![]() ![]() Playfair – a favourite comedian, and Captain George Augustus Frederick FitzClarence – aid-de-camp to Marquis of Hastings.Ĭhowringhee Theatre apart, at least two of its leading personalities had some deep involvement in the making of homegrown theatre in Calcutta. Grant- a Calcutta advocate formerly a judge of the Bombay High Court, William Linton – organist of St- Johns Cathedral and a favourite vocalist of his day, George Chinnery- a painter of worldwide fame, Thomas Alsop- Magistrate of Calcutta, J C Doyle – Military Secretary to Lord Hastings, Captain W. L, Richardson – a Shakespearean scholar of undying fame teaching in Hindu College, Henry Meredith Parker of the Bengal Civil Service – sometimes Secretary and then a Member of the Board of Revenue, J H Stocqueler – the founder-editor of Englishman, Sir J. The kindred souls closely associated with its planning and functioning in its different phases were ‘all aristocrat educated Calcutta citizens engaged in business and industry ’ such as: Dr Horace Hayman Wilson – Eminent British orientalist directly involved in education and research in Sanskrit literature and dramatic art, Captain D. The Amateur Dramatic Society, established by Dr Horace Hayman Wilson with a few of his European friends, had been primarily responsible for founding the Theatre. ![]() ![]() Courtesy Commons William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland.(1784–1849). After: Sir Joshua Reynolds Print made by: John Jones | 1794 | British Museum William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst (1773-1857). Also known as Francis Rawdon (1754-1826) Portrait. The Theatre, which grew on private donations by shares of Rs 100 each, and was often called a ‘private subscription theatre’, remained unvaryingly under government protection until theatricals were rendered unfashionable under Lord Bentinck’s regime. The recently appointed Governors-General, the Earl of Moira graciously inaugurated the opening ceremony and continued his patronage contributing liberally on every occasion. The theatre-goers were kept waiting in earnest for Chowringhee Theatre to come and celebrate its opening gala night on November 25, 1813. There had been no standing theatres in Calcutta for a long while. CHOWRINGHEE THEATREĬhowringhee Theatre was founded in 1813 by the Amateur Dramatic Society and ultimately grew into more like a professional English theatre with the induction of paid artists to play along with the amateurs. ![]() Calcutta Theatre apart, a few short-lived English theatre houses came up as private initiatives, each became a part of history but none had become a historic entity, as the Chowringhee Theatre and Sans Souci were regarded in near future. The first one, named Play House, died young leaving little or no memory behind but a rare witness of Daniel’s well-known painting while the other, Calcutta Theatre, had a long eventful life of amateur theatre that ended in 1808 after a decade of pitiful existence of suffering from utter social neglect. Theatres were born out of social necessity in the late eighteenth century Calcutta as amateur enterprises. Sooner than the factors and writers populated Town Calcutta and before the English ladies totalled twenty above, the early settlers established English playhouses to bring about their national amusement – a mainstay of their social life. Under the Regulating Act of 1773 Calcutta was established as the seat of the John Company’s government in British India. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |