Loggia exhibition April 2023

Demeter: a masque (1904, 1954 and 2023)

To complement Luke King-Salter’s exhibition inspired by Robert Bridges’ play Demeter in the library loggia (details here), the library has a display of items relating to the original production of the masque in 1904, as well as its 50th anniversary performance in 1954.

1904

Then Librarian (and later Principal) Margery Fry produced the play, which was commissioned to be performed at the opening of the new college library in June 1904. Fry was the cousin of Bridges’ wife Monica and persuaded the soon-to-be Poet Laureate to write the play, based on the story of Demeter and Persephone.

Fry corresponded with Bridges quite frequently and on display is a letter congratulating him on its success after the event: even though she is glowing about the quality of his writing she does note some dissatisfaction with some of the acting! Bridges was not overly enthused by some of the responses he received (notably from Sir Edward Fry, Margery’s father), and had to have his arm twisted to prepare Demeter for publication (letter reproduced below).

Others were more glowing in response and Helen Darbishire‘s write up of the play and the event (in the subsequent college report, excerpted below) praises both the conception and the execution of the play.

As well as 2 copies of the play inscribed by Bridges and belonging to Helen Darbishire that are on display, we have a programme and notes and some contemporaneous reviews from both local and national newspapers (which also take into account the original music composed for the play by W.H. Hadow): the latter we are thankful to have in a scrapbook donated by an alumna – there are more relating to the 1954 production than the original one, but below is a review of the published edition of the play from the Times.

1954

The 1954 production was staged as both a 50th anniversary of the library and a 75th anniversary of Somerville, and Bridges’ daughter Elizabeth Daryush added a new prologue to the play (on display in the loggia); Professor Gilbert Murray, life member of Somerville Council and renowned classicist, also gave a talk in the afternoon before the play.

Below is a full cast photo, and several more of the cast in various poses and one obvious difference leaps to mind: the presence of a male cast member!

The invitation to the performance (below) also indicates that an exhibition of the college’s rare and interesting books would be on display, and the Principal at the time, Dame Janet Vaughan, was also quoted in local press articles asking for more support for the new library extension, for which ground was about to be broken – costs had increased since the original plans were agreed and more money was needed to ensure the completion of the project.

Also below are various cuttings from a scrapbook kept by a Somervillian, of material relating to the play.

The Sunday Times and Guardian ran articles, as the event clearly sparked a lot of interest, including (as the penultimate article quoted above shows) from those present at the 1904 performance: indeed A.P. Whitelaw, who came up in 1888, was present for the 1954 production.

Finally, amongst the material we have (and on show next to King-Salter’s paintings) are original costume designs from the 1954 performance – the only coloured images we have of what the the play and players would have looked like (beyond “light” and “dark” that can be seen from the photographs elsewhere on display), complete with brief notes on accoutrements: it is worth noting the level of commitment to making the outfits as close as possible to Greek originals.