WELLINGTON SHAKESPEARE CLUB.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 108, 3 November 1908, Page 2

WELLINGTON SHAKESPEARE CLUB.

Last evening the Shakespeare Club held its bi-annual public reading, when "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was performed. The play, as read by the members, was a treat to all students and admirers of the Bard. The travesty presents difficulties that require the utmost intelligence in its interpretation, and no complaint can be made against last evening's performers on this score. The cast was as follows :—Theseus, Mr. P. P. Webb; Demetrius, Mr. P. H. Lampen ; Lysander, Mr. J. Zachariah; Egeus, Mr. J. C. Webb ; Philostrate, Mr. W. D. Gorham; Bottom and Pyramus, Mr. H. E. Nicholls; Quince and Prologue, Mr. W. R. Bock ; Snug and Lion, Mr. J. Rutherfurd : Starveling and Wall, Mr. J. C. Webb; Snout and Moonshine, Mr. F. M. Hay; Flute and Thisbe, Mr. C. W. Tanner; Oberon, Miss Culverwell; Titania, Miss Pollock; Hermia, Miss Addie van Staveren; Helena, Miss Mabel HardingeMaltby; Hippolyta, Miss Palmer; Puck, Miss Ivy Gallic Misses G. Martin and C. Simpsqn played Mendelssohn's overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream," arranged as a pianoforte duet. The incidental duet, "I Know a Bank," was sung by Mrs. B. M. Wilson and Miss May Driscoll, and the quartette, "Y-e Spotted Snakes," by these ladies and Messrs F. Laycock and J. Searle. This musical portion was creditable, and formed enjoyable interludes to the play. Mr. , H. E. Nicholls, as Bottom, gave a characteristic interpretation to his part, and received the heartiest round of applause tendered during the evening. Miss Addie van Staveren, who had been called upon to take tho exacting part of Hermia at a few hours' notice, showed no evidence of want of study, and gave a very intelligent fulfilment of that character. Miss Ivy Gallic was a vivacious Puck, and infused into her 1 lines a dainty piquancy. Some of the readers permitted themselves to forget that their work was blank verse, and that the ryfchm must be kept sacred. The ladies did not noticeably err in this respect, though on more than one occasion the accent fell amiss. An interesting feature was the distribution of prizes won at the club's reading competitions by pupils of the day schools in the city. Primary school winners were Eric Rishworth and Marie Fix ; and the secondary school winners were Eleanor Rutherford and Leonard Leary. Mr. J. W. Joynt presented tho prizes to the winners, and mentioned _ that the society had room for more members. The "club meets weekly, and students of Shakespeare would- find a unique advantage by attending tho meetings in the assistance the society could render them in their study of .tho great dramatist's works.