educat ion pac k

Theatrical Entertainment and the First World War

in Richmond

Foreword 1

How to use this pack 2

Introduction

Theatre and the First World War 3

Entertaining Richmond

Local Theatres and Cinemas 5 The Belgian Community 7

Confronting the War

Propaganda in the Cinema 9

Escapism in Richmond’s Theatres and Cinemas 11

Theatre and Soldiers

Recruitment 13 Entertaining Wounded Soldiers 15

Women and Theatre in Richmond

Gertrude Jennings 17 Women and Fundraising 19 Into 1918

J. M. Barrie and A Well-Remembered Voice 21

Further Information

Glossary 23 Workshops and Places to Visit 24

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Contents

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In January 2016, the Arts and Humanities Research Council - in conjunction with the Centre for Everyday Lives at War based at the University of Hertfordshire - provided a grant to fund a project exploring theatrical entertainment in Richmond and the surrounding area during the First World War. After Tipperary: Theatrical Entertainment and the First World War in Richmond aims to re-assess the impact of the war on the Home Front by examining the theatrical scene in the local area. First World War theatre will be brought back to life

in live stage performances of J.M. Barrie’s 1918 play, A Well-Remembered Voice in the autumn. A modern theatre piece, developed by young people and Dramatic Edge will also be developed and performed in the autumn. Following extensive research using Richmond’s Local Studies Library and Archive, and with the kind help of Richmond Theatre, this cross curricular Education Pack aims to engage KS2 pupils with First World War culture, and to question the way in which we view the Home Front between 1914 and 1918.

FOREWORD

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Cllr Meena BondCabinet Member for Arts, Culture and Sport

British government poster promoting the war effort

Cover image: Marie Lloyd on stage, 1890sNo known copyright restrictions

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This Education Pack has been designed for use by teachers to help plan and teach in the classroom. It provides an introduction to the role theatre had to play during the First World War, focusing on the experience of Richmond and surrounding areas. Activities are aimed at Key Stage 2 pupils, though some activities may be modified for use with Key Stage 1 classes. This pack aims to work in conjunction with outreach workshops provided by Orleans House Gallery which will be available to book in autumn 2016; and provides new ways for teachers to approach the topic of the First World War. This Pack is divided into the following sections: A General Introduction to the theatrical and entertainment industry during the First World War. ‘Entertaining Richmond’ explores the wide variety of entertainment venues, theatres and cinemas available to the local community in war time. ‘Confronting the War’ considers the types of plays and films being shown and introduces ideas such as ‘propaganda’ and ‘escapism’. ‘Theatre and Soldiers’ looks at theatre as a recruitment tool and a past time for convalescing soldiers ‘Women and Theatre in Richmond’ explores the role of women in the theatre industry and the Actresses Franchise League. ‘Into 1918’ considers the work of J. M. Barrie as the war progressed into 1918.

Each section is divided as follows: TEACHER’S PAGE This includes key information for teachers to assist teaching in the classroom. It is intended to be used to help inform lesson planning, and provide ideas for discussoin points. ACTIVITY PAGE This page is specifically designed to be photocopied and distributed as an activity for the class. The activities have been written with Key Stage 2 groups in mind, and cover key components of the National Curriculum for History, Art and English, as well as additional skills and subjects such as Drama and group working.

HOW TO USE THIS EDUCATION PACK

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Teacher’s NotesThe sources given on the activity page include a photograph of female workers at a local aircraft factory, an extract from Virginia Woolf’s diary about a zeppelin air raid, and a photograph of volunteer recruits for the British Army, demonstrating how the general population were affected by war. The two additional sources demonstrate how theatrical entertainment offered a boost to public morale.

Following a crisis in Europe, which saw the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the invasion of Belgium by Germany, Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914. What had initially began as hostilities between Austro-Hungary and Serbia soon drew in the powers from across the globe. Armies and civilians experienced for the first time a ‘total war’. During the war, the entertainment industry on the Home Front flourished. At first, people were concerned that it was too much of an indulgence to go out and enjoy the theatre at a time of great crisis. However, shows and performances proved to be an excellent way of boosting public morale. Revue became particularly popular during the war; a form of entertainment which included short sketches, dance and music. Variety performances could also include other acts such as magic, acrobatics and ventriloquism. Cinema also became increasingly popular in the early 20th Century: Britain’s first purpose-built cinema opened in 1907 and by 1914 there were 5,000 across the country. Wartime performances offered the public a chance to escape the ordeal of the war. Shows tended to be light-hearted and fun in nature. Others were used as a means of rallying the public to support the war effort. A war drama, shown in Richmond at the Castle Theatre in 1914, was based on the famous song It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary. A play dealing with the threat of supposed German spies, The Enemy in our Midst was shown at the Lyric in Twickenham in December 1914. Menace of the Air, shown in February 1916, dealt with the threat of Zeppelin airships over Britain.

