The Bard at the Seattle Opera House
Without the funds for elaborate sets, Frederick Warde brought Shakespeare back to the basics.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The eminent tragedian, Mr. Frederick Warde, has hit upon a novel plan to overcome the difficulty of the want of scenery at the Seattle opera house and has decided to give a performance of 'Richard III' tonight that will be as odd as it will undoubtedly prove interesting. Upon looking over the stock of scenes he discovered that they were inadequate for a correct historical production of the play and determined to do as Shakespeare himself did under the same circumstances: play 'Richard III' without scenery at all. The stage will be hung with tapestries, as the old Globe stage was hung in London in Shakespeare's time, and a placard hung upon the tapestry to indicate to the audience the character of the scene. For instance, one of the acts takes place in a street, and the scene will be called 'A street in London,' another 'A room in Blackfriar's Hall,' or 'The scene of the Battle of Tewksbury,' and so on throughout the whole piece. The play will be given in its entirety, and the full powers of Mr. Warde and his company will be better demonstrated under the circumstances. The idea is a novel one and will be the first production of its kind in this country.
“determined to do as Shakespeare himself did under the same circumstances: play 'Richard III' without scenery at all.”
Long before modern experimental theater gained popularity, touring actors in 1892 Seattle were stripping away production value to survive the city’s then-limited theater infrastructure. It serves as a reminder that Seattle’s cultural ambition has often outpaced its physical amenities, a theme that remains prevalent in the city's arts scene today.
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