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Show . conalong without their theater, not been tent with their isolation, without something to awaken pleasurable reminiscences of their native land Their sagacious head sensed all this and he at once, gave to the newly formed "Musical and Dramatic Comconpany," ;the "Old Bowery" where the worgregation of saints met for Sabbath ship, and it was there in the only temple or tabernacle Zion had in those days that home theatricals took their rise. If the Church stooped in this, she but gave her helping hand to civilization,. without losing aught of her own caste, for those actors and musicians were her own ordained elders The first play, ever and high priests. produced "it Utah was one called "The Triumph of Innocence" in which Mr. H. P. Richaids took a leading part, but this was previous to the existence of any organized dramatic association. Historical interest is always associated with the first programme of every notable institution, therefore we mention here the first cast of the first dramatic company of Utah. The play pro- duced on the occasion was Robert Mac aire. ' un-equal- ed the drama ,in history of utah. Ellen B. Ferguson. Music and the Drama are two ' of the of - civiliza- most agencies powerful Brigham Young, the leader5 of modern Israel in its exodus to these his profound knowledge of human nature, typed with his New England lion. moun-tains,-wi- th sagacity, evinced consummate wisdom in supplying his people with the means of The social and physical revivification. weariness of travel, and the labors of making new homes, were enlivened by joyous music, familiar songs, "with the merry dance and social ball. Arrived in the valley . of the Great Salt Lake the dance to the Mormon, became almost like an institution, and the ball a social sacrament. Out of the Nauvoo brass band which left Nauvoo with Brighara Young indirectly grew Cur An amalgamafirst theatrical company. tion was effected between the members of the band and certain ladies and gentlemen possessing, dramatic instincts and predilections, several of whom had also been con- nected with theatriqal, before they came in to the isolation of these mountains The project of organizing a company with a combination of the musical and dramatic elements, received the hearty sanction of Brigham Young, and he at once became the patron of the Salt Lake stage. The first dramatic company organized consisted of H. B. Glawson, James Ferguson, Phi Margetts, John Kay, H, K. Whitney, Rob1 Campbell, R. T. Burton, William Clayton and others; the ladies were Miss Oram, Miss Judd (afterwards Mrs. Clawson) and Miss Mary Badlam. Of these, only the first three had received any professional training. " It bore the name of the "Musical and Dramatic Company." The orchestra was composed of members of the Nauvoo Band. . There was a company now, but no theater, nor even a hall of capacity sufficient to give a public performance, while the community were socially striving for public amusements and recreation to enliven the isolation of "a thousand miles from everywhere, ' ' as their locality was then described.The majority of the citizens in 1851 and 1852 were fresh from a land of theaters. years ago was still England, of thirty-fiv- e the England of Shakespear, and not of Boucicault. There were those in Salt Lake City who had seen Macready, some who had seen John and Charles Kenible, their sister, Sarah Siddons,and Edmund Kean on the srage in their native land. The majority of the British people in the. valley at that period were from London, Birming The cast . . wras as follows: , John Kay. Robert Macaire H. B. Clawson. Jaques Strop, . . . . Pierre, Phillip Mcrgetts. . . Miss Orum. Marie, Miss M. Judd. Clementina, Several other plays were produced during the season and it is said they were creditabMore than ly performed by the company. a thousand persons witnessed each of these performances, showing that the theatrical audiences in the '"Old Bowery" in tie winter of 1 85 1 - 2 were larger than the average audiences in 1S85 vyith a Madame Ristori playing her magnificent role of historical ................ ............ plays in the "Big Theater." The company played in. the "Old Bowery" for two years during which time a number of high class plays were pro duced in one of which, "The Stranger" the brilliant James Ferguson took' the title -- , KXPONKNT. ham, Manchester, Leeds, . Yorkshire and for Edinburgh, where the common people generations have been accustomed to go to the theater and'the philharmonic concerts, to see the best of acting and hear the divinest singing for a few pence. Such a community could not possibly have got Perfrom Chicago was a perfect ovation. formances weregiven in six cities en route, and the greatest enthusiasm was manifested by all the people who attended their concerts, while the press" was unstinted in praise of their