SHAKESPEARE’S WORKS.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 March 1922, Page 5

SHAKESPEARE’S WORKS.

READING SOCIETY FORMED. The suggested formation of a Shakespeare reading club in New Plymouth was the object of a meeting held in the Victoria League rooms last night. There was an attendance of about forty, and the Rev. 0. Blundell was voted to the chair. In explaining the obpects of the meeting, Mr. L. Etherington recalled that sometime ago members of the Victoria League formed a reading circle. On the whole they had a season of fairly good reading. The membership was about thirty, mostly, to their credit, he thought, of the gentler sex. There did not appear to ’be a vital interest in Shakespeare among the male section. Last year they had read three of Shakespeare’s plays* but were not able to do what he thought was part of the recognised functions of a club, namely, to present a reading in public, firstly, because they were not strong enough, and secondly, because they wanted more male readers.

■Questions to i be discussed by the meeting, Mr. Etherington said, were whether members of the club should be members of the Victoria League, or whether this should be optional. Personally, he thought that all joining should pay a subscription to the league, though they need not take any advantage of membership if they did not wish to do so. Mr. Etherington proceeded to explain the procedure adopted by the Victoria League circle last year. CONSTITUTION OF SOCIETY. ■lt was decided to form a “New Plymouth Shakespeare Reading Society,” and the meeting proceeded to discuss the constitution. The aims, which are to 'be embodied in the rules, are: Firstly, to familiarise members with the works of Shakespeare, and secondly, to foster a taste for literary and dramatic study. Membership is to be open to all who are in sympathy with the objects of the society. The society is to comprise all members of the Victoria League reading circle as instituted last year, and any persons, proposed and seconded for membership and elected by the committee. The president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, and four members, of which two shall be women, will constitute the committee. Weekly meetings are to be held each year from April to October. GENERAL. The following office bearers were elected: President, the Rev. O. Blundell; vice-presidents, Mr. R. H. Rocket, and the Rev. F. G. Harvie; secretary, Mrs. Le May; treasurer, Mr. O. Johnson; committee, Mesdames Hughes and Holbrook, Messrs. J. D. Hay and L. Etherington. The question of the annual subscription was hold over. Mr. Etherington expressed disappointment that more interest was not displayed in the project by men, as he had hoped to see a good many male mem- , bers. The meeting carried a recommendation to the committee that the play chosen for the first reading be “As You Like It.” The committee was empowered to go into the question of procuring a meeting room, and it was decided to assemble on Thursday nights. The matter of admitting non-reading members was discussed, and it was decided that any desiring to attend under this class be welcomed. A vote of thanks was passed to the Victoria League for the use of the room for the meeting.