Cape Town Dramatic Club

The Cape Town Dramatic Club was an amateur society active in Cape Town in the 1850s,

Also found as the Cape Town Theatrical Club.

The club was the source of the spin-off society, the Alfred Dramatic Club (later Royal Alfred Dramatic Club), founded by dissident members in 1860. For occasionally they performed with the new company under a joint name (company called the Cape Town and Royal Alfred Dramatic Club.

The Cape Town Dramatic Club

The Cape Town Dramatic Club (originally founded as the Cape Town Theatrical Club) was a male-only amateur dramatic society founded at Mr Welch's residence in Buitekant Street, in the Cape Town in 1857 or 1858 by or under the auspices of Senator R.W. Murray, who was the first President of the club, and made use of the Harrington Street Theatre for their activities.

According to separate lists provided by Murray and Groom (see Bosman, 1980: pp. 142-3), members over time included William Groom (director, stage manager, designer, etc for the club) William Sherman, John Ross Jnr, Mr Aldridge, Mr Westropp (secretary), G. Galt, George Prince, E. Christian, Mrs Hutchinson, Miss Hutchinson (later Mrs Wood), Mrs Maston, Mrs Forrester, Miss Wilters, James Ansdell, J. Rowe, Mr Hawthorne, Dr Pitt, Dr Palgrave, I.R. Taylor, Mr Benjamin and Mrs Sefton Parry.

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Little is known of their own productions, but after his return to Cape Town in 1857, Sefton Parry utilized the club members (as well as those from other local companies) to produce his pantomime and other productions in the Drawing Room Theatre, which he had had constructed for his use, even though some acrimony apparently existed between Parry and the club members at various times. (See also Sefton Parry)

Several professional performers, besides Parry and his wife, worked with and/or appeared for the club on occasion; among them J.E.H. English, Charles Fraser and Clara Tellett.

The opposition to Parry came to a head in 1860,and Parry and a number of the members broke away to form an own company, Alfred Dramatic Club, while the original club was reorganized to offer a series of performances in the Cabinet Theatre.

The Alfred Dramatic Club and the Royal Alfred Dramatic Club (or R.A.C.)

The newly formed Alfred Dramatic Club soon had almost 40 members and worked largely as a semi-professional company, with Sefton Parry as manager and G.H. Galt as secretary. The new Club limited itself to popular programmes and performed in the new Theatre Royal which Parry had had built in Harrington Street, more or less alternately with Parry's more serious fare with his professional company.

Having attended the Club's first production (The Irish Tutor) on 15 September of 1860, the visiting Prince Alfred bestowed his name upon them, so henceforth the company was known as the Royal Alfred Dramatic Club (or at times the Royal Alfred Club (R.A.C.).

Among their more prominent members and performers, besides Sefton Parry and his professionals, were Messrs St George, Milton, St Clair, Kingston, Murphy, Cresswell and H. Seymour. Women who appeared in the plays included Mrs Delmaine and Miss Delmaine.

Another important member appears to have been the celebrated traveler and painter Thomas Baines, who undertook much of the scene painting and was responsible for the amazing mechanical marvels introduced in performances.

Their performances under both names include:

In 1860:

22 August and 15 September: The Irish Tutor (Butler), songs and dances by Miss Powell and The Maid and The Magpie, or The Fatal Spoon (Byron). Led by Sefton Parry, the performers in this case included the professionals Mrs Parry, Mrs Delmaine and Miss Powell and the amateur comedian Murphy.

25 November: Dido, The Queen of Carthage (Durnand) and The Irish Tutor (Butler), with the brass orchestra of the 59th Regiment.

3 December: Dido, The Queen of Carthage (Durnand) and Who Do You Take Me For? (Morton?), with the brass orchestra of the 59th Regiment.

17 and 20 December: The Little Treasure and The Hundred Pound Note (Peake). The first performance was done as a benefit for Mrs Delmaine.

27 December: The Happy Man (Lover) and, by special request, Dido, The Queen of Carthage (Durnand).

In 1861:

10 January: Fra Diavolo, or The Beauty and the Brigands and A Night at Notting Hill (Yates and Harrington).

23 February: A "grand gala night" with a reapet of Dido, The Queen of Carthage (Durnand) and The Irish Tutor (Butler).

The Cape Town and Royal Alfred Dramatic Club

In 1861 the amateur members of the Royal Alfred Dramatic Club rejoined forces with the Cape Town Dramatic Club on occasion - in such cases referred to as the Cape Town and Royal Alfred Dramatic Club - and undertook a few co-presentations in the Theatre Royal during the 1861-1862 season.

In 1861:

On 11 February: The Lonely Man of the Ocean with new scenery and mechanical arrangements by Mr T. Baines.

On 7 March: My Friend in the Straps (Selby) and Othello a "musical extravaganza" by an anonymous author.

On 11 and 14 March: "Entertainment St George"

On 1 August: The Rivals (Sheridan), a dance by Lizzie Powell and The Bonnie Fishwife (Selby)

In 1862:

On 2 and 9 September: Helping Hands (Taylor), an operetta called No!!! (Clarence), and a song by Mr Beverley.

On 23 September: The Cure, with Still Waters Run Deep (Taylor), the latter performed by the Cape Town Dramatic Club alone.

On 30 September, 2, 6 and 14 October: a "musical burlesque" billed as The Colleen Bawn (actually Miss Eily O'Connor by Byron).

Sources

F.C.L. Bosman, 1928. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: J.H. de Bussy. [1].

F.C.L. Bosman, 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II: 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik.

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.

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