette Heyer remains one of the world's enduring bestsellers. Beloved by four generations of readers she created a genre, inspired countless authors and is the subject of many academic articles and theses. This talk by Dr Jennifer Kloester will reveal the private woman behind the books.
Book now
Speakers
Dr Jennifer Kloester is an Australian author of both fiction and non-fiction who has written extensively about bestselling British novelist Georgette Heyer. As well as having published three books on Heyer, Dr Kloester holds a PhD in Georgette Heyer awarded by the University of Melbourne.
Richard Marren is a historical reenactor and craftsperson. He has been researching and making the uniforms of the British army for well over 10 years, in particular the uniforms of the 23rd Regiment of Foot, or ‘Royal Welch Fusiliers’ from the mid-18th to the early 19th century.
Actors
Erika Sanderson trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. A highly versatile character actor, Erika has created a myriad of roles in a variety of genres from children’s theatre to classical plays and musical theatre.
Helen Davidge has toured professionally throughout the UK and the continent in a variety of productions including fringe and children’s theatre. As the artistic director of Georgettes of Oxford, she was the dance mistress for the first stage production of Death Comes to Pemberley.
The Baroque dancers
Freya Hadfield studied Baroque dance under Philippa Waite and now teaches Theatrical and Baroque Court dances at the Bath Minuet Company.
Helen Davidge studied Baroque dance under Barbara Segal. She now runs Georgettes of Oxford and is the first person in modern times to have taken Baroque dance to Malaysia, collaborating with Malaysia’s only early music group, Wicked Music People.
Georgettes of Oxford is an 18th- and early 19th-century society with over 40 members in Oxford, and have danced at numerous venues including the Jane Austen House Museum, the Bank of England, Wembley Stadium, Windsor Castle and also appearances on BBC1 and Channel 5.
The Early Music Musicians
Diane Moore leads the Purcell Orchestra and various chamber groups (of which she is a founding member) and has performed and recorded with numerous British and continental orchestras.
Ibrahim Aziz is a viola da gamba player performing old and new music. A regular with The Rose Consort of Viols, Chelys Consort and other early music ensembles, he also works with modern orchestras including the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
William Summers' dual-track performing career encompasses Baroque orchestras, chamber music, the medieval rock band Circulus and the Aztec band Tunkul. William teaches recorder and flute for local music services and in adult education and conducts for the Society of Recorder Players. He has also appeared as a musician in TV and film, including Poldark, Bridgerton and Maleficent.
Yeo Yat-Soon performs widely as a solo and ensemble harpsichordist and regular with Follia, Bloomsbury Baroque and Camerata Berolinensis. In baroque opera Yat-Soon has conducted for London Baroque Opera, City of London Festival and Opéra de Baugé. He teaches harpsichord and lectures on Historical Performance at the University of Birmingham.
Event information
- These activities take place in person in Blackwell Hall and the Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre at the Weston Library.
- The Weston Library is wheelchair accessible. Find out more about accessibility at our site.
- Please note: only bottled water is permitted in the lecture theatre. No food or other drinks are allowed.
