The Shaw Society Welcomes Theatre Icons Dame Siân Phillips and Patricia Hodge OBE as Newly Elected Trustees

Their wealth of experience and connection to Shaw’s works promises to enhance Society’s mission and further its impact in the world of theatre.

By: Stephi Wild Aug. 02, 2023

The Shaw Society, the UK-based charitable organization dedicated to celebrating the theatre and writings of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, proudly announces the election of two esteemed theatre icons, Dame Siân Phillips and Patricia Hodge OBE, as Trustees. Their wealth of experience and connection to Shaw’s works promises to enhance Society’s mission and further its impact in the world of theatre.

The Shaw Society, established in 1941, has been at the forefront of promoting and honouring the theatrical legacy of George Bernard Shaw, with a commitment to fostering appreciation and understanding of Shaw’s theatre and writings. The Society actively supports performances, educational initiatives, and various projects centred around Shaw’s literary brilliance. The Society’s President is Sir Michael Holroyd, and Vice-Presidents include Dame Judi Dench, Richard Digby-Day, Bonnie Greer OBE, Michael Rosen and Harry Hadden-Paton.

The distinguished Welsh actress, Dame Siân Phillips, brings an incomparable depth of knowledge and expertise to The Shaw Society’s board of Trustees. Dame Sian captivated audiences with her unforgettable portrayal of Hesione Hushabye opposite John Gielgud in a 1977 BBC Play of the Month production of Shaw’s Heartbreak House. Her exceptional performances in St Joan in 1958 and in Major Barbara at The National Theatre in 1982 have solidified her reputation as an accomplished Shavian and a true luminary of the British stage.

Patricia Hodge OBE, another esteemed addition to the board, is celebrated for her remarkable contributions to the world of theatre, film and television. An actress always in demand, she is currently preparing for a West End run of Noël Coward’s Private Lives opposite Nigel Havers. Hodges’s notable appearance in David Hare‘s 1997 production of Bernard Shaw‘s Heartbreak House thrilled audiences and added to her already impressive portfolio of performances, spanning decades.

Dame Siân expressed her excitement about joining The Shaw Society and continuing her advocacy for theatre and the timeless artistry of George Bernard Shaw, “Speaking as an actress, GBS has long been one of my favourite writers. I am proud to be part of a society that is dedicated to the protection and promotion of his work”. As Trustees, Dame Siân Phillips and Patricia Hodge will play a pivotal role in guiding The Shaw Society’s future endeavours, supporting the organization’s initiatives, and nurturing a vibrant theatre community that appreciates the brilliance of George Bernard Shaw‘s writings.

The two ‘national treasures’ are joined by six other newly elected Trustees: Murray Rosenthal– a theatre producer who has produced four operas based on Shaw plays, Christine Stevenson – who ran visitor services at The National Trust-owned Shaw’s Corner for two years, Ivan Wise – former editor of The Shavian (the Society’s publication), Esme Chandler – a retired barrister and long-time society member. John Foley an actor, writer and audiobook producer, and Eoin O’Callaghan- a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. They all look forward to contributing their insights and passion to further the Society’s mission of promoting Shaw’s works and legacy.

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome eight dynamic new members to The Shaw Society’s board of Trustees, all experts in their field.” said Maureen Clark-Darby, Chair of The Shaw Society, “The election of Dame Sian Phillips and Patricia Hodge OBE to the Society’s board, is a real thrill. Their affinity with Bernard Shaw‘s works and their remarkable careers in theatre, film and television will undoubtedly enrich our organization and inspire future generations of theatre enthusiasts.”

To read the article in Broadway World, click HERE


Cast Set for Project Shaw Reading of Pygmalion

Gingold Theatrical Group will continue its 18th season of Project Shaw July 24 at 7 PM with a reading of George Bernard Shaw‘s Pygmalion at Symphony Space’s Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre.

Helmed by Artistic Director David Staller, the reading will feature the talents of Kate Hamill, David Lee Huynh, Laura Patinkin, Mary Beth PeilRobert Petkoff, Ryann Redmond, Justin Robertson, Thomas Jay RyanThom Sesma, and Jennifer Van Dyck.

