The Mormons and the Theatre; or, The History of Theatricals in UtahLindsay, John S. (John Shanks)
Religion
The Mormons and the Theatre; or, The History of Theatricals in Utah
Lindsay, John S. (John Shanks)
Latter Day Saints; Theater -- Utah -- History
In the fall of this year Miss Annie Adams revived "The Two Orphans"
with a complete cast of amateurs, excepting herself and Jimmy Harris.
The cast included Mr. Laron Cummings as the Chevalier, Heber M. Wells
as the Doctor, Orson Whitney as Jacques, John D. Spencer as Pierre,
John T. White as Picard, W. T. Harris played Frochard, which fact
certainly denoted a great paucity of female talent here about that
time. Annie Adams played Louise and Delia Clawson, Heriette, which is
as much of the cast as we can gather from Miss Adams' own account of
this performance. So successful was the performance as a whole and so
meritorious the acting of the numerous debutants on this occasion that
Mr. Bud Whitney who was managing the business end of the affair,
proposed the organization of a "Home Club," which should comprise all
of the amateurs who had taken part in "The Two Orphans." The
proposition was readily adopted by those concerned, and out of this
sprang "The Home Dramatic Club." The time was most opportune, for
there was a dearth of dramatic attractions at the time; the old stock
had dwindled until there were but a few of its members left in Salt
Lake, and some new blood and talent was needed to give renewed
interest to home productions. "The Home Dramatic Club," with great
prudence and foresight, secured the ensuing April Conference dates on
which to make their initial bow to the Utah public. It was a good long
time to wait but they were sure of big results in a financial way, and
it gave them plenty of time in which to perfect themselves in their
opening play, which was "The Romance of a Poor Young Man." It was a
good selection, well suited to the young people, and scored a success;
only the older people in the community could remember George
Pauncefort opening in the same play in 1864, and scoring a great
triumph. The club had large and friendly audiences and their
introductory play was pronounced a genuine success, both artistically
and financially. It could not be otherwise than a good paying
proposition, as Conference nights are always a harvest time for the
theatre. So well encouraged were they that the club continued in the
business of playing _occasionally_, whenever they could secure
favorable dates, such as Conferences and other holiday times, for a
number of years. "The Home Dramatic Club" averaged about three or four
plays a year during their career of about ten years. The club being
more of a society affair than a professional theatre company, they
picked their times and opportune ones, and playing so seldom they
never were subjected to the tasks in study and rehearsals and dramatic
work which characterized the busy years of the old stock company. It
was a talented company, however, and no doubt could have made good
under different and more exacting conditions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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