Research Catalog

Title

Sir Ben Greet collection of programs and ephemera.

Publication

1880-1932.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Greet, Ben, Sir, 1857-1936
• Benson, Frank R. (Frank Robert), 1858-1939
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.
• Headlam, Stewart D. (Stewart Duckworth), 1847-1924

Description

2 bound volumes and 1 box : illustrations, some in color; 30 cm or larger

Summary

• Two volumes and one box of programs and ephemera documenting the performing and producing career of Sir Ben Greet in England and the United States from about 1880 to about 1932, including the acting companies he participated in or organized throughout his long career: The Little Comedy Company, The Ben Greet Players, The Ben Greet Comedy Company, and The Woodland Players, which presented open air performances of Shakespeare's plays. Also documented are Greet's efforts in theatre education: specifically, his support of the study of Shakespeare in the English national curriculum through the Shakespeare for Schools program then under the direction of Reverend Stewart Headlam. Greet's associations with and benefit performances for scholarly, charitable, community, and social organizations such as the Mary Ward Settlement, Oxford House and Excelsior Hall, and the Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institute are documented, as is his involvement with the Amateur Dramatic Society of the Royal Naval School (New Cross) of which he was a graduate.
• MWEZ + n.c. 9636 contains about 50 programs from tours and performances in England and the United States. Of note are menus from a lunch honoring Greet and from the 3rd annual dinner of the London Cornish Association, and a program for the 1930 Festival of Commemoration of Canterbury Cathedral.
• MWEZ + n.c. 9637 contains about 70 programs from tours and performances in England and the United States. Of note is the first performance of Shelley's The Cenci, at the Grand Theatre Islington (London), privately produced by the Shelley Society.
• MWEZ + n.c. 9638 contains programs and small posters from tours and performances in England and the United States. Other ephemera includes a few papers from Greet's Lambeth production office, some of his organizational membership cards, proofs and edits of programs and posters, theatrical postcards, a menu from a dinner honoring F. R. Benson, Greet's turn-of-the-century Christmas card, and a small pamphlet entitled, "Christmas echoes from The Bellman (1911)."

Donor/Sponsor

In honor of George Freedley

Subject

• Ben Greet Players
• Canterbury Cathedral
• Old Vic Theatre (London, England)
• Oxford House (London, England)
• Mary Ward House (London, England)
• Royal Shakespeare Theatre (Stratford-upon-Avon, England)
• Shelley Society
• Everyman (Play)
• The Cenci (Play)
• Amateur theater > England
• Benefit performances
• Drama in education
• Theater, Open-air

Genre/Form

• Cards.
• Menus.
• Theater programs.
• Playbills.

Note

• Compiled and bound by The New York Public Library.

Source (note)

• Source of acquisiton unknown

Biography (note)

• Sir Philip Barling "Ben" Greet, the prolific actor, director, impresario, and educator, well known in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for his productions of Shakespeare's plays in Elizabathan period style that were often performed outdoors, was born in London September 24, 1857 and died there May 17, 1936. An inexhaustible travelling performer across England who directed the Royal Victoria Hall (The Old Vic Theatre) from 1914 to 1918, Greet became famous in the United States through his affiliation with Charles Frohman, who presented Greet to great success in the medieval morality play, Everyman.

Call Number

MWEZ+ n.c. 9636-9638

OCLC

1027481658

Title

Sir Ben Greet collection of programs and ephemera.

Publisher

1880-1932.

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Biography

Sir Philip Barling "Ben" Greet, the prolific actor, director, impresario, and educator, well known in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for his productions of Shakespeare's plays in Elizabathan period style that were often performed outdoors, was born in London September 24, 1857 and died there May 17, 1936. An inexhaustible travelling performer across England who directed the Royal Victoria Hall (The Old Vic Theatre) from 1914 to 1918, Greet became famous in the United States through his affiliation with Charles Frohman, who presented Greet to great success in the medieval morality play, Everyman.

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Request Access to Theatre Division Special Collections material

Added Author

Greet, Ben, Sir, 1857-1936, actor, director, producer.

Benson, Frank R. (Frank Robert), 1858-1939, honoree.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.

Headlam, Stewart D. (Stewart Duckworth), 1847-1924, teacher.

Research Call Number

MWEZ+ n.c. 9636-9638