COPY of APPLICATION received from ARCHIBALD DENNIS FLOWER, ESQUIRE, and Sir WHITWORTH WALLIS, KNT., on behalf of the Council of THE SHAKESPEARE MEMORIAL THEATRE, for the constitution of a body corporate under the name of "THE SHAKESPEARE MEMORIAL THEATRE, STRATFORD UPON AVON," referred by His Majesty in Council for the consideration and Report of a Committee of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council; together with a copy of the Draft of the Charter applied for. Privy Council Office, 10 February, 1925. M. P. A. HANKEY. (Presented to the House of Commons in pursuance of Section 2 of Act.) Ordered, by The House of Commons, to be Printed, LONDON: PRINTED & PUBLISHED BY HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE. To be purchased directly from H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE at the following addresses: Adastral House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2; 28, Abingdon Street, London, S. W.1; York Street, Manchester; 1, St. Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff; or 120, George Street, Edinburgh; or through any Bookseller. 1925 Price 3d. net. TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY IN COUNCIL. THE HUMBLE PETITION of THE SHAKESPEARE MEMORIAL THEATRE. SHEWETH AS FOLLOWS:- 1. YOUR Petitioner The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was on the 29th day of June 1875 incorporated under the Companies Act 1862 as a limited company (the word "limited" being omitted by Licence of the Board of Trade) with the following objects (amongst others) as set forth in Your Petitioner's Memorandum of Association, namely: (a) The building of a Theatre at Stratford-on-Avon to be dedicated to the Memory of Shakespeare. (b) The Managing or letting of such Theatre. (c) The annual celebration in fitting manner of Shakespeare's Birthday. (d) The advancement and improvement of the Dramatic Art by the establishment and maintenance of a School of Acting and other means. (e) The establishment of a Library and a Gallery of pictures and sculpture of Shakespearean interest. (f) The relief of poor and necessitous members of the theatrical profession. 2. By Clause 4 of the said Memorandum it is provided that the income and property of Your Petitioner whence soever derived shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects set forth in the said Memorandum and that no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend or bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to the persons who at any time are or have been members of Your Petitioner or to any of them or to any person claiming through any of them, but that nothing therein should prevent the payment in good faith of remuneration to any officer or servant or member of Your Petitioner for any services actually rendered to it. 3. By Clause 7 of the said Memorandum every member of Your Petitioner undertakes to contribute to the assets of the Association in the event of the same being wound up during the time he is a member or within one year afterwards for the payment of the debts of Your Petitioner as therein mentioned such amount not exceeding ten shillings as may be required or in the case of his liability becoming unlimited such other amount as may be required. 4. By Your Petitioner's Articles of Association it is provided (Clause 1) that Your Petitioner shall consist of Members or Governors (hereinafter referred to as " Governors ") who shall have contributed at least £100 towards Your Petitioner's funds and (Clause 4) shall have been approved by the Council hereinafter mentioned (Clause 5) that the privileges of a Governor may be transferred in writing to any person approved by the Council, and that on the death of a Governor his legal personal representa tives or one of them shall be entitled subject to the approval of the Council to succeed to his rights of membership (Clause 6) that subject to the said articles and the control of a general Meeting the management of Your Petitioner shall be entrusted to an executive council not exceeding 20 in number and (Clause 8) that a new council shall be elected at each annual general meeting of the Governors. 5. THE said Council now consists of the following persons, namely Sir Frank Benson, Knight, Sir Henry Urwick, Knight, Sir Whitworth Wallis, Knight, Horace Barrett, Ludford Charles Docker, Richard Slingsby Peirse-Duncombe, Archibald Dennis Flower, Florence Flower, Spenser Aldborough Flower, Robert Stuart de Courcey Laffan, Charles Linnell, Charles Lowndes, The Reverend Canon Melville, Eleanor Melville and Norman Wilkinson. 6. In the year 1879 the existing Memorial Theatre at Stratfordon-Avon with the Library and Picture Gallery adjoining were erected out of funds raised by public subscription on a site given to Your Petitioner by the late Charles Edward Flower and the remainder of the said site was laid out as a garden. The said Library and Picture Gallery now contain a very valuable collection of books pictures sculptures and other objects of Shakespearean and dramatic interest. A charge of 6d. per person is made for admission to the Memorial Buildings. 7. IN the year 1879 and in every succeeding year (with the exception of the years 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1918) your Petitioner. has commemorated Shakespeare's birthday by holding at Stratfordon-Avon a festival known as "the Birthday Festival" at which a selection of Shakespeare's plays have been produced at the said Memorial Theatre. The Birthday Festivals and the summer festivals hereinafter mentioned have each year attracted to the Memorial Theatre large numbers of visitors from all parts of this Country and from Your Majesty's Dominions beyond the Seas and from foreign countries. 8. AT the time when these festivals were first commenced only a few of the more familiar of Shakespeare's tragedies and comedies were at all frequently performed in England, and by the means of the festivals Your Petitioner has aided in the restoration to the English stage of a number of Shakespeare's plays which at the time of their revival were only performed in the subsidised Theatres of Germany. 