Art at the Peabody House
The Elizabeth Peabody House had clubs for almost everything, including for performing arts, visual arts and writing. The Drama Department put on a big opera every year, often by Gilbert and Sullivan. There were many music clubs, including youth orchestras, a jazz band, and choruses. There were even special festivals to share different cultural traditions in music, since the Peabody House supported a lot of immigrant families coming to the West End. There were dances, concerts, and art shows for residents to see or take part in and share their work with their community! The EPH had multiple ways for residents to be involved in drama productions. There were multiple different acting clubs for all ages, and everyone got to put on productions, too.
People of all ages were involved in the arts at the EPH, and often in many different clubs. Pictured are programs from productions put on by the multiple children's theater groups.
"Rub a dub dub
We are a story acting club
We are happy and alive
From four until five
About fairies and whales
And Princes and Kings
And all sorts of things"
-A poem written by a child who participated in theater at the Peabody House, recorded in a house summary.
Two actors in a 1928 production of "HMS Pinafore" enjoying a scene together. This production was complete with intricate sets and costumes!
The Drama Department at the EPH was very fond of Gilbert and Sullivan operas such as “Pirates of Penzance” and “HMS Pinafore”. The Opera Company was founded in 1927 and performed only Gilbert and Sullivan Operas for at least the first three seasons. These productions included senior members of acting clubs and had involvement with the orchestra and some teenage ‘junior’ acting clubs.
Cast of 1929 "The Mikado" in costume, a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera set in Japan
Cast of the 1929 production of the opera "The Pirates of Penzance." Gilbert and Sullivan operas were popular picks for Elizabeth Peabody House productions.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials in this exhibit are from the Eva Whiting White papers, Simmons University Archives Manuscript Collection 022. The images and text on this web site are made available for study purposes only. They may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the Simmons University Archives. For more information, please contact the University Archives at archives@simmons.edu.
Community members outside of the Peabody House were also very fond of attending the productions. This 1946 letter from Robert J. Lawthers raves about the quality and talent of the actors and singers in a Peabody House performance of “The Bartered Bride.”
Some young artists from the Peabody house found fame later in life. Joseph Portanova, for instance, participated in drama productions at the EPH, and went on to become a sculptor first for the Trade School in Boston. He sculpted composers and scientists and teachers. He eventually was commissioned to sculpt multiple pieces for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, including a piece of President John F. Kennedy in 1964. Clips say his portraits were lifelike. Eva Whiting White and Joseph Portanova kept in touch until Eva’s death.
Other artists from the EPH had a way with words. Martin DiPasquale and Norman Goldman were two young boys who used the resources of the EPH to express themselves and become happier, more educated people who expressed themselves through poetry. Goldman wrote about current events in his life, and DiPasquale wrote about how his time at the EPH bettered his life.
Everyone at the EPH got to showcase their skills and talents in any way they could. While some wanted to perform in big company dramas like the operettas, others took lessons and prepared for showcases. Many trained in classical instruments like piano and violin. They played with classical orchestras, and there were also jazz orchestras and folk music orchestras as well.
The Elizabeth Peabody Playhouse got funds from performances by the neighbors, but it also got money from renting out the space to traveling performers. Naomi Weston was a dramatic soprano, who performed opera pieces.
The Elizabeth Peabody House’s role in the arts in Boston extended beyond the West End neighborhood. There were performances with or for other performing groups, such as Mount Holyoke College’s choir performing at the EPH. Professor Alice W. Mills, the director of this verse-speaking choir, focused on speech and articulation, which made her a perfect fit for a speaking choir. The EPH took part in sporting events and concerts with other settlements, like the Margaret Fuller House in Cambridge, Norfolk House Centre in Roxbury, the South End Music School, and Boston Music School Settlement in the North End. The EPH Operetta Club had members from Boston and its suburbs, and attracted attention from the likes of composer Leonard Bernstein, who worked with the high school chorus in an Operetta production.