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= "Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense" as motto =
 
This motto, often in the 19th century by charitable organizations and theatrical and other cultural companies, is derived from an Anglo-Norman maxim which apparently originally meant something like "Shame on whomsoever would think badly of it" in  Old French, though at times re-interpreted to mean "Evil to him who evil thinks".[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honi_soit_qui_mal_y_pense] It is most famous for its use as the motto of the British chivalric ''Order of the Garter''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Garter].

= ''[[Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense]]'' as the name of a theatre company=

The motto  on a number of occasions served - formally and informally as the name of certain companies. (In some instances even shortened to "[[Honi]]" in adverts, reviews and other publications.)
 
==Villet's company==

The  motto was first utilized  in Cape Town by the first French-Dutch players in the Cape, best known as [[Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap]] (or the [[French Amateur Company]] in English),  founded by [[Charles Mathurin Villet]]. They clearly have the orginal meaning in mind, for the motto is given in the full phrase '''Consacre a la Bienfaisance, Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense''' (= "Dedicated to charity, Evil to him who thinks ill of it"). However the company never used the motto as the name for their company. 

When [[C.E. Boniface]] became involved with the [[French Theatre Company]] in the period  1807-9, he apparently also used the motto and perhaps even used it as an informal name for the company as well.

'''See also [[Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap]]'''

==The Multilingual company==

With the collapse of the [[French Theatre Company]] and the founding of the [[Dutch]] Company [[Tot Nut en Vermaak]] , the shortened version of the motto, [[Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense]], ''formally'' became the name of a  bilingual (perhaps even trilingual) company. The company was initially referred to as " Het [[Afrikaansche Liefhebbery Gezelschap]]" ("the African Amateur Company") with its first production, that of [[C.E. Boniface]]'s ballet pantomime ''[[Het Beleg van Troyen]]'' in 1813, but assumed its motto as name in 1814, when it was first used in the advertisment for the Boniface's next ballet,  ''[[Sappho]]'', to open on July 4, 1815.  It was an  extremely disciplined and influential multilingual company, managed by [[C.E. Boniface|Boniface]], which performed in [[Dutch]], French, English, or a combination thereof. It appears to have been without competition in 1814-1816, but was then overshadowed by [[Tot Nut en Vermaak]], especially during 1817-18, and in 1819, as English theatre  became strong again, it became part of [[Men Doet Wat Men Kan.

Among its other '''productions''' in this period include:

In 1815: ''[[De Lauwerkrans, of Het Gezag der Wetten]]'' (Ziegler), ''[[De Belagchelyke Zelfmoord|De Belachelyke Zelfmoord]]'' (Martainville), ''[[Eerzucht en Behoefte, of De Huwelyksscheiding uit Liefde]]'' (Patrat), ''[[De Wanhoop van Jocrisse]]'' (Dorvigny), ''[[De Struikroovers van Kalabrien, of De Onveilige Wildernis]]'' (Tréogate), ''[[Jocrisse in Eenen Nieuwen Dienst]]'' (Dorvigny), ''[[Jean-Pierre-Diogenes, of L'Orateur dans un Tonneau]]'' and ''[[Men Doet Wat Men Kan, Niet Wat Men Wil]]'' (Dorvigny).

==Boniface's company==

In 1823 they performed as "[[Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense]]" again, now with [[C.E. Boniface]] as formal manager. Also later referred to as [[Het Zuid-Afrikaansche Tooneel Gezelschap]] or [[The South African Amateurs]] in most adverts. "Honi" became [[Door Yver Bloeit de Kunst]] in 1833 and eventually [[Vlyt en Kunst]] in 1834-1837. All in all had an enormous impact on the development of Boniface's art and on the [[Afrikaans]] theatre in particular.

