Vegetarian Theatre
Bernard Shaw would be pleased to know that no animals were harmed by the Shaw Festival Theatre Co. in Niagara-on-the-lake in Canada last summer, and unless something goes terribly wrong in the 2007 season, animals should always feel welcome there.
The Shaw Festival Theatre complex itself is set in nature. There are song birds in the trees outside and small woodland creatures habituate the grounds. My wife spotted a family of deer under some fruit trees in the fence row a couple summers back.
Vegetarianism was important to Bernard Shaw. Lying on his death bed he wrote,
"My situation is a solemn one. Life is offered to me on condition of eating beefsteaks. But death is better than cannibalism. My will contains directions for my funeral, which will be followed not by mourning coaches, but by oxen, sheep, flocks of poultry, and a small traveling aquarium of live fish, all wearing white scarves in honor of the man who perished rather than eat his fellow creatures."
George Bernard Shaw had made up his mind on animal testing even as a young man. His earliest plays contain many references. The Philanderer which was Shaw’s second play, profiles an avaricious surgeon that does animal testing to find obscure diseases and thereby secure his own fame and fortune. When confronted, Dr Peter Paramore complains that he can’t afford to kill dozens of animals to test his ideas.
Leonard Charteris, the protagonist, advocates a return to nature in Act IV when Julia Craven says, ’Don't say that… It sounds as if I were a mere animal.’ Charteris replies, ‘Hm! A fine animal is a very wonderful thing. Don't let us disparage animals, Julia.’
Like most late Victorian playwrights, George Bernard Shaw was profoundly influenced by Henrik Ibsen, who wrote ‘It is inexcusable for scientists to torture animals; let them make their experiments on journalists and politicians.’
Today it’s possible to attend ShawFest and dine comfortably on fruits and vegetables alone. The Post House Country Inn Circa 1835, John's Gate (155) and the Dorchester House are three of the many local bed and breakfasts that offer vegetarian service. And more options appear on the Shaw Festival website under accommodations, http://www.shawfest.com/web/content.asp?docid=3_2_0_1
The Philanderer will be performed again at the 2007 Shaw Festival, is Vegetarian Theatre in plot and theme.