IntroductionTheatre and the First World WAR

Royal Irish Rifles on the Somme, July 1916

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Learning Objectives To introduce the topic of theatrical

entertainment in war time and establish the context of the First World War.

Site of the Talbot Picture Palace, 1910

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Discuss How do you think the war impacted upon people on the Home Front?

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ACTIVITY: USING FIRST WORLD WAR SOURCES Look at the primary sources. They can tell us lots about how people experienced the First World War. Use the sources to answer the following questions. Remember, there are not always right or wrong answers when reading primary sources. Discuss your answers in groups or as a class.

You may want to write notes on a separate page.

Who was affected by the First World War? Try and list as many groups as you can.

Why do you think people continued to go to the theatre and cinema during wartime?

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Advert for the Richmond Hippodrome (Theatre)

British volunteers for Kitchener’s Army in London, August 1914

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Introduction Theatre and the First World War

HISTORY

Women at work at the Whitehead Aircraft Factory in Richmond, 1918

“…during the war the theatres have done their duty to the public; contributed to the quota to the fighting services; and carried on the task of entertaining the people in the face of many hardships.” The Times Newspaper, 1918

“two soft distant but unmistakeable shocks at 9.30; then a third which shook the window.” Virginia Woolf describes in her diary a Zeppelin air raid over

London in October 1917. Virginia and her husband Leonard

lived at Hogarth House from 1915 onwards.

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Teacher’s Notes As part of the activity on the opposite page, you may wish to listen to the song It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary. The song’s cheery references to home made it popular with soldiers in WW1.

Listen to the song here:www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsynSgeo_Uo

By the time of the First World War, a number of theatres and cinemas had been established in Richmond and the surrounding suburbs, to cater for those who did not want to commute into London’s West End. As entertainment venues, they did not simply just show films and plays; but also featured music acts, comedy acts and news films. Theatres were important centres for the community. The fact that the Talbot Cinema in Richmond was refurbished and redecorated in 1917 – some years into the war – shows that cinema and theatrical entertainment was still considered of great importance, despite the disruption caused by conflict. Originally a hotel, the building was bought in 1911 by William H. Smither, who wished to diversify his Livery and Stables business with a cinema. The Talbot Cinema was sold in 1917 to Joseph Mears, who also purchased Richmond Theatre (known as the Richmond Hippodrome) in the same year. He went on to own most of the local cinemas, as well as a number of pleasure boats on the Thames, and was founding director of Chelsea Football Club. Well-known theatre architect Frank Matcham built Richmond Theatre in 1899. He returned to the Borough in 1912/13, to build the Karsino – a luxurious hotel on Tagg’s Island (near Hampton) a ballroom and concert pavilion with a reversible stage. The Karsino was owned by Fred Karno, a comedian and producer, who welcomed military officers and their families to the hotel during the war as a place for relaxation and entertainment. Frank Matcham also designed some of London’s best known theatres: the London Coliseum, the London Palladium, the Hackney Empire and the Victoria Palace. He is credited with standardising safety within theatres, including the introduction of fireproof construction, emergency lighting and emergency exits.

ENTERTAINING RICHMONDLOCAL TheatreS and CINEMAS

Advert for the Talbot Picture Theatre

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Discuss How many cinemas and theatres do you know of in the local area today? Do you think there are more or fewer today in comparison with the First World War period?

Why is this?

Richmond Theatre, 1910

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Learning Objectives To consider the variety of entertainment

venues in Richmond at the turn of the century

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ACTIVITY: IT’S A LONG, LONG WAY TO TIPPERARY! It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary was written just before the First World War, but was very popular with soldiers during the war itself.

Read the excerpt. What do you think the song is about? Why do you think it was so popular with soldiers?

ENTERTAINING RICHMONDLOCAL TheatreS and CINEMAS

LITERACY

MUSIC

6th Battalion East Surrey Regiment

Up to mighty London

Came an Irishman one day.

