a July 26, 2024 Stratford Times Times Past: Performin BETTY JO BELTON Stratford-Perth Archives The tradition of performing Shake- speare’s plays in Stratford may be older than you think. For example, a “fair sized audience” came out to see these young thespians perform Love’s Labour’s Lost in the City Hall Auditorium in 1927. The actors were all students at the Stratford Normal School or teachers’ college. The college’s beautiful copper-domed Italian Renaissance style building still stands next door to the site of the main Stratford Festi- val Theatre and is now used by the Festival for their bookstore. Students staged at least one of Shake- speare’s plays every year. Their first show was As You Like It in 1913. Sometimes two casts performed the same play and held a friendly competition to see which one did the best job for their audiences. In 1927, two casts performed two different plays. Love’s Labour’s Lost was presented on May 26 and The Tempest on May 27. A newspaper reporter commented that the students were doing “their part in carrying on the tradition of Stratford’s connection with the works of the great writer, a tra- dition that has been fostered through the years in various ways but which found yearly production.” The reviewer goes on to diplomatically observe that while some actors, including Teddy Deichert as the gonslabie, “handled their parts exceeding- . they received fine support from the fed of the compan, An article in that year’s “Classic” year- book for the Normal School, described how “this year’s plays were as well pre- sented as in former years and proved equally popular with the public. Few real- ize the immense amount of work required by the principals in the plays and the trainers to put on these plays. This year, r. L.R. Halnan, Mathematical Master and Miss A. Johnston, Librarian, trained the cast for Love’s Labour’s Lost and de- serve great credit for the success of that production. Mr. H.G. Manning and Miss E.M. Everson were the trainers for The Tempest and were equally painstaking in their work. Miss E.M. Cottle assisted Miss Everson in preparing many of the costumes that could not be secured from the Toronto Costumer. The scenery used, g Shakespeare before the Festival EGE PME MLE SERRE, FEE EE IE LS i RS eR = Stratford Normal School cast Love's Labours Lost 1927 which was very effective and suitable, was painted in 1913 for As You Like It by Mrs. Mayberry, Art teacher. The stage commit- tee which was the same for both nights and consisted of Messrs. Slattery, West, Eidt, McClean, Johnston, Hoff and McLean proved most original and efficient in both plays, but particularly in the first scene of The Tempest representing a storm at sea. Some in the audience declared that it made them feel sea-sick...The great value of the work is, however, manifold. First, there is the value to the members of the casts, who learn their parts so well and attempt to interpret the characters they represent. Second, there is the school spirit aroused, for all are interested, if not actually partic- ipants. Third, there is the interpretation of Shakespeare to the public, with its stimula- tion to further study of this great Master of English literature. The past fourteen years of Shakespearean effort in Stratford Nor- mal School have proven that these plays are ever new. This copy, of the cast photo belonged to Teddy Deichert, who played Dull the constable. His fellow cast members were A.K.C. Seale as Ferdinand, King of Na- varre; R. Speer as Berowne; C. Dunseith as Longaville; F. Kelly as Dumaine; P.P. Pigeon as Boyet; L. Scarrow as Marcade; C. Gardiner as Don Adriano de Armado, Spaniard; Thos. McQuaid as Sir Nathan- iel, a curate; Robt. Knight as Holofernes, a school master; T. Deichert as Dull, a con- stable; W. Stewart as Costard, a clown; Jas. (STRATFORD-PERTH ARCHIVES PHOTO) Lane as Moth, page to Armado; Miss H. Roy as Princess of France; Miss R. Man- son as Rosaline; Miss M. Sugrue as Ma- tia; Miss D. Lennox as Katherine; Miss V. Wyers as Jaquenetta, a country wench; Be- sides Deichert, who can be easily identified by his police officer’s uniform, I am not able to match these names to faces. If you recognize any relatives or a teacher from years past, please contact Stratford-Perth Archives at archives@perthcounty.ca If you’d like to see the original photograph, it’s currently on display as part of the Ar- chives Treasures Old and New exhibit in the James Anderson Gallery. Admission is free. For information about hours and location, please visit www.perthcounty.ca/ en/StratfordPerthArchives STRATFORD Pick Up Locations Erie Street Esso Rutherford Funeral Home Sobey’s rel Strickland’s Toyota a Basics Athens Greek Restaurant Shoppers Drug Mart - Huron Stratford Place Fix Auto Tim Hortons - C.H. 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