The Dormitory Scene from Diana of Dobson's, written by the English actress & writer Cicely Hamilton (1872 – 1952), and produced at the Kingsway Theatre in London, on Wednesday 12 February 1908, with Lena Ashwell in the title role.
Diana is an underpaid worker in an Edwardian department store ('Dobson's') in Clapham. Act One takes place in the workers' dingy dormitory, the shopgirls prepare for bed whilst discussing their harsh working conditions. Diana discovers that she has unexpectedly inherited £300 from a distant relative, which she decides to spend on the holiday of a lifetime.
The play opened at the Kingsway Theatre in London, on Wednesday 12 February 1908, with Lena Ashwell in the title role. It proved to be a popular and commercial success, and ran for 143 performances at the Kingsway. In 1908 and 1909 four other companies toured Britain with the play, and productions were scheduled in the United States, Australia and South Africa.
Diana of Dobson's, by Cicely Hamilton, at the Kingsway Theatre. 1908.
(The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, February 22nd, 1908)