As the streets are paved with gold

Sure, everyone was gay,

Singing songs of Piccadilly,

Strand and Leicester Square,

Till Paddy got excited,

Then he shouted to them there:

It’s a long way to Tipperary,

It’s a long way to go.

It’s a long way to Tipperary

To the sweetest girl I know!

Goodbye, Piccadilly,

Farewell, Leicester Square!

It’s a long long way to Tipperary,

But my heart’s right there.

Paddy wrote a letter

To his Irish Molly-O,

Saying, “Should you not receive it,

Write and let me know!”

“If I make mistakes in spelling,

Molly, dear,” said he,

”Remember, it’s the pen that’s bad,

Don’t lay the blame on me!

It’s a long way to Tipperary,

It’s a long way to go.

It’s a long way to Tipperary

To the sweetest girl I know!

Goodbye, Piccadilly,

Farewell, Leicester Square!

It’s a long long way to Tipperary,

But my heart’s right there.

Molly wrote a neat reply

To Irish Paddy-O,

Saying “Mike Maloney

Wants to marry me, and so

Leave the Strand and Piccadilly

Or you’ll be to blame,

For love has fairly drove me silly:

Hoping you’re the same!”

It’s a long way to Tipperary,

It’s a long way to go.

It’s a long way to Tipperary

To the sweetest girl I know!

Goodbye, Piccadilly,

Farewell, Leicester Square!

It’s a long long way to Tipperary,

But my heart’s right there.

It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary!

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Teacher’s Notes To help the class with the design of their posters, you may wish to provide them with some of the names of the theatres and cinemas explored on pages 3 and 5 as well as the types of entertainment: sketches, song, comedy, ventriloquism!

Discuss How do you think theatrical entertainments might have helped the Belgian community in Richmond? Try to imagine that you have had to leave your home because of conflict.

When Germany invaded Belgium in 1914, thousands of Belgians fled their country and many came to Britain. Approximately six thousand Belgians found refuge in Richmond, establishing a lively community most notably in the area of East Twickenham. It became known as the le village belge sur la Tamise, or ‘the Belgian village on the Thames’. The community was centred around the Pelabon Munitions Factory, which was established by Belgian businessman Charles Pelabon in January 1915. Nearly 2,000 Belgian men and women were employed there, and in the nearby streets Belgian shops were established. A department especially dedicated to the education of Belgian children was opened at Orleans School in Napoleon Road, where they could be taught in French and Flemish. In the first few months of the war, many local people in Richmond devoted their time to fundraising for the Belgian cause. Putting on theatre and variety shows was a great way to raise money to help Belgian refugees – many of whom had arrived in Britain with very little. In November 1914, the Richmond and Twickenham Times reported that an evening of entertainment had been held at the Lyric Picture Palace in aid of the Twickenham War Distress Fund – which focused largely on the plight of the Belgians. As the war progressed and the Belgian community established themselves in Richmond, they began to arrange their own local theatrical entertainments. In February 1917 the Pelabon Works Club organised a charity event at the Oxford Theatre on Tottenham Court Road, in central London. The event featured a variety of performers - including a comedian and music acts – and aimed to raise money to provide care packages and resources for Belgium. Belgian workers at Pelabon set up not one, but two amateur dramatics societies – one performed in French and the other in Flemish. The groups performed at the Castle Theatre in Richmond, and often used their performances to also raise funds for good causes.

ENTERTAINING RICHMONDTHE BELGIAN COMMUNITY

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Pelabon Works Section 16 Department

Belgian newspaper advert for a charity event,

1917

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Learning Objectives To explore the role of the Belgian

community in local theatrical entertainment

ACTIVITY: DESIGN A POSTER Design a poster for the Belgian community encouraging them to attend a variety performance or film at one of Richmond’s local theatres or cinemas. As many of these shows were performed in French, your poster must also be at least partly in French! On your poster, include the name of the cinema or theatre where the performance or film is being shown, and don’t forget to include the name of the play or film itself!

Use the phrases below to help you Cinema la cinema Theatre la théâtre A patriotic film un film patriotique This evening ce soir Great entertainment! Grand divertissement! Spectacle une spectacle

ENTERTAINING RICHMOND THE BELGIAN COMMUNITY

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MODERN FOREIGN

LANGUAGES

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“Crowded audiences... were interested and thrilled to have the realities of war brought so vividly before them... .”