66 9. THE following plavs of Shakespeare (amongst others) were first revived by Your Petitioner after a period of long neglect " Julius Cæsar,' Timon of Athens,' Richard III," "Henry V," "Henry VI," "The Tempest," "A Midsummer's Night's Dream," "The Merry Wives of Windsor," Love's Labour Lost," and "Two Gentlemen of Verona," and all his other plays with the exception of "Titus Andronicus " have been from time to time produced at the said Memorial Theatre. 51668 A 2 1. YOUR Petitioner The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was on the 29th day of June 1875 incorporated under the Companies Act 1862 as a limited company (the word "limited" being omitted by Licence of the Board of Trade) with the following objects (amongst others) as set forth in Your Petitioner's Memorandum of Association, namely: (a) The building of a Theatre at Stratford-on-Avon to be dedicated to the Memory of Shakespeare. (b) The Managing or letting of such Theatre. (c) The annual celebration in fitting manner of Shakespeare's Birthday. (d) The advancement and improvement of the Dramatic Art by the establishment and maintenance of a School of Acting and other means. (e) The establishment of a Library and a Gallery of pictures and sculpture of Shakespearean interest. (f) The relief of poor and necessitous members of the theatrical profession. 2. By Clause 4 of the said Memorandum it is provided that the income and property of Your Petitioner whencesoever derived shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects set forth in the said Memorandum and that no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend or bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to the persons who at any time are or have been members of Your Petitioner or to any of them or to any person claiming through any of them, but that nothing therein should prevent the payment in good faith of remuneration to any officer or servant or member of Your Petitioner for any services actually rendered to it. 3. By Clause 7 of the said Memorandum every member of Your Petitioner undertakes to contribute to the assets of the Association in the event of the same being wound up during the time he is a member or within one year afterwards for the payment of the debts of Your Petitioner as therein mentioned such amount not exceeding ten shillings as may be required or in the case of his liability becoming unlimited such other amount as may be required. 4. By Your Petitioner's Articles of Association it is provided (Clause 1) that Your Petitioner shall consist of Members or Governors (hereinafter referred to as " Governors ") who shall have contributed at least £100 towards Your Petitioner's funds and (Clause 4) shall have been approved by the Council hereinafter mentioned (Clause 5) that the privileges of a Governor may be transferred in writing to any person approved by the Council, and that on the death of a Governor his legal personal representa tives or one of them shall be entitled subject to the approval of the Council to succeed to his rights of membership (Clause 6) that subject to the said articles and the control of a general Meeting the management of Your Petitioner shall be entrusted to an executive council not exceeding 20 in number and (Clause 8) that a new council shall be elected at each annual general meeting of the Governors. 5. THE said Council now consists of the following persons, namely:-Sir Frank Benson, Knight, Sir Henry Urwick, Knight, Sir Whitworth Wallis, Knight, Horace Barrett, Ludford Charles Docker, Richard Slingsby Peirse-Duncombe, Archibald Dennis Flower, Florence Flower, Spenser Aldborough Flower, Robert Stuart de Courcey Laffan, Charles Linnell, Charles Lowndes, The Reverend Canon Melville, Eleanor Melville and Norman Wilkinson. 6. In the year 1879 the existing Memorial Theatre at Stratfordon-Avon with the Library and Picture Gallery adjoining were erected out of funds raised by public subscription on a site given to Your Petitioner by the late Charles Edward Flower and the remainder of the said site was laid out as a garden. The said Library and Picture Gallery now contain a very valuable collection of books pictures sculptures and other objects of Shakespearean and dramatic interest. A charge of 6d. per person is made for admission to the Memorial Buildings. 7. IN the year 1879 and in every succeeding year (with the exception of the years 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1918) your Petitioner has commemorated Shakespeare's birthday by holding at Stratfordon-Avon a festival known as the Birthday Festival" at which a selection of Shakespeare's plays have been produced at the said Memorial Theatre. The Birthday Festivals and the summer festivals hereinafter mentioned have each year attracted to the Memorial Theatre large numbers of visitors from all parts of this Country and from Your Majesty's Dominions beyond the Seas and from foreign countries. 8. AT the time when these festivals were first commenced only a few of the more familiar of Shakespeare's tragedies and comedies were at all frequently performed in England, and by the means of the festivals Your Petitioner has aided in the restoration to the English stage of a number of Shakespeare's plays which at the time of their revival were only performed in the subsidised Theatres of Germany. 9. THE following plavs of Shakespeare (amongst others) were first revived by Your Petitioner after a period of long neglect " Julius Cæsar," "Timon of Athens," "Richard III," "Henry V," "Henry VI." "The Tempest," "A Midsummer's Night's Dream," "The Merry Wives of Windsor," "Love's Labour Lost," and "Two Gentlemen of Verona," and all his other plays with the exception of "Titus Andronicus " have been from time to time produced at the said Memorial Theatre. 51668 A 2 |