See the letters of correspondence between Henry Clay Folger and actress Julia Marlowe regarding Shakespearean acting
Correspondence from 1904 between Henry Clay Folger and actress Julia Marlowe regarding Shakespearean acting. At the time that they exchanged letters, Marlowe had just completed a run as Juliet in a New York production of Romeo and Juliet, and the Folger Shakespeare Library had not yet been established.
Courtesy of Folger Shakespeare Library; CC-BY-SA 4.0 (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
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Transcript
SPEAKER: These two letters are an exchange between Henry Clay Folger, the founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the actress Julia Marlowe. Henry Folger was a devotee of Shakespeare both on and off the stage. And he would have seen the greatest Shakespeare performances both in New York and London.
In 1904, Julia Marlowe began an extremely successful acting partnership with EH Southern. And it appears from these letters that Mr. Folger saw their original production of Romeo and Juliet in New York that year. So after having seen both the opening and closing performances, Mr. Folger clearly felt compelled to share his knowledge of the stage, and he offers Marlowe what he calls "a trifling suggestion" on some stage business for Juliet's potion scene.
Mr. Folger's letter is politely apologetic but detailed in its advice, which he sure, he says, "will commend itself." Julia Marlowe's response is gracious, albeit very brief. And she promises to give Mr. Folger's suggestion due consideration.
Whether or not the two continued a correspondence is unclear. But Marlowe did leave the Folger a large number of her prompt books as well as other production documents and a number of costumes and stage properties from several of her plays.
In 1904, Julia Marlowe began an extremely successful acting partnership with EH Southern. And it appears from these letters that Mr. Folger saw their original production of Romeo and Juliet in New York that year. So after having seen both the opening and closing performances, Mr. Folger clearly felt compelled to share his knowledge of the stage, and he offers Marlowe what he calls "a trifling suggestion" on some stage business for Juliet's potion scene.
Mr. Folger's letter is politely apologetic but detailed in its advice, which he sure, he says, "will commend itself." Julia Marlowe's response is gracious, albeit very brief. And she promises to give Mr. Folger's suggestion due consideration.
Whether or not the two continued a correspondence is unclear. But Marlowe did leave the Folger a large number of her prompt books as well as other production documents and a number of costumes and stage properties from several of her plays.