Teacher’s Notes As part of its centenary commemorations, the Imperial War Museum has made the film The Battle of the Somme widely available. Find out more at www.1914.org/somme/

Discuss How do you think people on the Home Front would have responded to the film The Battle of the Somme?

At the start of the First World War, cinema was a relatively new phenomenon. Cheaper than the theatre, Hollywood films quickly became popular and attending the cinema became seen as a respectable leisure activity. As the war progressed, governments and leaders came to realise that film could be an effective way of spreading ideas and mobilising the masses to a cause. Alongside Hollywood movies, cinemas in Richmond regularly showed newsreels and official war films which were aimed to rally people behind the war effort. An Empire Cinema advert, which appears in the Richmond and Twickenham Times newspaper in 1914, states that ‘the latest war news is thrown on screen at frequent intervals’. The First World War was ‘everybody’s war’: the civilian population on the Home Front faced acute shortages of resources and terrifying Zeppelin airship raids and bombings. Many people for the first time donned service uniforms; took up war work and lost husbands, brothers, friends, and neighbours. It was very important to the British government that in this environment of ‘total war’, morale on the Home Front was kept up. Propaganda films were designed to encourage hatred of the enemy, and to encourage civilians to do their bit for the war effort. The Battle of the Somme (1916) is a British documentary and propaganda film that was watched by 20 million people across Britain in its first six weeks of showing. It was shown in order to boost morale and to give people on the Home Front an idea of the British army’s activity on the front lines. The Lyric in Twickenham showed the film in November 1916. The Times newspaper reported of the documentary:

CONFRONTING THE WAR PROPAGANDA IN THE CINEMA

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Scene from the film The Battle of the Somme

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Invitation to a screening of the film The Battle of the Somme, 1916

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Learning Objectives To understand the meaning of the term

‘propaganda’ and to explore how film was used to spread ideas during the

First World War.

The Times, 1916

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ACTIVITY: MOVING IMAGES One of the earliest forms of moving images and animation is the thaumatrope. It was a popular toy in the period leading up to the First World War. A thaumatrope is made up of two circles stuck back to back, with a different picture on each front facing side. The circles form a disc which can be attached to string (or a pencil). By spinning the disc, the pictures seem to combine into one! Make your own thaumatrope! In the two circles below, draw two separate pictures. Good examples include a bird in one circle, and a cage on the other. Or a vase on one circle, and flowers on the other! Cut out your two circles. Place a pencil on the back of one of the circles and stick with tape. Glue your second circle on top of the other, with your drawing facing outwards. Rub your pencil between your hands, which will spin your disc. Your pictures should combine!

CONFRONTING THE WAR PROPAGANDA IN THE CINEMA

ART

DESIGN

TECHNOLOGY

Did you know? The name ‘thaumatrope’ translates roughly as ‘wonder turner’ in Ancient Greek.

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Teacher’s Notes Escapist – The Pearl Girl, Sherlock Holmes and Charley’s Aunt; War Dramas – The War Makers; Propaganda – The British Army in Peace and at War and The Menace of the Air. Most WW1 plays were set on the Home Front because dramatists were worried about depicting the Front Lines. It was also a way of showing the audience how they can help the war effort on the Home Front.

Discuss Think about the last play, film or sketch you have seen. Would you describe it as ‘escapist’? Why?

The importance of public entertainment as a morale booster during the war was recognised by many. In a speech in 1917, the Secretary State for War, Lord Derby asked that: “…those who come home from the trenches be met with cheerful faces, and let them feel that their time here is happy and such as will distract them from the dangers they have undergone…” Escapist entertainments proved very popular in Richmond and across Britain during the First World War. These plays, performances and films generally did not reference the war but provided an escape from the unpleasant realities of it. Pantomimes such as Cinderella were shown at Richmond Theatre; only instead of a horse-drawn carriage, Cinderella in 1914 went to the ball in a ‘palatial motor car, resplendent in electric light’. Plays which had been successful on London’s West End toured in Richmond such as The Pearl Girl (February 1916). Charlie Chaplin’s films also proved popular in Richmond. In October 1915, the Royalty Cinema showed A Film Johnnie, whilst the Talbot Cinema put on Chaplin’s The Masquerader. Neither film directly referenced war, but instead centred on the antics of Chaplin’s struggling characters. Chaplin was particularly popular with soldiers, who saw links between his struggle with authority and their own struggles against powerful forces. Mary Pickford’s ‘escapist’ films Such a Little Queen and Little Pal were also shown at the Talbot and Royalty Cinemas. In 1916, William Gillette appeared on Richmond screens in the American silent film Sherlock Homes. The film was adapted from a stage play which was based on the stories ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, ‘The Final Problem’ and ‘A Study in Scarlet’ by the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle. As a great British hero, Holmes was a popular fictional character during war time.

