Evening star., 1936-07-26
TN MANY parts Of the world tn

i MANY parJS OF tne WOTlQ LIlere
are Shakespearean festivals in the
Summer time. In many parts of
- America outdoor festivals featur-
ing Shakespearean plays are given in
July and August each year; and this
is becoming more and more custom
that the American people approve
and appreciate. In Southern Cali
fornia. at the Pasadena Playhouse,
last season and this, have been pro-
duced a succession Of plays written
by one Master Will Shakespeare, and
pilgrims have attended the plays and
the festival which is known as
The Pasadena Playhouse Midsummer
Is to August /, this season.
Among the plays given this year at
the Pasadena Playhouse have been the
Graeco-Roman cycle Of plays, as
against the English history cycle given
last year. In the 1886 season have
been seen "Troilus and Cressida,"
"Timon of Athens" "Pericles, Prince
of Troy" all of them Greek plays.
Then came the Roman series. Corr
olanus,' Julius Caesar" Anthony
and Cleopatra" and "Cymbeline.
Here in the Capital City there is
the National Sylvan Theater at the
Washington Monument, and there,
from time to time in the past ten
years or more. have been presented
many Of Shakespeare's plays in the
open air in the Summer time. The
Community Drama Guild, several
years ago, began the practice of play
ing Shakespeare in the shadow of the
Monument, when THE Tempest" was
given with a notable Washington cast
of players, which included Denis E.
Connell, Robert Halsted, Anne Ives,
and others prominent in the city's
thespian circles. Before that hap
pened, there was performance by
the Shakespeare Society of Washing
ton. almost dozen years ago. of "As
You Like It." with such tried and
true disciples of Shakespeare as the
Rev. Earle Wiley as Jacques, Mabel
Owens Wilcox as Rosalind, Maurice
Jarvis as Orlando, and Clarence Rueb-
sam as Touchstone.
For a number of years now the Com
munity Center Department and the
Office Of National Capital Parks has
jointly conducted the Summer fes-
tivals at the Sylvan Theater, with
notable amateur groups of the Capt.
tai City participating in the success
sion of plays and pageants given dur
ing the months of June, July and
August, attracting thousands OF per-
sons from all parts Of the country to
the festival programs. More and more
are these programs verging toward
presentation of Shakespearean drama,
and more and more is the public re-
spending to the presentation with an
enthusiastic regard for the classics.
Just last week a scene from THE
Tanning of the Shrew" illicited city
wide acclaim, and enthusiasm greeted
the announcement that next year the
famous comedy will be given in full
length form at the Monument.
THREE years ago. the Washington
Players gave fascinating version
of Shakespeare's fairy play, "A Mid
summer Nights Dream" and so widely
did this Midsummer idyl seize upon
the imaginations of the people of
Washington that the original two
nights production was extended to
three-and huge crowds attended every
performance. Last year, the play was
repeated for two nights to an equal
number of drama lovers; and this
season 1t will be given for the third
time on August 18, because Of CITY,
wide interest and tribute to the charm
of the fairy story woven by the Bard
of Avon. Practically the same cast
of Washington Players will be seen for
this third annual presentation; which
calls for the Mendelssohn music
score, dances, song. and spectacle.
This week, on Tuesday night, there
will be given in the Sylvan Theater
two brief versions of plays by Shake
speare, by the Washington Players.
They will present something bit new
in Shakespearean production, in that
a Roman tragedy, Julius Caesar" will
be offered first, followed. after a
musical interlude, by a Greek comedy,
THE Comedy Of Errors" The same
cast. to all intents and purposes, will
be seen in the two plays; thus forming
unique and appealing evening in
the outdoor theater at the Washing
ton Monument.
They will not bs played In Eliza
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