Young Men’s Institute

The Young Men’s Institute (YMI) was an organization founded in Cape Town in the 1860s.

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, where the Institute Assembly Hall could be used for performances.

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 in South Africa (circa 1860-1870), 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 (White) and The United States Mail (White).

In November 1868 they did the burlesque called The Nervous Cures and White's 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 this occasional parliamentary group may even have done other performances in the year, including a benefit performance for the widow and children of Mr T. Brazier in July, 1871.

Performances of the Club

Unless otherwise stated, the company normally performed in the Institute Assembly Hall, Cape Town. The company seemed particularly fond of the farces of Thomas J. Williams (1824-1874)[1].

In 1870:

30 March: Founding performance of the YMI, done by "members of the Legislative Assembly". Performed were: As Mad as a Hatter (Anon./Marshall?) and The Irish Tutor (Butler), while the Brass orchestra of the 11th Regiment also played.

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

11 May: No mention of the plays performed.

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

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.

5 July: All that Glitters is not Gold (Morton) and scenes from King John (Shakespeare) performed by the company in the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Cape Town. The main performers were Webster, Brazier, Devere, Leffler, and various women including Mrs Brazier, with Mr Yorke as guest performer.

9 July: A scene from Henry VIII (Shakespeare) and parts of acts 3 and 5 of Hamlet (Shakespeare) performed by the company in the St Aloysius Hall, Cape Town. Once more the leading actors were Webster, Brazier, Devere, Leffler, with Mr Yorke and Mr Davenport as guest performers.

26 July: A Charming Pair (Williams) and My Dress Boots(Williams)

25 August: The Jeweller of St James (Suter/De St Georges and De Leuven) and Matchmaking (Poole/)

2 September: The Scholar (Buckstone) and The Waterman (). A benefit evening for Miss De Courtney.

Also planned for September was the first performance of a new, specially written "Three-Act Drama" called Lisnamoe, by "a young lady of Cape Town". It was to have been a farewell benefit for Brazier, but was not done because of his illness.

19 December: A "Sick Benefit" was held for Brazier, with performances of The Scholar (Buckstone) and A Terrible Tinker (Williams).

In 1871:

28 July: The "members of the Legislative Assembly" (undoubtedly in association with members of the Club) presented a benefit performance for the widow and children of Mr T. Brazier, who had died in January. The plays performed were A Charming Pair and To Paris and Back for £5. The latter play was apparently repeated in August, 1871.

Sources

W.J. Mahar. 1999. Behind the Burnt Cork Mask: Early Blackface Minstrelsy and Antebellum American Popular Culture. Volume 442 of Music in American life. University of Illinois Press, 1999

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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