CONFRONTING THE WAR Escapism in Richmond’s Theatres and Cinemas

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Advertisment for the silent film Sherlock Holmes

Charlie Chaplin

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Learning Objectives To understand the meaning of

‘escapism’ within an entertainment context

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ACTIVITY: MIX & MATCH Look at the First World War era plays and films below. Which would you describe as ‘escapist’? Which would you describe as war dramas? Which would you describe as propaganda? Why? Discuss your answers with a partner or in groups. You may have different ideas, and some of the plays or films below may fit into two categories.

CONFRONTING THE WAR Escapism in Richmond’s Theatres and Cinemas

HISTORY

LITERACY

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Advertisment for the silent film Sherlock Holmes

Advertisment for The Pearl Girl,

A dramatic film showing how the disaster of war is caused by conspiracies and political plots. A foreign ambassador steals secret plans and abducts the secretary of war, resulting in the destruction of the nation. The War Makers at the Empire

Cinema Richmond, August 2014

‘The film shows how Zeppelins are moved and controlled, and finally how they are discovered by searchlight and bombarded in the air by anti-aircraft guns. The Menace of the Air at the Lyric

Picture Palace February 1916

“See our gallant defenders under actual war conditions. The pictures show the gallant defenders of the empire from the moment of enlistment right up to mobilisation. The film is produced under the direction and authority of the War Office.” The British Army in Peace and at

War, at the Lyric Picture House

August 1914

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Two schoolboys ask a fellow student to dress up as Charley’s Aunt so that they can court two young ladies. When the real aunt turns up, confusion ensues in this comedy farce. Charley’s Aunt at the Richmond

Hippodrome February 1916

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British Recruits, August 1914.

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Discuss Why do you think men enlisted to fight in the First World War? What were their reasons?

By the end of 1914, more than one million men had enlisted into the armed services to do their bit in the war. The response was in part the result of a recruitment drive by Lord Kitchener, who realised very quickly that in order to fight Germany, Britain would need a larger army. Posters were printed and put up across the country with the words ‘Your Country Needs You’. Only men aged between 18 and 41 were allowed to enlist, though some boys lied about their age in order to join. Men queued outside recruitment stations for a chance to be part of the action, and they often joined the army alongside their friends and neighbours. Theatre and music hall was a useful way of recruiting men for the armed services, particularly when the initial enthusiasm fell away after 1914. Many songs performed in music halls at the time were very patriotic and encouraged men to enlist: such as “Keep the Home Fires Burning”, “Pack up Your Troubles” and “We Don’t Want to Lose You (But We Think You Ought to Go)”. Vesta Tilley, an English music hall performer, was nicknamed ‘Britain’s best recruiting sergeant’. During her shows, featuring patriotic songs, men were asked to come up on stage in order to enlist. In some theatres, men of military age were able to join the army straight after the performance ended. In the play A Call to Arms, an army recruitment officer travels to a village to encourage the local men there to enlist. At the end of the performance, a real recruitment officer in the army would stand up and encourage men in the audience to also enlist and do their bit for the war effort. Plays performed across Britain showed characters trying to decide whether to join the armed services. Often female characters – such as the wives and mothers –encouraged their ‘boys’ to enlist. These storylines echoed the popular recruitment posters of the time, such as ‘Women of Britain – Say GO!”

THEATRE AND SOLDIERS RECRUITMENT

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British Recruitment Poster, 1915

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Learning Objectives To explore how theatres and cinemas

were used to recruit men into the armed services

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Soldiers resting and on duty in a trench during the Battle of the Somme

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Soldiers carrying mistletoe 1914

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ACTIVITY: SCULPTURE & STATUE Imagine you are in an army recruitment office during the First World War.

You will work in pairs. One of you will be the ‘Sculptor’. The other person will be the ‘Statue’. It is the job of the Sculptor to mould the statue into the image of a perfect soldier. You can ask your partner to move their arms and legs into the stance that you think best represents a soldier.