effort. "Utah's triumph in Chicago" is only - the stimulus to greater efforts and the pledge of more brilliant successes in the future. Proud as we may justly be of our past musical achievements and present standing, our future possibilities are far more gloriousj and under the leadership of such artists as Krouse, Careless, Stephens, Radcliffand Weihe, Utah is des- tined to ( become wdrld famed forher musical excellence and progress. Dr. WOMAN'S role. In : - the company was under Bishop Raleigh as president, and named the "Deseret Dramatic Association." In 1 852 the historic "Social Hall' ' was built and opened by the association, with the performance of Bulwer's classical play A splendid orof the "Lady of Lyons." chestra under the direction of Professor Ballo contributed to the eclat of the ocThe association now numbered casion. among its members, John T. Caffie7Davi3" 1 85 1 ed . . McKenzie, D. O. Calder, W. C. Dunbar, Henry Maiben and others; and with this added strength were enabled to cast first class plays, but after a few years the Utah war broke up for a time both the theatrical performances and the Dramatic Association itself. On the return of Phil. Margetts from England, he organized a company under the name of the "Mechanic's pramatic Asstciation," "and with Harry Bowring, ' Henry McEwan, Mrs. Marian Bowring and others revived the social life of the people, and began a series of performances in a room fitted up in H. E, Bowring's house, with stage and. scenery painted by W. C. -- Morris. This was the first place in Utah that bore the distinctive appellation of, Theater, and marks the birth of "the dra- matic era proper, and led to the building of the Salt Lake Theater, and the reorganization of the Deseret Dramatic Association. It was just at the outbreak of the civil war' in America that the theatrical hfstory pro-- , per of our city commenced. The U tah wr was a memory of the past, Camp Floyd was evacuated, al in Zion was peace, for though the nation was engaged in war neither Utah nor California had the honor of taking partjn it. In citizens saw, a' colossal bTiiluiug in process of erection and it was known that Brigham Y6uug"Jdesigned ta give the Mormons a great theater, one of the best in America, and one that in its appointments and accessories should bear favorable comparison with the theaters of the East r The Salt Lake Theater was opened to the public on rMarch 6th 1862, and stands a monument of our Rocky Mountain ciyih zation, emulating in many respects" its ', prototype the Old Globe Theater of London which under Shakespeare's management, voiced the dramatic genius of a new -- 1861-ou- -- epoeh"j The" ceremony of the dedication of the new theater was the remarkable event of the opening, and nothing in the history of ,the English and American stage is so unique in its object and sentiment.' Reserved seats were placed before the curtain for the First Presidency androfficials of the Church, and at the appointed hour Brigham Young as president of the Dramatic Association called the house to order. The choir sang the hymn "Lo, on the mountain ,tops appearing," and President Daniel H. Wells offered the dedication prayer in which he imploud the blessing of the most High upon the building and all its appointments, and upon the actors and actresses and all who perform in it, and dedicating the whole to virtue, sobriety, and excellence, for the glory of God and the prosperity and good of this people. After the prayer the orchestra and choir performed the "Star Spangled Banner" and the President gave i an impressive address on the true mission of. the drama. Other addresses followed interspersed with songs and music. Not in the whole history of the stage, ancient or modern, was ever a theater thus, endowed as a sacred 'dramatic temple for the Probably Brigham Young at that people. time had never heard the text of the play of Hamlet, yet he described the object of the drama as it was designed by him for the Salt Lake Theater very much like the spirit and exposition of Hamlet to the players"; ' 'The purpose of playing, whose end, both" at the first, and now, was, and is, to hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature; to show virtue herown feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time, his form and pressure," and it maybe regarded as one of the strange things of dramatic history that Brigham Young, a man of no art culture but what was self evolved, the high priest of a despised church,should have lifted the theater to the of conception of the great high priests dramatic art, and given it its proper place alongside the church, as one of the great teachers of humanity, as powerful in its influence on the intellectual, as the church is on the spiritual development of society. The opening pieces played in the Salt T.nke Th enter nn March 8. 1862 were' the "Pride of the Market" and "State Secrets, , |