This play in its musical incarnation is how most people came to know Shaw,” says director Staller about the play that inspired the famed musical My Fair Lady. “That spectacularly ubiquitous original poster and cast album artwork by Al Hirschfeld showing Shaw as the puppet-master controlling his Higgins and Eliza characters were in every home for generations. This reading of Pygmalion is a terrific opportunity to experience this brilliant comedy as Shaw originally conceived of it…

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Britain’s literary power couple Margaret Drabble and Michael Holroyd turn the lens on their own lives.

The two discussed their family stories in a 2001 interview

Holroyd is often credited for the revival of 20th century literary biography. He’s perhaps best known for his mammoth three-volume life of George Bernard Shaw — for which he received an advance of more than a million dollars…

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Shaw Festival’s ‘The Apple Cart’ is a startling speculative fiction that makes the case for the monarchy

Tom Rooney is brilliant as a king staring down a constitutional crisis in George Bernard Shaw’s 1928 play.

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George Bernard Shaw’s thoughts on sex and Shakespeare to be sold

Correspondence between playwright and journalist Charles Hayden Church to be auctioned in London

Back in the 1940s, when American publishers Dodd, Mead & Co wrote to Irish playwright and polemicist George Bernard Shaw, proposing an edition of his collected letters, he said, “There are billions of them … not until my death can any collection be described as complete”.

Shaw continued to write and in 1949, at almost 93 years old, he was still producing letters almost daily.

An archive of correspondence between the playwright and UK-based American journalist Charles Hayden Church (1878-1956), which includes interview notes, and other material relating to Shaw, assembled by Church, will go under the hammer at Bonham’s Fine Books and Manuscripts sale in London on Wednesday, June 21st with an estimate of £8,000-£12,000 (€9,280-€13,921).

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New play highlights improbable friendship between boxer Gene Tunney and Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw

‘Shaw vs. Tunney,’ by Doug Post, is making its world premiere at Theater Wit this week.

Chicagoans endlessly parse their city’s best-known features: pizza and hot dogs, crime and weather, the blues and the Cubs. While other significant aspects of Chicago are too often simply ignored.

Boxing, for instance. Chicago was a big boxing town. The top three heavyweight champions of the 20th century — Jack Johnson, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali — all lived in Chicago.

Johnson was locked in Cook County Jail for violating the Mann Act — the law passed by Congress attempting to stop him from having relations with white women. Louis won his first championship at Comiskey Park. Ali fought in the Golden Gloves in Chicago, would have fought here for a title, too, but local officials cancelled the bout to punish him for being a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War.

And the boxing match that contained what many considered the greatest moment in professional boxing — if not in all athletics — the famous “Long Count” between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey took place at Soldier Field in 1927.

Image from

Chicago Sun Times

Almost a century ago. Yet Tunney’s son, Jay, still lives downtown. He is a sharp and energetic 87, and the driving force behind a new play about the improbable friendship between his father and the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, “Shaw vs. Tunney,” by Doug Post, making its world premiere at Theater Wit later this month.

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The Old Vic Theatre have announced a revival of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion.

This autumn, the Olivier Award-winning duo of Bertie Carvel (The 47thThe Crown) and Patsy Ferran (Camp SiegfriedA Streetcar Named Desire) return to The Old Vic stage as Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion.

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By George he’s got it!

George Bernard Shaw found real-life Eliza Doolittle months before his death

George Bernard Shaw had his ‘prayers answered’ when an Eliza Doolittle-style maid was found for him just months before he died, newly-declassified files reveal.

Documents show the Nobel laureate asked Ireland’s ambassador to London in 1950 if he could help find a parlour-maid for his English home in Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire.

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Mrs Warren’s Profession review – Caroline Quentin’s bewitching madam

Theatre Royal Bath
George Bernard Shaw’s discomfiting play finds a commanding lead in Quentin, playing alongside her real-life daughter Rose.

It is clear to see why George Bernard Shaw’s 1893 play was banned by the Lord Chamberlain. It argues the economic case for prostitution, has a plotline of potential incest and makes analogies between sex work and marriage that would doubtless have shocked Victorian society.

The moral argument around Mrs Warren’s profession – the world’s oldest trade – is played out in its central relationship. Here that is played by mother-daughter duo Caroline Quentin (as Kitty Warren) and Rose Quentin (as her disapproving, Cambridge-educated daughter, Vivie).

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SHAW2020 Drop the trailer for their award winning show,

Village Wooing

Village Wooing– Trailer

Dame Judi Dench and friends wish the Shaw Society a happy 80th Birthday.

The Shaw Society’s 80th birthday tribute.