222:. With insufficient money to pay the stage hands and other creditors, the planned two-week run had to be curtailed to six performances. According to Craig, the creditors' agents called at the theatre on the last night to ensure that no property was removed and even searched the bags of the chorus members as they left. Ellen Terry eventually paid the outstanding bills, but the Purcell Operatic Society was essentially bankrupt, and with no funds forthcoming for future productions, finally had to close down.
117:
69:
97:, to create a new staging of the opera for the Society's debut production. Both men were in their mid-twenties at the time, and it was to be Craig's first major outing as a stage director. Craig and Shaw decided to rent lodgings closer to Nannie Dryhurst while they prepared their first production, and moved into a house at 8 Downshire Hill which was to serve as their living quarters, studio, and the offices of the Purcell Operatic Society.
233:, which was to incorporate both English folk songs and songs by Purcell. However, the project was abandoned when the Society folded. After the Purcell Operatic Society's demise, Shaw and Craig went on to collaborate on three other productions, all with Craig as designer/stage director and Shaw as music director:
19:
104:
had given him. From the outset, the
Society was run on a shoe-string using gifted amateur musicians and singers (75 in all), recruited from Martin Shaw and Nannie Dryhurst's Hampstead friends, supplemented by two professionals for the leads. Shaw arranged the scores, rehearsed and trained the singers
109:, also worked on their productions as did the painter Jean Inglis and the scenic artist William Thompson Hemsley. Rehearsals took place in private houses in Hampstead, first in a large room in Guyon House lent to them by William Boulting, and later at Lested Lodge in
105:
and conducted all the productions. Craig not only designed and directed all the productions, he also produced and illustrated the programmes and designed the
Society's stationery and posters. Neither of them took any pay. Craig's sister,
842:
87:
neighbour, Nannie
Dryhurst, who became the Society's secretary. Interest in Purcell's long-neglected stage works had been revived four years earlier on the bicentenary of his death when
177:. However, reviews criticised the addition of the play which had no obvious connection with the other two works and made the evening very long. Much of the audience had left before
287:, both of which starred Ellen Terry and had incidental music composed by Martin Shaw, were commercial disasters and proved to be the last plays Craig ever directed in England.
1013:
1008:
955:
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Nannie
Dryhurst (1856–1930) was an Irish-born journalist and political radical. She was married to A. R. Dryhurst, an official at the
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180 for the three performance run. Friends made up the shortfall, and the company staged the work again the following year at the
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185:
to provide a similar curtain raiser for their next production, but after showing initial interest in the proposal, she declined.
982:
921:
100:
To pay the initial rent on the
Downshire Hill house, Shaw sold many of his books and Craig pawned the gold watch which
649:
Nannie
Dryhurst and her husband lived at 11 Downshire Hill, across the street from the house Shaw and Craig rented.
411:
The following were the
Honorary and General committee members listed in the programme for the 1900 performance of
633:
493:
361:
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27:
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18:
210:, to let them rent it for only £40 a week. Nevertheless, the production's finances were precarious. The 1901
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had no working capital apart from two or three small donations from friends, including one of £10 from
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960:(edited and annotated by John Kelly, Eric Domville, and Ronald Schuchard). Oxford University Press.
977:
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47:
38:
was a short-lived but influential London opera company devoted to the production of stage works by
22:
874:
War, journalism and the shaping of the twentieth century: the life and times of Henry W. Nevinson
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received its first major staging in almost two hundred years. Shaw recruited his close friend,
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793:(2004) "Purcell's operas on Craig's stage: the productions of the Purcell Operatic Society",
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In July 1902, Shaw and Craig had already started work on the
Society's fourth production, a
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843:"'An Idealist': The Legacy of Edward Gordon Craig’s Formative Productions, 1900–1903"
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147:. It ran there from 25 to 30 March 1901, along with the Society's new production of
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in 1900 was one of the earliest staged performances of the work in modern times.
990:(Note that this extract has been abridged from the original text on pages 26–30)
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whose productions for the company marked the beginning of his career as a
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For a description of
Housman's first encounter with Craig (backstage at
25:'s costume design for the Purcell Operatic Society's 1902 production of
83:
founded the
Purcell Operatic Society in 1899 on the suggestion of his
226:
189:
809:
Chamberlain, Franc (2008). "Introduction" to Craig, Edward Gordon.
46:
and folded in 1902. Its stage director and production designer was
951:
254:
67:
815:. Taylor & Francis (first published in 1911), pp. vii–xvi.
