SHAKESPEARE CLUB

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1720, 10 April 1913, Page 9

SHAKESPEARE CLUB

•ANNUAL MEETING.:

. i The /annual meeting: of the, .Wellington : Bhakespearo, Club was .-held-'last -evening, ; Mr.' Hi E. ; Nicholls presiding. The annual, rcpo-.t latrttecl that in spito ■ - of many'difficulties tho past year ; had . been' a.'successful one, and though tie. club may not. lnivfi: moved '.'.forward to any ;very great extent it had certainly, held its own, and ltad not gone backward. In face of tile couuter-attraotion.s 1 and pressing calls on'people's leisure, this'' ,!' is considered :no mean achievement. Tho . working, .membership showed a' fair increase' on tho previous year, 'being. H . " ladies and .31. gentlemen, as- against 33 ladies and, 30. gentlemen at 'the end of 1911. 'Honorary hiembers, hovrevcr, fell - ~ off' considerably, there being only 7 'at. ; the end of the year. Tho attendances at the weekly meetings', were ' not, nil that, coiild be desired. With a roll of 75 working members th(> maximum attendance , .•••was' only 39; while' the average 'of tho 21 meetings held wus 1 only 29' (18r ladies ami 11 gentlemen). The fmnual reading competition amongst pupils nt secondary,.schools' was held ,on • ' August JIT. Seveh colnpetitors, representing four out of. the ten secondary schools in Wellington entered, 'and tha."prizes word: awarded to. Miss Dora Pope wi th ffi points, : and M'astsr-C..1. Kisii worth with . 72 points, of tho 'Wellington Girls' and Boys'.,' Colleges respectively. ' Notwithetanding'the small amp.uht of revenue de- , rived froiri tho public readings, ! tho year's ' work shows a .profit.- The receipts amount-; fid to X6O 1?5,.-uiiil tin- expenditure to 'JWI 55.; leaving a debit of. ; 8:;., against which there are outstanding subscriptions ■ amounting to, X 2 lis., most of which ar« considered good, The assets .cixcml the , liabilities by .£ll lis. 4d. With the 1912 session the' club lias coju- , pleted' tho teiith . year, of its' existence. Sinco its inception in 1903,' tho following plays have been studied and read:rrlßD3, "Twelfth Night" and "Macbeth"; 19114, '."King Henry IV;Part I,' and "Much Ado About' Nothing";' 1905, "The Tem-pest"-and "Kiiift..Lear"s 1808,'' "As- Sou Liko It" and "lung'Heury. V"; : 1907,'"Th0 Merchant of. Venice" and '"Julius Caesar";. 1903, "King John", and "A Midsummer Night's l)roam." j 1909,. "Hamlet" and "A Winter'.-- Tale"; 1-JtO, "Kilig 'Richard III" and. "Cymbeline"; 1911, "Love's Labour Lost" and "Othello"; 3912, "The Merry ■ Wivas of. Windsor/' "C.oriolaiius," and "King' Henry IV,'! . Part 11. During its ■ lite,, the club has, says - the. committee, passed through most of tho ..vicissiLades' that, all institutions . appear to.pass through in Wellington—save only , that it has not yet by many a long year rcached the winding-lip At one time (it seems almoHt incrcdibli: now) thu committee hud to limit, the number nt' working members, as the , meeting.", of which'there were two a week, wero getting so unwieldy. -Now, however, the club uppenr? tu.haie teachcd , u more settled. stago of its.existence; it has en-tered-"double figures." The club may be small, it may.'not be-past financial worries, it may lie- a trifle more subdued than ill' its extreme youth, it may ,possibly even lie less ambitious than formerly, but it is doing its work.quietly, sturdily, and is eminently sufficient to provido •mental food and relaxation of a most satisfactory kind for all those who . are privileged to call • themselves members; and for as many more as will avail themselves of the benefits it bestows. The chairman, .in presenting the ;re,port to the meeting, expressed the opinion that the club had not done so badly durjug the year, although, of couiv-.i-', it ' might have dono better. However, they must be thankful for small mercies, and ■ he, thought there'were indications that there would be improvements ■ in the future.. T.iie ■ adoption of I lie. report aim lial-ence-shcet was agreed; to '-without discuswon. Tho election of officers for the ensuing Mason resulted as under:—-Patrons, Sir Kobert Stout and fiir John Pindlay;president, Mr. H. E. Nicholls; vicepros,idonts. Messrs.''-'IS, S. B.ildwin - and W. 'It. Bock . and. Mi.-ses •Knglnnd and Holmes; lion, secretary, Mr. E. U. Caoll6rnallle! assistant . secretary, Mi'. C. v> ■ Tanner; -hon. treasurer, Mr. U. K. Bo;A i committee, Me.isr.;.; Buckeridge, CioiHVpv. njul Wickhiim, aiid- Mill's Sl.allb.ii. mid Prendcville;; hou. auditor, Mr, W. Gerhaiu.