Happy Hour: Jane Austen and You (National Event)

After 250 years, why are Jane Austen’s novels still so popular? Jane Austen (1775-1817) is one of the most famous writers in English literature. Her books are read by people all over the world and have been made into countless TV, film, theatre, and radio adaptations. She is known for her sharp wit, social commentary […]

Happy Hour ESU Mongolia: How English Was Introduced in an East Asian Country (National Event)

Sponsored by the ESU Mongolia and Central Pennsylvania Branches. The English-Speaking Union is a worldwide nonprofit education-based organization spanning the globe with international branches in 66 countries from Albania to Yemen. All ESUs worldwide are connected through the ESU International Council. The President of the ESU International Council is Professor Bolormaa also known as Bella from […]

Branch Mystery Movie

Alamo Theatre 375 Merchant Walk Square, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

Mystery Movie – Not a mystery this coming year. It will be the family-friendly Pirates of Penzance. Venue: The Alamo Theater. Time: 12:00 Noon. Children’s best Pirate Hat contest. Winner – free Jumbo Popcorn. Don’t miss this opportunity for the families of our younger members, or the grandchildren of more seasoned members, having a great time […]

Branch Informal TLAB Presentation

Informal TLAB presentation by our TLAB winners of their experiences, and take-aways, of studying in the UK. 3:00-5:00. Invariably a fascinating, and animated, report.  Hospitality Committee event. Free. Venue to be determined. Members seriously encouraged to attend. Support our teachers and their schools.  Free.

FREE

Happy Hour: Churchill’s D-Day

Operation Overlord was the code name for the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Western Europe during World War II, launched on June 6, 1944 (D-Day). It was the largest amphibious invasion in history, involving 160,000 troops landing across five Normandy beaches. Winston Churchill, while cautiously supportive, initially held reservations about potential heavy losses but ultimately ensured […]

Free

Happy Hour: Adelaide Robineau: Breaking the Porcelain Ceiling (National Event)

Adelaide Alsop Robineau, (1865-1929) is considered one of America’s preeminent studio potters. She began her ceramics career as a china painter, painting designs on porcelain blanks produced by other craftsmen. After moving to Syracuse with her husband in 1901, Robineau started experimenting with making her own porcelain forms. She quickly became a master of the medium, […]

Free

Branch Waterperry Farm Tour (Free Union)

Waterperry Farm 4284 Ballards Mill Road, Free Union, Virginia, United States

(Rain Date is Sunday April 26th) - Waterperry Farm (Free Union) – Private Guided Tour by Owner-Designer, Katherine Kane at 4:00. Prosecco and Hors D’oeuvres at the Pool House at the end of the tour (rest rooms available). One need not be a garden-lover to find these elegant gardens, their inspiration, glass in hand, to […]

2026 ESU National Shakespeare Competition Weekend

The ESU National Shakespeare Competition returns to New York City for an unforgettable weekend of fun, education, and performance. From Saturday, April 25 to Monday, April 27, students, parents, teachers, and ESU members will gather for three exciting days in the Big Apple. Competition Weekend features a full lineup of activities, including a New York […]

Happy Hour: Elizabeth I: in Her Own Words (National Event)

The New York City Branch of the English Speaking Union invites you to join us on  May 13, 2026 at 5PM EDT ESU National Board Member Mary Coleman Way in Conversation with Tamara Meneghini on Elizabeth I: in Her Own Words A critically acclaimed one-woman play, by Carole Levin, in collaboration with Tamara Meneghini and Sabin Epstein, […]

Free

Happy Hour: The History of Shakespearean Theatre in Hawaii (National Event)

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 • 5:00 PM ETSponsored by the ESU Hawaii and Seattle Branches Did you know that Edwin Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth (President Lincoln’s assassin), performed Shakespeare plays in the Kingdom of Hawaii in the 1850s? And he wasn’t alone. The Hawaiian Kingdom hosted many actors who came to the fabled islands to […]

Free

Branch Annual Garden Party

June 7 – The Annual Garden Party, from 4:00 to 7:00. Venue TBD. More information to be communicated. Come toast the King with President Phil’s Pimm’s No. 1 cup. Secret judges (two men, two women) will determine, respectively, the best chapeau/hat of the day. The winners will receive a bottle of Champagne.