Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap

Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap ("The French Amateur Company") is the Dutch name for a French amateur theatre company originally founded in Cape Town in 1803 by Charles Mathurin Villet.

History

Villet gathered a group of French and Dutch actors to present selections of both classical and Boulevard fare over the course of the next two years, performing under the French motto "Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense" (though the amateur company apparently never used the motto as name, this came later with C.E. Boniface). When doing French plays, the company (like other companies doing French plays before and after) was referred to variously as Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap in Dutch (or in some cases as Een Fransch Gezelschap van Liefhebbers van het Theater, een Fransch Blyspel Gezelschap; die Franse Geselskap or die Franse Amateurs in Afrikaans publications (e.g. Bosman); and in English as the French-Dutch Amateurs, the French Amateur Company, the French Theatre Company or The French Company.

The company performed in the African Theatre and supported and run by French and Dutch citizens. In the earlier period (1803-1805) Villet appears to have been the leading figure, while Mr Delémery (possibly a passing professional actor on his way to Mauritius) was a leading figure from 1805 onwards. Later the names of Nelson and Martin are also given as directors. This particular French company declined after 1806 and, after a brief revival in 1808-9, apparently died out by the end of 1809.

Then a group of amateur and professional players, possibly remnants of the original company led by Charles Etienne Boniface, and referred to as the "French Theatrical Company" or "French Theatre Company" , began to perform in what was called the French Theatre in Berg Street, where they produced a number of French works, including Les Plaideurs (Racine), Le Petit Matelot, ou Le Mariage Impromptu (Pigault Lebrun),

By the end of 1809 this group appears to have amalgamated with Boniface's trilingual Dutch/French/English company performing under the motto Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense in the African Theatre.

See also Charles Mathurin Villet and Charles Etienne Boniface.

Performances

Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap performed a large number of French plays in the original language, including:

In 1803: Les Prisonniers de Guerre (Rousseau), Arlequin Afficheur (Desfontaines and Barré), Les Deux Jumeaux de Bergame (De Florian), Le Revanche Forcé, Toinon et Toinette (Desboulmiers), Le Tableau Parlant (Anseaume), Le Tonnelier (Audinot), Pygmalion (Rousseau), Le Directeur de la Comedie

In 1804: Barnabas (Holberg),

Sources

F.C.L. Bosman, 1928. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: J.H. de Bussy. [1]: pp. 83-92; 116-7; 174;

Du Toit, 1988

Fletcher, 1994;

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