Question: What does The Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship and the play The Beard of Avon contend?
Context: Fr Charles Sidney de Vere Beauclerk SJ (1 January 1855 – 22 November 1934) was a Jesuit priest who attempted to turn the town of Holywell into the "Lourdes of Wales".  He was also notable for his connection to the novelist Frederick Rolfe, and for his involvement in the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship. Roger A. Stritmatter (born 21 October 1958) is a professor of Humanities at Coppin State University and the general editor of "Brief Chronicles", a delayed open access journal covering the Shakespeare authorship question.  He was a founder of the modern Shakespeare Fellowship, an organization that promotes Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, as the true author of the works of William Shakespeare.  He is one of the leading modern-day advocates of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, and has been called the “first professional Oxfordian scholar”. Richard Jerome Kennedy (born December 23, 1932, in Jefferson City, Missouri), is an American writer of children's books and a supporter of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship.  He was the first to suggest that John Ford was the author of the 578-line poem "A Funeral Elegy" which in 1995 had been touted by Donald Foster as being written by William Shakespeare. The Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship contends that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and poems traditionally attributed to William Shakespeare.  Though most literary scholars reject all alternative authorship candidates, including Oxford, popular interest in the Oxfordian theory continues.  Since the 1920s, the Oxfordian theory has been the most popular alternative Shakespeare authorship theory. The Derbyite theory of Shakespeare authorship is the view that William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby (1561–1642), was the true author of the works of William Shakespeare.  Derby is one of several individuals who have been claimed by advocates of the Shakespeare authorship question to be the true author of Shakespeare's works. The Beard of Avon is a play by Amy Freed, originally commissioned and produced by South Coast Repertory in 2001.  It is a farcical treatment of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, in which both Shakespeare and his wife become involved, in different ways, with secret playwright Edward de Vere and find themselves helping to present the works of several other secretive authors under Shakespeare's name, including Queen Elizabeth I herself. Travers Christmas Humphreys, QC (15 February 1901 – 13 April 1983) was an English barrister who prosecuted several controversial cases in the 1940s and 1950s, and later became a judge at the Old Bailey.  He also wrote a number of works on Mahayana Buddhism and in his day was the best-known British convert to Buddhism.  In 1924 he founded what became the London Buddhist Society, which was to have a seminal influence on the growth of the Buddhist tradition in Britain.  His former home in St John's Wood, London, is now a Buddhist temple.  He was also an enthusiastic proponent of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship. The Shakespeare Fellowship was the name used by an organization devoted to the Shakespeare authorship question.  Originally it sought to represent all alternatives to the authorship of William Shakespeare, but it later became strongly identified with Oxfordian theory: promoting Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford as the true author of the works of Shakespeare.  The original organisation is now known as "The Shakespearean Authorship Trust". Charles Francis Topham de Vere Beauclerk, Earl of Burford (born 22 February 1965) is a British aristocrat who is heir to the title Duke of St Albans.  He first came to public attention when he attempted to interfere with a debate in Parliament, declaring a bill which proposed to exclude hereditary peers from automatic voting rights in the House of Lords to be treasonable.  He is a writer and exponent of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship. This is a list of confirmed public supporters of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, which was first promulgated in 1920.
Answer: contends that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and poems