Robert George Murduck

Photograph No. 0005

Coronet Entertainers

Photographed at Exmouth, 1905

 Coronet Entertainers, Exmouth 1905 Coronet Entertainers, Exmouth 1905

This is a form of promotional card - probably a postcard, although it's a bit taller than a standard postcard. The subject is five individuals in the Pierrot troupe known as 'Coronet Entertainers'. This image is dated '1905', but the troupe was apparently formed in Exmouth in 1903 [see "The Pierrots! - The Complete History of British Pierrot Troupes and Concert Parties", published by Routledge, New York, USA, 2023. The Coronet Entertainers are noted in Appendix 6, Page 322].

What's a "pierrot"? The term is defined on <www.dictionary.com> as "a male character in certain French Pantomime, having a whitened face and wearing a loose, white, fancy costume". <Wikepedia> suggests that "a Pierrot is a ... character of pantomime and commedia dell'arte, whose origins are in the late seventeenth-century Italian troupe of players....". We can certainly see the loose, white fancy costumes on 3 males in this photo. But what of the 2 figures dressed in black? Are they females, or are they males dressed up to look like females?

Little sense can be discovered today as to who any of the five individuals pictured here were. One of them must have been George Asaf - he seems to have been the driving force behind the troupe. When the 'Coronet Pierrot Entertainers' gave what appears to have been their first performance, at the Birmingham and Midland Skin Hospital, on Saturday, 31 January 1903, the members were identified as "Miss B. Olna, Mr E Rendell, and Mr. G Asaf" [Birmingham Mail, 2 February 1903, Page 2].

The Coronet Entertainers played on the seafront in Exmouth during the summer months of 1903, 1904 & 1905, usually starting the season in late May, and wrapping up by the middle of September. They gave what may have been their final performance anywhere (and perhaps only performance in 1906) in aid of the Exmouth Boys' Club at the Imperial Gardens, Exmouth, on the evening of Thursday, 16 August 1906.

At the start of the summer season of 1904, members of the troupe were identified as "Miss Beattie Olna, Comedienne; Miss Nellie Cameroux, Contralto; Mr Ernie Le Butt, Instrumentalist and Comedian; Mr George Asaf, Manager and Comedian; and Mr Felix Powell, Musical Director and Composer" [The Stage, 14 July 1904, Page 14].

When the 1905 season began, it was reported that the troupe had arrived in Exmouth in late May, 1905, "with an almost entirely new troupe" [Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, 19 May 1905, Page 12]. Unfortunately, no names of troupe members have been found in association with 1905 season performances. By late June, 1905, George Asaf was advertising for "Artists, for High-class Alfresco" performances, who "must be Young and Refined". He requested photos, and was offering eight weeks of work at the 'lowest terms' [The Stage, 29 June 1905, Page 17].

In September, 1905, an individual named Bert Randall placed a 'Position Wanted' advert in The Stage [7 September 1905, Page 21], advising that he had just concluded a successful engagement with Mr. George Asaf's Coronet Entertainers in Exmouth. This suggests that one of the males in the above photo is Geoge Asaf, and that another was probably Bert Randall [was he possibly the Mr. E Rendell who was listed as a troupe member in early 1903?].

Note the unique attribution of the photo to Murduck of Exmouth on the front of the card!

The author has no idea what the back of the card is like. If you know, please let me know.

If you can provide any details about troupe membership during the 1903 - 1906 seasons, please let me know.

Thank you!