POPULAR ACTRESS DEAD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22064, 21 September 1933, Page 2

POPULAR ACTRESS DEAD

MISS BEATRICE DAY COLLAPSE IN REHEARSAL After she had been ill in a private hospital for a week, Miss Beatrice Day (Mrs Wall), who had been well known to Australian and New Zealand theatregoers since 1906, died in Melbourne on September 4. She was aged 68 years. Miss Day collapsed while taking part in the dress rehearsal for the comedy “ Clara Gibbings,” which began a season at the Garrick Theatre, Melbourne, on August 26. _ Miss Day was a graceful and accomplished actress. She had a beautiful voice, with notable clearness of diction. Her acting was impressively natural. In recent years Miss Day might have been termed the last of the representatives of the “ grande dame ” parts of 20 years ago. At the beginning of the South African War Miss Day, who was born in England, was in South Africa touring with the Herbert Fleming Company. The company was in Mafeking when it was besieged lay the Boers, and it played throughout the duration of the siege to help to entertain the people. Between the end of the South African War and 1905 Miss Day played in London with Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, Sir Charles Wyndham, and other leading actor-managers of the time. She came to Australia and New Zealand in 1906 with the Brough-Bouccicault Company as its leading actress. She appeared later with Julius Knight in such popular plays as “The Royal Divorce,” “The Sign of the Cross,” and “Monsieur Beaucaire.” She was also prominent in revivals of “A Message From Mars.” Miss Day served in France as a nurse during the Great War. She is survived by a son, Mr Robin Wall, who is an orchardist in Western Australia. In recent years she interested herself with Mr Gregan M'Mahon in the repertory movement. She established a school for English diction, voice culture, and other phases of training in the art of the theatre. Her latest appearances on the Melbourne stage were with the Gregan M'Mahon Repertory players in “ Disraeli.”