Wilde About Oscar: Famous for Being Famous (and Infamous)


A lecture by Simon Whitehouse presented by The Arts Society Ealing

Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde

July 18, 2023

The next lecture from The Arts Society Ealing will be on the Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde.

Simon Whitehouse will examine his life and times from his roots to his days as a student at Oxford and his meteoric rise to fame.

You will learn about his travels to the United States, and examine his starring role within the artistic & theatrical worlds of late 19th century London.

Hear about his home in bohemian Chelsea and some of his favourite West End haunts. Finally, learn how ‘tired of being in the heights, he plunged into the depths’ and became famous for being infamous…

Simon Whitehouse is a (recovering) actor, lecturer, presenter, Alexander Technique and voice teacher, and award winning London Blue Badge guide. He has worked as a guide lecturer in-house at Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal Opera House, the BBC and the National Gallery. He is on the faculty of Ithaca College and also lectures for the Blue Badge Guide training course on the performing arts and English literature.

This talk is at 7:30pm on Monday 24 July at St Barnabas Church Hall, Pitshanger Lane, Ealing W5 1QG.

Visitors are welcome to attend at £8 per lecture (reduced to £3 for students); payment can be made by cash on the evening or in advance by contacting: spsecretarytase@gmail.com.

The Arts Society Ealing belongs to the large umbrella organisation, The Arts Society, previously known as the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS), which was founded in 1968. The local Society, which has a membership of around 140, is now one of the 388 member societies of The Arts Society that have been formed throughout the United Kingdom, in parts of Europe and in Australia and New Zealand.

The Arts Society Ealing holds 10 lectures a year and more information can be found by visiting its web site.

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