WOMAN'S WORLD

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2745, 14 April 1916, Page 3

WOMAN'S WORLD

! (Continued from Page 2.) ' SHAKESPERE TER-CENTENARY > FESTIVAL 1 The preparations for the Shakespear- , ean Ter-Ceiitenary Festival, which is , to be held in the Town Hall on May i 4, 5, and 6, in aid of the Red Cross Fund, aro now well in hand, and tho 1 festival shows promise of being one of the finest of its.kind ever held in the i Dominion. ' . Tho programme will consist of carefully chosen scenes, dialogues, and character sketches from the works of the immortal bard, and will be performed in tho correct costumes of tho period, thus adding greater charm to the performance. One of the outstanding features of the.programme'will be a- grand pageantry. of Shakespearean heroines and their attendants, which will open the programme each evening by parading through the audience and . mounting the stage in effective groups. Tho fact that Mrs. J. A. Hannah is having the designing of the costumes and the arranging of the groups is a sufficient guarantee that it will be a most brilliant spectacle. The famous "Trial" scene from "Tho Merchant of Venice" is another outstanding item on the programme. In this, the part of Portia will be played by Miss! Ethel Churchill, and that of Shylock will be in the capable hands of Mr. J.,Culford Bell: Comedy will bo well represented bv the "Kitchen Scene," from.. "Twelfth Night," . in which all the parts are being taken by the talented members of the Charley's Aunt Club (Mr. N.' E. Aitken, Mr. W. W. Crawford, Mr. L. Exton, Mr. Phipps : Williams, and Miss Marie Fix). The fantastical side of Shakespeare's work will be portrayed by the beautiful quarrel scene between Oberon and Titania, from "The Midsummer Night's Dream." This scene is being costumed from' entirely original designs by Mrs. James Hannah, and will be most spectacular. The principal parts will be taken by Miss Betty Purdom (Oberon), Miss Vera Pegg .(Titania), and little Hazel Hardwicke (Puck). ! The : following dialogues will be included'in the programme: The church scene from "Much Ado ALout Nothing," Miss Hardinge-Maltby (Beatrice), and Mr. Rowell (Benedick); scene from "The Taming of the Shrew," Miss M. Butler (Kathariria), and Mr. Byron Brown (Petruchio); scene from "Hamlet,", by Miss- Jauio Petrie (Ophelia),.and Mr. J. M. Clark (Hamlet): ! The:following will contribute individual items: Mrs. Phil. Nathan, "Catherine's Speech in Henry VIII," Miss Pauline Brown, "Miranda," from "The Tempest" ; Miss Zita Chapman, "Prince Arthur," from "King John"; and Mr. Sidney Tingey "Brutus," from "Julius Caesar." . ; ,. ■;,•' ■'.'■'',.■ Mr. Robert Parker is arranging for a full /orchestra to play Shakespearean music, and also to accompany the various "catches?;' which occur- in several of the scenes. The Town Hall has been granted rent free; all the performers are purchasing their own costumes; the D:I.C. have made a very generous offer to lend the material for the stage decorations at the: Town Hall ; andi have also put the services .of their designer, ■Mr.-'Fancourt, at the disposal ol- the committee. Both Bartlett and the, Trevor-Studios have made very generous concessions for photographs for advertising purposes; the Charley's Aunt Club have put their rooms at the disposal of the committee for rehearsals, and it now only rests with..the public to : give'this movement their support, and:the Red Cross Fund should benefit to, a very material extent. •