The Shakespeare Club welcomed the 2017 Rose Queen Victoria Castellanos and her Court to the Shakespeare Club villa for their Annual Luncheon held in their honor on February 7th. During the Friendship Hour preceding the lunch, Shakespeare Club Members and Guests chatted with the lovely and gracious Royal Court and the Tournament Officials. The lunch and program started off with a warm welcome and introductions from Shakespeare Club Vice-President, Janet Beggs. She presented the Court with gifts from the Club of monogramed pillows and the traditional “Rose” charms. Guests were then treated to a musical performance by former Princess Mackenzie Byers who sang a beautiful song about Roses. Mr. Brad Ratliff, 2017 Tournament President shared favorite memories and special moments of his year and his theme for the Rose Parade “Echoes of Success. Incoming 2018 President Lance Tibbett was unable to attend but Mr. Brad Ratliff spoke of his upcoming theme for 2018 “Making a Difference” and what Mr.Tibbett will have to look forward to for his year as President.
The highlight of the afternoon was to hear each princess and the Queen share with guests, where they go to school, the activities they are involved in and where they plan to go for college. It is amazing how they keep such heavy schedules and perform all of the duties required of them to serve on the Royal Court! Each of the young ladies spoke of her own special journey of the past year and her favorite experiences. This is the last official appearance of the Royal Court and the poised young ladies truly delighted guests with their stories. Closing thoughts were shared by Shakespeare Club President, Pat Huffman.
The Queen and Court luncheon, held yearly at the Club, has been a tradition since 1952. One of the oldest traditions of The Shakespeare Club is their association with the Tournament of Roses. In 1897 they contributed towards prizes and served picnic lunches to visitors. They entered their first float, a decorated carriage in 1906 and had four prize winning floats in 1929-1932.
The Shakespeare Club has had a long history of Philanthropic work in Pasadena and the surrounding Community. In keeping with that history, The Shakespeare Club will be presenting their 68th Annual Benefit, the musical production of The Pajama Game (Music Theatre International). This musical is based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell and the book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The Production Staff will be; Director – Bill Shaw; Choreographer – Rikki Luggo; and Music Director – Brigham Freeth.
The production will be held March 24, 25, 26 2017 at the Louise K. Taylor Performing Arts Center, 825 W. Colorado Blvd., Monrovia, CA. (For Ticket Information: 800-838-3006 – http://shakespeareclub.BrownPaperTickets.com)
As a prelude to the Production, there will also be an elegant Gala featuring a Silent Auction to be held at the Shakespeare Club Villa on February 25th, 2017. “Boudoir Broadway – The Naughtier Side of Broadway” Gala will feature elegant food and entertainment to delight the guests and a few surprises too!
The Shakespeare Club will be donating the net proceeds from the benefit to their Scholarship Fund for graduating seniors in the Pasadena Unified School District and on-going projects of the Shakespeare Club. Each year a check is presented to four carefully selected graduating seniors in preparation for college. The Shakespeare League, which joined its parent organization the Shakespeare Club several years ago, has had a long history (over 60 years!) of presenting full scale Broadway Musicals and donating the net proceeds to many local charities.
The Shakespeare Club, organized in 1888, has the honor of being the oldest Women’s Club in Southern California. They have owned and maintained a lovely Italian Villa on South Grand Avenue in Pasadena since 1972, where meetings and events take place. New members are welcomed year-round. For more information, please contact the Club at (626) 795-5714, and visit www.shakespeareclub.org.