Old Stagers at the Gulbenkian 2010

Picnic outside the Gulbenkian Theatre

On Friday 6th August, twenty people (eight Rotarian, their wives and other guests) enjoyed 'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime' by Oscar Wilde at the Gulbenkian Theatre, University of Kent. The play was performed by the Old Stagers, a Canterbury acting group, founded in 1842 by members of the Kent County Cricket Club, and which claims to be the oldest surviving amateur dramatic society in the world.

The story is about an aristocrat (Lord Arthur Savile). Just before his marriage, his mother-in-law-to-be insists that he has his palm read, to see if there are any unpleasant hidden traits. The palm-reader tells Arthur in private that he will commit murder and so Arthur decides to commit it before his wedding, 'just to get it out of the way'. The rest of the play deals with his ineffective attempts to pursue this aim.

Before the performance it has for many years been a tradition to picnic on the lawns outside the theatre, and the attending Rotarians set up their tables and enjoyed an excellent meal.

Past President Dr David Barton, who organised the tickets, was called to a case at the last minute, almost missing the picnic. Colin and Jennifer McCone's car broke down and they DID miss the meal but not the show.

Since photography is not permitted during the show, the photographs are of the pre-performance picnic.

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photos by Rtn Robin Hendy