New Grosvenor Room Guide

Shakespeare in the park…the early years

On June 14, 1904 Buffalonians were treated to an amateur outdoor production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, complete with “electrical effects,” a Greek dance, and Mendelssohn music.  Presented as a benefit for the Charity Foundation’s Church Home (an orphanage & home for the aged), the performance took place in the extensive gardens of the Rumsey family, located at Delaware Avenue and Tracy Street.  A serendipitous scrapbook find, as this play is the current Shakespeare in the Park production!

The production featured a cast of Buffalo notables, with members of the Cary, Hamlin, Larkin,  Letchworth, Kleinhans, Rumsey, and Wilcox families participating.

Here is the glowing review and full cast:

Source: Charities in Buffalo Scrapbook, Vol. 1, pp.327-330, 332. Buffalo Collection *HV99.B86 B72