42:
and his contemporaries. It was founded in 1899 by the composer
376:(10 March, with five more evening performances + one matinee)
890:
English Drama, 1900–1930: The Beginnings of the Modern Period
847:
Theatre Arts Journal: Studies in Scenography and Performance
522:
423:
135:
on 17 May 1900, to critical success but a financial loss of
206:
on 10 March 1902. Shaw had convinced the theatre's owner,
628:
The performance took place in November 1895 at London's
120:
Guyon House in Hampstead where the first rehearsals of
76:, which was the Purcell Operatic Society's headquarters
906:
Experimental theatre: from Stanislavsky to Peter Brook
828:
Beyond the mask: Gordon Craig, movement, and the actor
181:
even started. Despite the criticism, Craig approached
636:, who had been one of Martin Shaw's teachers at the
799:, Vol. 32, Issue 3, August 2004, pp. 442–458
733:Roose-Evans (1989) p. 46; Chamberlain (2008) p. x
615:, but for several years was also the mistress of
957:The Collected Letters of W.B. Yeats: 1901–1904
928:Shaw, Martin and Craig, Edward Gordon (1902).
619:. See John (2006) p. 90 and Yeats (1994) p. 52
8:
188:The company's third and last production was
54:. Their debut production of Purcell's opera
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930:Souvenir Acis and Galatea, Masque of Love
941:. Rowman & Littlefield (file copy).
938:British theatre in transition, 1889–1914
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115:
17:
604:
389:(preparation work begun in July 1902)
214:revival had not made any profit, and
7:
1014:Organizations disestablished in 1902
351:(26 March 27, 28, 30 + one matinee)
804:Gordon Craig: The Story of his Life
777:All dates from Burden (2004) p. 444
1009:Musical groups established in 1899
14:
893:. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
755:) and Craig's subsequent work on
165:, Craig's mother, also performed
759:, see Housman (1937) pp. 185–193
978:"The Purcell Operatic Society "
72:The house at 8 Downshire Hill,
1:
825:Eynat-Confino, Irène (1987).
742:Burden (2004) pp. 444 and 452
470:Sir A C. Mackenzie, Mus. Doc.
276:(Imperial Theatre, May 1903).
161:. To help pull in audiences,
903:Roose-Evans, James (1989).
768:Chamberlain (2008) pp. x–xi
395:† The programme began with
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925:. Oxford University Press.
887:Nicoll, Allardyce (2009).
368:Great Queen Street Theatre
204:Great Queen Street Theatre
954:, William Butler (1994).
935:Woodfield, James (1984).
812:On the art of the theatre
634:Charles Villiers Stanford
494:Charles Villiers Stanford
444:Sir J.F. Bridge, Mus. Doc
871:John, Angela V. (2006).
802:Carrick, Edward (1968).
473:Sir G. Martin, Mus. Doc.
260:The Vikings at Helgeland
36:Purcell Operatic Society
1004:British opera companies
986:, the autobiography of
685:Woodfield (1984) p. 152
317:Hampstead Conservatoire
133:Hampstead Conservatoire
841:Fisher, James (2009).
638:Royal College of Music
499:Hamo Thornycroft, R.A.
382:Harvest Home, a masque
285:Much Ado About Nothing
273:Much Ado About Nothing
202:) which opened at the
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919:Shaw, Martin (1929).
667:Craig and Shaw (1902)
583:Dr. G. Danford Thomas
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865:The Unexpected Years
724:Burden (2004) p. 453
706:Carrick (1968) p.147
694:Burden (2004) p. 448
676:Carrick (1968) p.117
658:Carrick (1968) p.127
599:Notes and references
52:theatre practitioner
540:Rev. Dr. E.A. Abbot
447:Charles Charrington
247:(Great Hall of the
555:Charles Woodward,
546:Edward Bell F.S.A.
429:Miss Janet Achurch
357:The Masque of Love
337:The Masque of Love
298:Work(s) performed
249:Imperial Institute
200:The Masque of Love
179:The Masque of Love
149:The Masque of Love
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32:
932:. J J Waddington.
860:Housman, Laurence
849:, Vol. 1, No. 1.
715:Shaw (1929) p. 29
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552:J. Spencer Curwen
549:Rev. S.B. Burnaby
537:Mrs A.R. Dryhurst
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325:(17 May 18, 19)
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265:Imperial Theatre
251:, December 1902)
238:Laurence Housman
216:Acis and Galatea
198:(performed with
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169:'s one-act play
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574:James Nolan
505:, Mus. Doc.
496:, Mus. Doc.
483:, Mus. Doc.
437:Ellen Terry
403:'s company
401:Ellen Terry
291:Productions
281:The Vikings
163:Ellen Terry
107:Edith Craig
81:Martin Shaw
44:Martin Shaw
998:Categories
580:James Shaw
557:Hon Treas.
158:Dioclesian
153:semi-opera
124:took place
983:Up To Now
922:Up to Now
855:2076-667X
757:Bethlehem
530:Hon. Sec.
370:, London
345:, London
319:, London
245:Bethlehem
229:entitled
111:Well Walk
85:Hampstead
74:Hampstead
862:(1937).
301:Theatre
806:. Knopf
785:Sources
407:Members
64:History
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227:masque
190:Handel
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173:as a
962:ISBN
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911:ISBN
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479:Sir
374:1902
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34:The
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