F.R. Benson and His Shakespearean Company - Playbill, 1895
Title
F.R. Benson and His Shakespearean Company - Playbill, 1895
Date
21 October 1895
Description
Playbill for a week of F.R. Benson and His Shaksperian (sic) Company, performing Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, The Merchant of Venice and Romeo and Juliet.
What's the story?
Francis Robert Benson, commonly known as F.R. Benson was an actor/manager specialising in Shakespeare and touring the English regions.
With a background in athletics from his Oxford University days and his early work with Henry Irving, Benson cut a dashing, romantic figure on the stage and as can be seen from this playbill played all the major Shakespearian roles. In this case the title roles in Macbeth, Romeo and Richard III, plus Petruchio, Benedick and Shylock.
In 1895 at the time of these productions Benson would have been 37 years of age, playing the young romantic Romeo.
In 1916 Benson was knighted for his services to theatre.
This Theatre Royal playbill was donated to the Theatre Royal archive by The Nottingham Mechanics on North Sherwood Street in Nottingham. They had been kept in storage in their building for many years and it was only with the launch of the Theatre Royal digital archive in October 2018, that they finally came to light. The Theatre Royal is sincerely grateful to the Nottingham Mechanics for enabling us to bring these playbills to the wider public.
Since 1837 The Nottingham Mechanics Institute has been serving the city of Nottingham as a centre of cultural, educational and social activity.
In its present home on North Sherwood Street groups such as Nottingham Poetry Society, The Dickens Fellowship, Nottingham Shakespeare Society, The Embroiderers’ Club and others meet regularly to enjoy the building’s facilities www.nottinghammechanics.com
With a background in athletics from his Oxford University days and his early work with Henry Irving, Benson cut a dashing, romantic figure on the stage and as can be seen from this playbill played all the major Shakespearian roles. In this case the title roles in Macbeth, Romeo and Richard III, plus Petruchio, Benedick and Shylock.
In 1895 at the time of these productions Benson would have been 37 years of age, playing the young romantic Romeo.
In 1916 Benson was knighted for his services to theatre.
This Theatre Royal playbill was donated to the Theatre Royal archive by The Nottingham Mechanics on North Sherwood Street in Nottingham. They had been kept in storage in their building for many years and it was only with the launch of the Theatre Royal digital archive in October 2018, that they finally came to light. The Theatre Royal is sincerely grateful to the Nottingham Mechanics for enabling us to bring these playbills to the wider public.
Since 1837 The Nottingham Mechanics Institute has been serving the city of Nottingham as a centre of cultural, educational and social activity.
In its present home on North Sherwood Street groups such as Nottingham Poetry Society, The Dickens Fellowship, Nottingham Shakespeare Society, The Embroiderers’ Club and others meet regularly to enjoy the building’s facilities www.nottinghammechanics.com
Type
Playbill
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Researcher: David Longford
Photographer: Ian Webster
Photographer: Ian Webster