THEATRE AND SOLDIERS RECRUITMENT

DRAMA

TEAM WORK

Middlesex Volunteer Reserve in 1916

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There were a number of pre-existing hospitals in Richmond which opened their doors to wounded soldiers during the First World War. Both the Richmond Royal Hospital and the Richmond Workhouse Infirmary treated wounded soldiers and sailors, and in 1915 also began treating Belgian patients who had come to Richmond as refugees (see page 7). Additional military hospitals were also established in the Borough to meet the growing demand for care. A hospital for the South African Military was opened in Richmond Park in 1916, later merging with the Richmond Military Hospital in July 1918. A similar convalescent hospital was opened for wounded Canadian soldiers in Bushey Park. During the earlier part of the war, the old Star and Garter Hotel (which closed in 1907) was used to house billeted soldiers. After the war, the Star and Garter became formally known as The Royal Star and Garter Home. It was made a permanent home for disabled young men who had fought in the First World War. From 1915, the Star and Garter Hotel was used by the Red Cross as a place of respite for wounded and disabled soldiers who had returned from the war. As part of their treatment and care, the soldiers were provided with recreational spaces and entertainments. Without the technologies we enjoy today – such as television or the

internet – theatre, music hall and comedy acts became an important way for the men to pass their time while they waited for their bodies and minds to heal. The Cardigan House Club for convalescing servicemen provided facilities for events and recreation. The King’s Canadian Convalescent Hospital also provided their soldiers with a large Concert Hall (a gift from Mrs Robert Gooderham of Toronto) where variety shows could be held in the evenings. On 24th May 1917, a Gertrude Jennings play, The Rest Cure, was performed for soldiers at the South African Military Hospital. Many additional events were organised across the Borough for wounded soldiers; such as visits to golf clubs and cricket matches. In September 1915, local residents purchased and donated tickets to the Richmond Theatre for 25 wounded soldiers at the Richmond Hospital. Soldiers from Richmond’s hospitals were also given the opportunity to attend musical events and entertainments in the West End.

Learning Objectives To explore the role of entertainment

for convalescing and wounded soldiers in Richmond

Wounded Soldiers and Nurses at Richmond Hospital, 1914

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Discuss Why do you think providing entertainment for wounded and convalescing soldiers was seen to be important? Why did local people want to provide this for them?

THEATRE AND SOLDIERS ENTERTAINING WOUNDED SOLDIERS

Soldiers and Nurses at Richmond Royal Hospital, 1914

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ACTIVITY: HELEN BAIN’S SCRAPBOOK Helen Bain was a Scottish nurse who worked at the South African Military Hospital from 1917-1919. Whilst there,

Helen created an album full of photographs and handwritten messages from her patients and friends. Create a diary entry for Helen’s scrapbook, including notes and sketches.

THEATRE AND SOLDIERS ENTERTAINING WOUNDED SOLDIERS

ART

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LITERACY

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Sister Helen Bain’s Scrapbook

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The First World War is often hailed as a period of change and a key turning point in women’s rights. Whilst men in their thousands were recruited into the armed services, the women who remained took up roles that were largely unimaginable before 1914: as clerks, agricultural workers, road sweepers, gardeners at Kew, coal heavers and in munitions factories such as the Pelabon Works in East Twickenham. It was only after the war ended that women were partially granted the vote. In the century prior to the war, women were able to play an active role in theatrical entertainment. The first female actor-manager in London was Eliza Vestris, who managed the Olympic Theatre in 1830. During the First World War, the Old Vic was managed by Lilian Baylis, which became the first venue to produce all of Shakespeare’s plays. Many women working in theatre before the war involved themselves in the campaign for the women’s vote. The Actresses Franchise League toured sketches across the country in support of the suffragette movement. Gertrude Jennings, a playwright and satirist, worked with the AFL, and her sketch A Woman’s Influence was included in the group’s tours. She wrote over 50 plays in the early 20th Century, many of which were performed in main theatre houses across London. Her First World War plays include The Rest Cure (1914), Five Birds in a Cage (1915), and The Bathroom Door (1916). Though her plays did not make direct references to the war, they did provide excellent social commentary on the period. Jennings, like many members of the AFL, was actively involved in ‘Concerts at the Front’. She formed her own theatre company and travelled to France in order to provide entertainment to the many troops stationed there. Her plays were performed in Richmond too – in 1917, the Springbok Blue magazine reported that The Rest Cure was performed at the South African Military Hospital. Her sketches were entertaining and optimistic – demonstrating the importance of theatrical entertainment to keep people cheerful in times of war.

