- Contact Presenter
DVS Donation
DVS Autumn Event 2026 – Celebrating 40 Years
What’s past is prologue
Herringham Hall - Regent's University London, Inner Circle, London, UK
Saturday 24th October 2026
Herringham Hall, Regent’s University London
Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NS
Registration: 9:30 a.m. | Event begins: 10:00 a.m. | Ends: 4:30 p.m.
Booking is now open for our 40th Anniversary Autumn Event.
This year marks a very special milestone as The de Vere Society celebrates its 40th Anniversary, and we invite you to join us in London for a day of scholarship, performance, memories and celebration.
For four decades, the DVS has brought together researchers, writers, actors and members from around the world with a shared fascination for Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford and the Shakespeare authorship question.
Our anniversary event will celebrate that remarkable journey while also looking towards what comes next because, as Shakespeare so wisely reminds us:
“What’s past is prologue.”
Tickets are £80 per person and include tea, coffee and pastries on arrival, mid-morning refreshments, a hot buffet lunch with a choice of dishes, and afternoon tea with cakes, giving us all plenty of opportunity throughout the day to catch up with old friends and fellow members.
Programme Highlights
Charles Beauclerk — Founder of The de Vere Society
Charles founded the Society at Hertford College, Oxford, in 1986. Forty years later, he joins us as we celebrate the journey from those beginnings at Oxford to the Society and international community we know today. Further details of Charles’s talk will be announced shortly.
Richard Malim — Oxford’s Wider Legacy
Richard will present a short talk exploring Oxford’s Wider Legacy, followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion.
Jane Greatorex — John Lyly London Citizen, Courtier, Playwright, Sunbeam of the Elizabethan Stage
Jane Greatorex traces John Lyly’s journey from his school and university years to Elizabethan London, where his career became closely entwined with Edward de Vere and the emerging theatrical world around him. She explores Lyly’s role within De Vere’s circle, his celebrated prose works and plays, and his connections with figures including Thomas Watson and Christopher Marlowe. The talk follows his later career writing for the court and the final years of a remarkable literary life.
Eddi Jolly — Siena and Shakespeare
Eddi returns to the DVS Autumn Event with Siena and Shakespeare, exploring another fascinating connection with the Shakespearean world.
Ron Destro — Much Ado About Mentalism
Ron Destro brings his award-winning and humorous presentation of mind reading, bending and influencing to this year’s Autumn Event, with an Oxfordian twist featuring Edward de Vere and John Dee.
Colin Jolly — Italian Waterways
Colin joins this year’s programme with Italian Waterways. Further details of his presentation will be announced shortly.
Kevin Gilvary — Sprezzatura: The Rivalry Between Oxford and Sidney
Further details of Kevin’s talk will be announced shortly.
Natalie M. Crow and Costa Chard — The DVS Online: Social Media and Our New Website As The de Vere Society looks towards its next chapter, Natalie and Costa will give a joint presentation on the Society’s developing digital presence. Natalie will talk about the DVS’s work and growth across social media, while Costa will share some of the ideas and plans behind the development of the Society’s new website and how it will help shape the DVS’s online presence in the years ahead.
The Alexander Waugh Award As part of our 40th Anniversary programme, we will also celebrate the Alexander Waugh Award, recognising research and scholarship that continue to advance discussion and investigation of the Shakespeare authorship question.
A Special 40th Anniversary Auction
There will also be a special auction as part of the day’s celebrations, featuring a selection of original abstract paintings by Lynn Suo, generously donated to The de Vere Society. The paintings will be available to view and bid on during the Autumn Event, giving members the opportunity to acquire an original work while supporting the Society as it enters its next chapter.
Further details about the paintings and the auction will be shared nearer the event.
A Celebration in Performance
The stage has always played an important part in our Autumn Events, and our 40th Anniversary will be no exception. We are delighted to be planning special performances featuring Sir Derek Jacobi*, Richard Clifford* and Samantha Bond*.
Performers subject to availability.
We very much hope you will join us for what promises to be a memorable celebration of the first 40 years of The de Vere Society — and the beginning of the next chapter.
Upcoming Events (1)
Herringham Hall - Regent's University London, Inner Circle, London, UK
Get DirectionsDVS Donation