Shaw Festival London 2026: Candida: An Oedipal Crisis by Dr. Audrey McNamara (UCD)
This event is part of Shaw Festival London 2026, presented by the Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith in partnership with The Shaw Society. Festival announcement: We are delighted to announce that Dame Siân Phillips – celebrated actress, Vice-President and Trustee of The Shaw Society will officially open the inaugural festival at the Irish Cultural Centre on Friday 10 July.
In what promises to be a gripping lecture, Dr. Audrey McNamara, a leading expert on Shaw, will examine Shaw’s lasting influence and delve into the central themes of his 1894 play Candida.
In his works, the celebrated playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw revealed the darker sides of Victorian society, including slum landlordism, infidelity, and prostitution. Focusing on the intricate dynamics of love, marriage, and power, Dr McNamara will reveal how Shaw challenged traditional Victorian ideas about romance and gender roles, offering a thought-provoking exploration of human relationships.
The Lecture is part of the three day “Shaw Festival – London 2026”. It is organised by the. ICC in partnership with “The Shaw Society”
Doors: 4.30pm; Starts: 5pm
Tickets: £5 OR £30 Festival Ticket
Biography: Dr Audrey McNamara
Dr Audrey McNamara is Vice-President of the International Shaw Society and is a lecturer in University College Dublin. She is the author of Bernard Shaw; Reimagining Women and Ireland (Palgrave Macmillan 2023). Other works include the edited collection Bernard Shaw and the Making of Modern Ireland (Palgrave Macmillan 2020), Shaw: The Journal of Shaw Studies:36.1 Shaw and Money (2016) and 46.1 Shaw and Ireland (2026) (Penn State University Press, The Eugene O’Neill Review; Special Issue Vol 39.1 (Penn State University Press 2018). She has also published multiple articles on the work of Bernard Shaw and has also published on the work of Conor McPherson, Enda Walsh and Benjamin Black. Dr McNamara is also a member of Pennsylvania State University Press editorial board.
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