WOMEN AND THEATRE IN RICHMOND GERTRUDE JENNINGS

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No Servants, by Gertrude Jennings.

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Optik’s performance of Five Birds in a Cage

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Discuss What challenges do you think actors faced when touring their sketches and plays in France, during a time of war?

Learning Objectives To explore the work of female playwright Gertrude Jennings

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ACTIVITY: WRITE A SKETCH! Imagine you are members of an acting group heading to France! Your job is to entertain soldiers on the Western Front with a short sketch (short play). Think about themes - will your sketch be a comedy? A romance? Will it be about the war, or will it be escapist? Who will it be about – soldiers, or civilians on the Home Front? In groups, create a storyboard of your sketch.

WOMEN AND THEATRE IN RICHMOND GERTRUDE JENNINGS

ART

DRAMA

LITERACY

GROUP WORK

Scene 1

Scene 3

Scene 2

Scene 4

Did you know? In Jennings’ play No Servants (1919) a female domestic team abandon their work for employment usually reserved for men: one takes over a sausage shop, another becomes a policeman.

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Sisters of the No. 1 British Red Cross Society

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Egg Collection Poster

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During the First World War, women were able to assist the War effort in a variety of ways. Locally, there were many different examples of women ‘doing their bit’ – driving ambulances in France, or growing crops and vegetables at Kew Gardens. As part of the National Egg Collection Scheme, Isobel Anthony, along with children from Hampton Grammar School and members of the St James’ Church Lads’ Brigade, collected 4,974 eggs and £26 in donations for wounded soldiers. In addition to practical roles, women assisted with the organisation of entertainment events for morale and fundraising purposes. Such events within the local community came in the form of concerts, plays, fetes and Royal visits. Local resident Mrs Gardiner arranged for the Queen Mary to visit convalescing servicemen at the Cardigan House Club. The local Belgian community organised performances for both recreational and fundraising purposes. A production of I am Sorry…savez-vous was performed at the Richmond Hippodrome in September 1918 in order to raise funds for the family

of Albert Christiaens, a local soldier who died during the conflict. Esteemed dancer Seraphine Astafieva volunteered her time to perform in the production. Fundraising played an integral role in providing assistance for the Front during the First World War. The British Red Cross provided medical services to treat the sick and wounded during the war, and was a popular organisation to fundraise on behalf of. Charity events were an excellent way of involving the larger population in the War effort. In Richmond, these events were vast and frequent from early on in the war. At the Richmond Hippodrome, a matinee performance of the classic comedy The School for Scandal was organised by Mrs. Bandmann-Palmer in aid of the Richmond branch of the Red Cross in December 1914.

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Learning Objectives To explore how prominent local women

used theatrical entertainment as a means of fundraising for the war effort.

Discuss Why do you think women felt compelled to help the War effort? Can you think of other ways in which women may have assisted on the home front?

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British Red Cross Hospital, Richmond 1918

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ACTIVITY: PLAN A FUNDRAISING EVENT

Women in Richmond and the local area actively contributed to the war effort by hosting a range of fundraising events, often featuring entertainment. You have been asked to develop a fundraising event to help the British Red Cross Society. You will need to decide on the following:

WOMEN AND THEATRE IN RICHMOND FUNDRAISING

ART

LITERACY

Did you know? The Red Cross had raised £21,885,035 by the end of the First World War. Of this, £20,058,355 was spent on hospitals, medicine, clothing, grants and care for the sick and wounded soldiers.

A title for your event Entertainment – think about what entertainment you will provide for your audience. You might want to include a film showing, a theatre performance, or a music act – or perhaps something else? Venue Audience – who is the event for? Once you have planned your event you will need to: Write a letter to your proposed venue asking them to allow you to access to the space for your event. Tell them about your event and who it is in aid of. Why is this a good cause for the venue to support? Design a poster or invitation to encourage people to attend your event. You may want to highlight the entertainment you have planned.

