Young Men’s Institute

The Young Men’s Institute (YMI) was an organization founded in Cape Town in 18**.

The club and venue

They initially met in the Mutual Hall, but in 1868 the Cape Town Institute and Club Limited opened their own new building - the Cape Town Institute and Club - in Burg Street.

Theatrical activities and entertainments

The Young Men’s Institute hosted a popular entertainments (mainly "Literary" and "Musical") in Cape Town from 1867 to 1870.

Young Men’s Institute Amateur Christy’s

During the heyday of the minstrelsy period (circa 1870), the YMI club hosted a very active amateur dramatic society which was informally known as the Amateur Christy's or Young Men’s Institute Amateur Christy’s. It was one of three Christy's companies active in the city at the time. They initially performed in the Mutual Hall, but when the Cape Town Institute and Club Limited opened their own new building in Burg Street on 15 July, 1868, they shifted their activities and used that as their normal venue.

Among the people involved appears to have been a Mr Toogood, possibly one of the leading figures, E. Clifton, Mr Trevenen, Mr Vincent and Mr Charlton.

Their performances consisted of minstrelsy shows and so-called Ethiopian burlesques or Negro farces. Among the presentations mentioned were:

The "negro farces" included The Returned Volunteer from Abessynia; The Young Scamp and The United States Mail.

In November 1868 they did The Nervous Cures and The United States Mail as a benefit for the Oddfellows Library and Reading Room.

In 1869 they were active once more, a highlight being their involvement in the great Juvenile Fancy Fair and Grand Fête organized in the Cape Gardens on 25 February by the Cape Town Institute and Club in support of the victims of the great fires in Uitenhage and Knysna.

The Young Men's Institute and Club Dramatic Company (YMI)

This appears to have been founded by Mr. T. Brazier as a progression from the Young Men’s Institute Amateur Christy’s, as the interest in Christy's style performances seemed to be on the decline. It would become the major company active in the Cape in 1870, and according to Bosman (1980) the most important amateur company, besides the Garrison Players, for the entire period 1863-1873.

Origins

The origins of the new company apparently lie in a unique event where "members of the Legislative Assembly" gave a performance on 30 March, 1870, "for the purpose of aiding in the establishment of a dramatic club in Cape Town" (Bosman, 1980: pp. 274-5). They performed As Mad as a Hatter and The Irish Tutor. The Brass orchestra of the 11th Regiment also played. It seems they may even hyave done other performances in the year.

They would make another appearance on 28 July, 1871, in a benefit performance for the widow and children of Mr T. Brazier, who had died in January. This time the plays were A Charming Pair and To Paris and Back for £5. The latter play was apparently repeated in August, 1871.

Performances of the Club

In 1870:

4 May: Living Too Fast (), The Silent System (Williams).

11 May: No mention of the plays performed.

24 May: Time Tries All () and Found in a Four-Wheeler ().

28 May: Repeat of the same programme

14 June: A Bachelor of Arts (Hardwicke), The Slave Ship (by an unnamed member of the club), A Terrible Tinker (Williams).

18 June: A programme that includes a speech from Hamlet by T. Brazier.

29 June: The Wilfull Ward (Wooler) and A Terrible Tinker.

Sources

F.C.L. Bosman, 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 272-3,

P.J. du Toit, 1988. Amateurtoneel in Suid-Afrika. Pretoria: Academica

Jill Fletcher. 1994. The Story of Theatre in South Africa: A Guide to its History from 1780-1930. Cape Town: Vlaeberg.

[JH/TH]

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