This play reading group, or possibly two separate groups, appears to have existed in Wellington c1916-1926, when lists of characters and the names of the people who were to read them were laid in to copies of the plays, later purchased by the Library from their subsequent owners.
The group was titled variously 'The Readers', 'The Play Readers' and 'The Playreaders'.
Surnames of readers include: 1916: Beaglehole, Baldwin, Wickham, Page, Vickermann, Nicholls, England, Fell, von Haast, Robb, Russell, Broad, Rapley, Porter, Hogg, Coleridge, Caddick, Simm, Tombs, Skelly, Richmond, Lawson, Lawson, Cooke, Kennedy, Isaacs.
1926: Caddick, Broad, Facer, Wauchop, Simm, Fair, Hogg, Grear, Burden, Wilson, Pearson, Nicholls, Page, Coleridge, Corliss, Hannah, Darling, Vickermann.
Materials closed until processed.
The only archives held from this group consist of administrative records to do with which members were to perform which characters from each play. The copies which have survived were those for Mr Broad, who laid them into his copies of the plays.
Not yet processed as individual items.
1. 'Romeo and Juliet', sheet laid in titled 'The Readers' - Monday 1 June (readers include Mr and Mrs Beaglehole) 2. 'Macbeth' (Shakespeare), sheet laid in titled 'The Readers' - Monday 7 June (readers include 2 x Mr Beaglehole and Mrs Beaglehole) 3. 'Much Ado about Nothing' (Shakespeare), sheet laid in titled 'The Readers' Monday 12 June 1916 AND sheet laid in titled 'The Playreaders', 18 August 1926 (1916 readers include 2 x Mr Beaglehole) 4. 'The Two Mr Wetherbys' (St. John Hankin), sheet laid in titled 'The Readers', Monday 21 June 5. 'The Thunderbolt' (Arthur W. Pinero), sheet laid in titled 'The Readers' Monday 2 August (readers include Mr and Mrs Beaglehole) 6. 'Mary Stuart', sheet laid in titled 'The Play Readers', Wednesday 4 June 1924 6. 'The Same Star', sheet laid in titled 'The Play Readers', Wednesday 30 Sept. 1925.