New English Theatrical Company
It was a company of English amateurs active in Cape Town 1848-9 and possibly till 1851. Groom named the company the New English Theatrical Company, while other writers, e.g. Jill Fletcher, refers to it as Parker's Company, since it had been founded by W.F.H. Parker.
In 1847 they leased the newly renovated Drury Lane Theatre for one season of light dramas and operas. In 1850 they performed at the Victoria Theatre (Hope Street Theatre) and the year after they were back at Drury Lane Theatre, after which they seemed to disappear from the scene.
The quality of their work seems to have been a little suspect however. In January 1849 the company's production of Buckstone's Luke the Labourer received harsh critique from Sam Sly, suggesting that they displayed *** Fletcher (1994) suggests that this criticism actually caused the company to close down temporarily.
The Company members
Founded and managed by W.F.H. Parker, who was once more in Cape Town with his "Theatre of Mechanics" (Automata), but appears to also have moved into more formal theatre. A H. Hughes was stage manager, and the company seemed to be a mix of professional and local amateur players, drawn from the (temporarily defunct) Garrison Players and other local groups.
Performances
The company played on and off in Cape Town from then till 1851, playing in the Drury Lane Theatre and the Hope Street Theatre (by then known as the Victoria Theatre). They performed inter alia Luke the Labourer (Buckstone), Victorine (Buckstone) , The King's Command (Thompson) and Damp Beds (Parry).
(TH)
Sources
Bosman, 1928: pp 417-426.
Fletcher, 1994
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