Photo of the week
Revisiting an old classic
Friday 20 April 2012
Members of the University’s Gilbert & Sullivan Society this week recreated one of St Andrews' most famous pictures, ahead of their performance of Princess Ida on Saturday (21 April, The Byre Theatre, 2.30pm and 7.30pm). The original photo of an early cohort of female students was taken in St Salvator’s Quadrangle in 1896, and is believed to include St Andrews’ first female graduate, Agnes Forbes Blackadder (married name Savill) for whom New Hall was renamed earlier this week.
The performance of Princess Ida will be showcased on the penultimate day of the On the Rocks Festival. Set on the eve of the Great War, with the Suffragist cause at its height, Princess Ida and Hilarion are to be wed, having been engaged since infanthood. In the meantime, however, Princess Ida has rejected mankind and established the first all-woman university, rejecting all men. Hearing this, Hilarion takes matters into his own hands and sneaks into the university to claim Ida as his own. Will he succeed, or will his advances be rebuffed by Ida and her adamant followers? Tickets cost £6 and are available from the Byre Theatre.
The On the Rocks Festival, one of the highlights of the programme of 600th Anniversary events, will close on Sunday with a ceilidh in the Castle at 7.30pm.
For full details go to: www.ontherocksfestival.com
The original photo from 1896. Agnes Blackadder is thought to be the woman seated on the far left of the step.