Shakespeare dreams. A lecture on the works of William Shakespeare by English professor David Scott Kastan drew big crowds to the Beinecke Wednesday afternoon. Kastan began and closed his speech by making reference to lyrics from the Eurythmics, an influential rock group from the ’80s.

Supreme Court bound? Connecticut lawyer Karen Torre gained fame in 2009 when she successfully argued for a group of New Haven firefighters in front of the Supreme Court of the United States in Ricci v. DeStefano. Now, Torre has filed a motion in a suit filed by another firefighter, who’s claiming the 2003 exam that came into question in the 2009 Supreme Court case did not adequately assess his qualifications. Torre filed the motion because the interests of the firefighters she previously represented are at stake in the current trial, the New Haven Independent reported.

A Peru of One’s Own. The Princeton University Art Museum returned six works of art to Italy in December, ending a decade-long legal battle over ownership of the works, the Daily Princetonian reported on Thursday.

The challenge. Kevin Ryan ’85, the founder of Gilt Groupe, is sponsoring a 24-hour campaign for the Senior Class Gift starting today at 10 a.m. If the Gift can get to 80 percent participation, Ryan will donate $5,000; if it can reach 85 percent, he’ll donate $7,000; 91 percent, $10,000, and if the Gift can beat last year’s record of 97 percent, Ryan will pitch in $15,000. Currently, 74.7 percent of the class of 2012 has donated, according to the Gift’s website.

One semester down. Of the 115 2011 graduates of New Haven public school students who received one of the first scholarships from New Haven Promise last spring, 105 are enrolled in state colleges this semester.

School district on a hill. In a Tuesday article, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof called New Haven “ground zero” for school reform because of the district’s ability to include the teachers’ union in the reform process.

Superstar. North Haven crooner Gabi Carrubba, 16, advanced past the group stage of American Idol on Wednesday night, making Idol judge Jennifer Lopez sway in her seat to her group’s version of Duffy’s “Mercy.”

THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY

1988 The Gay and Lesbian Cooperative requests that the Yale College Dean’s Office expand its freshperson counseling program to handle the concerns of homosexual freshpeople, calling for the creation of four positions for gay and lesbian counselors.