===The company members===

According to [[W.G. Groom]] (quoted by [[F.C.L. Bosman]], 1928, p 372) the key members of the company - besides [[C.E. Boniface]] himself -  included [[Jannie Overbeek]], [[Michael Wolff]], [[Jan Smalberg]], [[P. Auret]], [[L.P. Biel]], [[G. Martin]], [[Miss Roselt]], [[Miss de Necker]], possibly [[L.H. Meurant]]. From handbills can be added the names of [[B. van de Sandt]], [[D. Disant]], [[H. Roselt]], [[W. Brandt]], [[F. Waldek]], [[De la Sablonière]], [[A. de Waal]], [[W. Burnet]], [[R.S. Allemann]], [[De la Colline]], [[J. Terhoven]], [[A. de Kock]],  [[J. de Kock]], [[K. de Kock]], [[J. Herholdt]], [[C. Brink]], [[Mr Munnik]], [[J.J. Piton]], and [[Miss L.E. Meurant]]. In addition there were many dancers who performed for his company.

===Plays produced=== 

'''In 1923:''' ''[[Het Geweten]]'' (Iffland) ,  ''[[De Keukenhelden]]'', ''[[Verzoening en Rust]]'' (Von Soden), ''[[De Belachelyke Zelfmoord]]'' (Martainville), ''[[Rinaldo Rinaldini]]'' (Vulpius), ''[[Celina, of Het Kind des Geheims]]'' (Pixérécourt), ''[[De Dolzinnige, of De Gewaande Dolleman]]'' ([[Charles Etienne Boniface|Boniface]]) , and ''[[Komplimenten en Wind]]'' (Bretzner) 

'''In 1924:''' ''[[Kabaal en Liefde]]'' (Schiller), ''[[De Verwarde Schaking]]'' (Von Kotzebue), ''[[Les Deux Chasseurs et La Laitière]]'' (Anseaume), ''[[Hugo de Groot]]'' (Von Kotzebue), ''[[De Dronkaart]]'' (Von Kotzebue), ''[[Jérome Pointu]]'' (Beaunoir), ''[[De Barbier van Seville, of De Onnutte Voorzorg]]''  (Beaumarchais), ''[[De Oost-Indien Varer]]'' (Arresto), ''[[De Verstrooiden]]'' (Von Kotzebue),   .
 


'''In 1925:''' ''[[De Burger Edelman]]'' (Molière/Boniface) on 28 May 1825
 
''[[De Vrouw met Twee Mannen]]'' (Pixérecourt) and ''[[The Liar]]'' (Foote) on 15 October 1825.

=The theatre company ''[[Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense]]'' in Grahamstown=

Grahamstown had a [[Theatrical Amateur Society]] [sic], or [[Grahamstown Amateur Company]] which used the same motto in the years 1837-1839.

According to Laidler (Annals, p. 40, cited in [[F.C.L. Bosman]], 1928: pp. 388-390) they apparently produced the following plays:

'''In 1837:''' ''[[The Rivals]]'' (Sheridan) and ''[[Bombastes Furioso]]'' (Rhodes); 

'''In 1838:''' ''[[The Castle Spectre, or The Ghost of Evelina]]'' (Lewis); ''[[The Rivals]]'' (Sheridan); ''[[Bombastes Furioso]]''; ''[[The Tragedy of Chrononhotonthologos|Chrononhotonthologos]]'' (Carey); ''[[The Spectre Bridegroom]]'' (Moncrieffe); ''[[The Midnight Hour]]'' (Inchbald); ''[[Love Laughs at Locksmiths]]'' (Colman Jr); ''[[Fortune's Frolic]]'' and (possibly - though Bosman disputes this) the song ''[[Kaatje Kekkelbek]]''. (However, there is some difference of opinion Bosman and Laidler  on whether the works listed by Laidler for 1938 were performances done in Cape Town - as claimed by Laidler-  or that at least some of them were actually performed in Grahamstown - as argued by Bosman).

'''In 1839:''' ''[[The Innkeeper of Abbeville]]'' (Fitzball); ''[[Love, Law and Physic]]''  (Kenney)

=Sources=

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honi_soit_qui_mal_y_pense

[[F.C.L. Bosman]], 1928. ''Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika'', Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: [[J.H. de Bussy]]. [http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/bosm012dram01_01/]: pp. 79, 118, 122, 134-141, 161, 165, 174, 178, 209, 233, 256, 274-299, 341, 359, 360, 363, 366, 369, 372-379, 388-9. 

[[F.C.L. Bosman]], 1980 

[[Jill Fletcher]], 1994; 

[[P.W. Laidler]], 1926; 

[[P.J. du Toit]],  1988

[TH, JH]

Go to the [[ESAT Bibliography]]

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