At last Oberon has the festival it deserves

The Rotary Club of Oberon is proud (and excited and thrilled) to present the first Oberon Shakespeare Festival. We have planned a series of events designed to cater for and appeal to the diverse Oberon community and beyond.

We have engaged acclaimed Shakespearean theatre troupe Come You Spirits and they will be a pivotal part of each event.

Oberon Rotary are funding the festival and most events are free to attend. We’re planning a workshop for the residents at the Columbia Age Care facility; and a workshop and performance for the students at Oberon High School.

The two feature events are the Shakespearean Festival Feast and Performance to be held at The Malachi – 14 March (this is the only ticketed event); and a free full performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Oberon Common on the evening of 15 March. You’ll find details of both events below.

But why?

There are some who would ask why Oberon needs a Shakespeare Festival. They might say that Oberon has done quite well for a very long time without one. And they would be right.

Inspired connection

But there is an inspired connection between Oberon (the town) and Shakespeare.

It began when a young Elizabeth Berry, at the age of 22, was transported from Britain to Australia as a convict in 1803. She married Charles Whalan in Sydney in 1810. Charles had also been transported to Australia as a convict arriving in 1791. Elizabeth had eight children, two of them born before she married Charles Whalan. Among them Charles, Elizabeth, and James Whaling.

Charles (the son) married Elizabeth Harper in 1836. Elizabeth Harper, of course, on her marriage, became known as Elizabeth Whalan. James moved to the area then known as Fish River and Bullock Flats around 1833. Charles (the son) and Elizabeth (Harper) followed him a few years later.

Charles (the father) died in Sydney in 1839. Elizabeth Whalan (Berry) joined the family in Bullock Flats sometime after his death. Charles and Elizabeth (Harper) were the first permanent settlers on Fish River. James is credited with the discovery of Jenolan Caves.

That’s the background, now for the mystery …

The Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1861 set apart a site for a village of about 456 acres (185 hectares) adjacent to Bullock Flats, Fish River Creek. Staff Surveyor, J. F. Mann, eventually forwarded his plan to the Surveyor-General in 1863. On this plan the printed name on the map, ‘Bullock Flats’ had a line through it, with the name Oberon printed above it.

Now, who was responsible for altering the surveyor’s map is the subject of myth, legend and some controversy. Some say it was Elizabeth Whalan (Berry), who would have been 82 at the time; some say it was Elizabeth Whalan (Harper), who would have been 52. Certainly, both carried some local influence and both were highly respected and as such would have had access to this map if they had wanted it. And it’s generally accepted that they were both fans of Shakespeare’s work.

We’ll probably never know for sure, but I think it was most likely Elizabeth Whalan (Harper) who altered the map. I like to think, though, that it was with the encouragement and possibly even in collusion with her mother-in-law Elizabeth Whalan (Berry).

It appears that either or both believed that the countryside was a fairyland, and that Oberon, King of the fairies in Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ provided a more pleasing name.

So, can we make sense of all those pretty words?

Shakespeare was, among other things, a master story teller. Many of his stories, though, not original tales but retellings, reimagined popular stories of the time, mythical tales, histories.

So, what’s going on? What makes Shakespeare so special? If it’s not the stories themselves, what is it? There’s the language, the poetry, of course. Shakespeare’s plays were written for a wide audience and were extremely popular with every level of society at the time. But that beautiful poetic language can be dense and difficult for a modern audience. Today his works are often perceived as something for elites, the highly educated, or something not relevant, something to be suffered through at school.

It seems that there’s a magic woven through these tales; something other than the poetic language that has lead people to want to tell and retell these stories for more than 400 years. There can certainly be no doubt that his writings have profoundly affected the way we express ourselves and even the way we tell our own stories.

Revealing the magic

The Shakespearean theatre group ‘Come You Spirits’ promise to reveal the magic of these stories in a fresh and exciting way showcasing the beauty, humour and wisdom of the way they were originally told, but reworking these pieces for a modern audience.

We think it’s going to be fun.

Saturday 15 March 2025

Live at the Oberon Common
A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Acclaimed Shakespearean troupe ‘Come You Spirits’ will perform Shakespeare’s wild adventure comedy ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, live at the Oberon Common. Bring a picnic, a rug or a chair and the family, and be prepared to be transported to a place of myth and magic, love and laughter.

This event is free to attend. You really won’t want to miss this opportunity to see this unique performance.

Free coffee and sausage sandwiches before the show

We will welcome people to the performance space at around 6pm. We’ll be offering free sausage sizzle sandwhiches and free coffee and tea before the show. The show itself kicks of at 7pm and runs about 90 minutes. The event should wrap up at around 9:30pm.

 Put in your calendar. Save the date!