Central High School - Brecky Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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'G fellutn, rnmeg the song me bah last night jlilark it, Qliesariug it is ull: anh plain. - Twcflh N i gh! .3

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The Uliertentenarp of the Jfirst Jfulin, ' 16234923 HIS year marks the tercentenary of the first edition of the Shakespearean plays in the form of a folio, an event which might well be noted throughout the world. The Folio of 1623 has often been described as the greatest contribution in a single volume to literature of any age or country. This Hrst col- lection of Shakespeare's plays was not edited during his life, but was the result of the unceasing efforts of Shapespeare's actor friends, John Hemminge and Henry Condell. During Shakespeare's life only sixteen of his plays had been published Cwith the exception of a volume of nine plays issued by William Jaggard in 1609 in quartol, and consequently the Folio of 1623 with its thirty-six famous plays was a priceless possession. The playwright of the Elizabethan days did not prepare his plays for publication, as it was not to his interest to have them published. He considered the publishing of his plays dangerous to his door receipts, and he did all in his power to prevent them from falling into the hands of the publishers. Consequently it was with the greatest difficulty that correct manuscripts of these plays could be found, as the copies were very few and easily lost. VVe may readily see, therefore, what a difficult task these friends of Shakespeare had set themselves when they endeavored to collect those thirty-six plays, and what a great amount of credit they deserve for accomplishing their purpose. The tercentenary of the First Folio has been duly commemorated at Central as the annual spring play was the Shakespearean produc- tion, Twelfth Night. Twelfth Night is by far the most diHicult play ever undertaken by Central's, Dramatic Association, but the brilliant results were well worth the many long hours of work. All the other high schools presented Shakespearean plays as follows, and in this way observed the tercentenary of 1623. Business presented The Taming of the Shrew , Eastern, A Midsummer Night's Dream g Western, The Winter's Tale g and Tech, The Merchant of Venice. A silver cup was presented by the Brown Alumni Club of Washington to the School whose play was judged to be the best ex- hibition and much to Central's joy, this cup was awarded for the excellent performance of Twelfth Night, while Plastern's play A Midsummer Night's Dream was given second place. A Shakespearean pageant commemorating the tercentenary of S