History
of the Friday Shakespeare Club of Santa Cruz
The
Friday Shakespeare Club of Santa Cruz was founded in October
of 1903 as The Pierian Club. Pierian refers to Pieria, the
place in ancient Greece from which the nine Muses were said
to come; its definition in English is “of or relating
to learning or poetry.” The club was not originally dedicated
solely to the subject of Shakespeare.
The
original founding “mother,” Mrs. Della Perry, came
by ship to California around the Horn, no small undertaking
at the time. In 1903 she gathered group of nine women "who
wanted to grow intellectually" as one early club historian
put it. They formed the Pierian Club, which met every other
Friday. The first year's program was a study of King Henry
IV by Shakespeare, and the study of English history.
In
1907, the name The Friday Shakespeare Club of Santa Cruz was
taken. At that time, the yearly topics was always to include
two Shakespeare plays along with any other subjects.
By
1909, there were twenty members. By 1921, there was a waiting
list of women who wished to join the club.
Attendance
was mandatory, as non-attendance meant an active member was
taking up a place that a woman who was on the waiting list
might have. One member of the club, Mrs. Helen Byrne, related
in a 1907 report to the club this anectode:
I remember a
meeting was called at the Congregational
Church to decide the date for some church affair. Friday
was selected. It happened that it was one of “our”
Fridays.
Mrs. Della Perry arose and said: “There are some of
us
who have a standing engagement for that day.” And the
church date was changed.
During the 1940s,
the club had strong connections with the Shakespeare club
in Stratford-Upon-Avon in the UK. Many letters were exchanged,
both about Shakesperare and not. Recently, the club has renewed
relations with the Stratford-Upon-Avon Shakespeare Club and
letters are once again being exchanged.
More history of
the club and its interesting correspondences is available
through Special
Collections at McHenry Library on the UCSC campus and
can be viewed by appointment.
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