Children Perform 'Cinderella' for Orphans
Local children take the stage at the Seattle Theater for a charity performance to support the Orphans' Home.
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 performance of 'Cinderella' by Seattle children at the Seattle theater last night for the benefit of the Orphans' home was a gratifying success. The theater presented a sight to be remembered, as the audience was primarily composed of children and babies. Among the fairies and cupids, there were children not over five years of age performing. The programme included various dances, from the 'premier minuet' to the serpentine dance, concluding with a Maypole dance and a Japanese drill. Despite a malfunction with the stereopticon apparatus that caused awkward waits, the event successfully added to the resources of the worthy charity.
“The tone of the performance was given by children and babies on the stage, and the audience... was likewise one in which the child and baby element was predominant.”
In the 1890s, charity benefits performed by children were a staple of high-society civic engagement. While the Orphans' Home is long gone, the tradition of local theater as a vehicle for community fundraising remains deeply embedded in Seattle's cultural fabric.
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