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James Matthew Barrie was a Scottish playwright who is today best known for his play Peter Pan. He moved to London where he wrote several successful plays; including wartime plays Der Tag (1914), The Last Word (1915), The Old Lady Shows Her Medals (1917), Dear Brutus (1917) and A Well-Remembered Voice (1918). A Well-Remembered Voice premiered in London in June 1918 at Wyndham’s Theatre as part of a triple bill of J. M. Barrie plays to raise money for wounded soldiers. The play explores loss and remembrance as a family try to make contact with their lost son during a séance. He had been killed in battle during the war. As an important figure in the theatre industry, J. M. Barrie was able to recruit an impressive cast for the play; including Lillian Braithwaite, Sir Johnston Forbes Robertson and George du Maurier who were famous actors of the time. As well as writing many plays and novels, J. M. Barrie was a campaigner against theatre censorship. A law had been passed in Britain in 1737 which allowed the Lord Chamberlain’s Office (a department in the Royal Household) to stop any new plays, or altered plays being performed in public theatres for any reason. During the First World War many plays were either censored or refused a license for performance by this office. This may have been because the content of the play was sympathetic towards Germans, it poked fun at the armed services, or that it might discourage men from enlisting to serve in the forces. In 1916, the play by Miles Malleson Black ‘Ell was prevented from being shown because it showed a character suffering from ‘shell shock’. Later, in1926, the play was reviewed once more and it was decided that, now that the war was over, it could be shown in theatres.

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J. M. Barrie

Production of A Well-Remembered Voice by IO Theatre 2014

Discuss After the First World War, many plays which had been censored by the Lord Chamberlain’s Office were licensed for performance. Why do you think these changes were made many years after the war? What was different? A Well-Remembered Voice deals with spiritualism in the period of the First World War. Why do you think spiritualism was popular at this time?

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Learning Objectives To explore the work of playwright J. M. Barrie and the impact of the

Lord Chamberlain’s Office

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ACTIVITY: PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTES As well as writing the dialogue between characters in a play, playwrights also include notes or stage directions in their text. These notes describe scenes, costumes, or where the actors should stand during their performances. Imagine you are writing a play set on the Front Line such as A Journey’s End. You are required to write notes to describe the scenery and perhaps even the costumes. These notes help the actors bring the text to life.

INTO 1918 J.M. BARRIE AND ‘A WELL-REMEMBERED VOICE’

DRAMA

LITERACY

Write your playwright’s notes below. Try and be as descriptive as possible.

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CONVALESCENCE

ESCAPIST

FRONT LINE

HOME FRONT

MORALE

PROPOGANDA

REFUGEES

SPIRITUALISM

SOURCE

SUFFRAGETTE

TOTAL WAR

OUTREACH WORKSHOPS FOR LOCAL SCHOOLSIf you and your class would like to explore theatrical entertainments in the Borough during the First World War further, then why not book on to an outreach workshop with the Education Team at Orleans House Gallery? These workshops have been designed to complement the content of this Teacher’s Pack and are available free of charge. For more information, contact artseducation@richmond.gov.uk.

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FURTHER INFORMATION GLOSSARY

WORKSHOPS

the gradual recovery of health after an injury or illness

a diversion or ‘escape’ from unpleasant aspects of life through entertainment or recreation.

the military line or boundary where opposing armies face each other

the civilian population of the nation at war, who support their military by actions at home

collective spirit

information, often bias in nature, used to promote a political cause of point of view

someone who has been forced to leave a country because of war, religious or political reasons

a system of belief based on the supposed communication with the dead, usually though mediums

something which tells us about history. It might be a written document, a picture, sound recording, book, film or an object. A primary source is something that originates from the past

a woman seeking the right to vote through protest

warfare that mobilises all of society’s resources – including the raising of civilian armies and attacks on civilian infrastructure

Richmond upon Thames Local Studies Library and Archive Old Town Hall, Whitaker Avenue Richmond TW9 1TP www.richmond.gov.uk/local_studies_collection Email: localstudies@richmond.gov.uk The National Archives Bessant Drive Kew TW9 4DU www.nationalarchives.gov.uk Richmond Theatre Little Green Richmond TW9 1QJ www.atgtickets.com/venues/richmond-theatre/ The British Library 96 Euston Road London NW1 2DB www.bl.uk

FURTHER INFORMATION PLACES TO VISIT

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Richmond Arts Service and Orleans House Gallery

Riverside, Twickenham, TW1 3DJ

Orleans House Gallery

@Orleanshg on Twitter

Telephone: 020 8831 6000 artseducation@richmond.gov.uk

www.richmond.gov.uk/arts

Contact