The nicest thing is, this is not a crowded destination but has incredible Roman ruins just waiting to be walked and climbed on….they are unprotected and that makes them even more special, at least to me. There is a museum as well and it is smartly composed and gives you a feel for what Arles really looked like during its very prominent Roman period which lasted over 500 years. The offspring of that alliance is the incredible treasure trove of Roman ruins in the form of a well preserved arena, a theatre, a classic triumphant arch and walls that still stand…this was a total surprise to me and well worth a day or two to explore and soak it all in. Arles competed with its rival port, present day Marseilles, for prestige and the city fathers made a fateful decision to side with Julius Caesar in a struggle for power…Marseilles went with Caesar’s rival Pompey and Caesar and Arles won out and, as a result, Arles gained prominence within the empire. It is quite old, being known to the Phoenicians as a trading port on the Rhone River with the Mediterranean just to the south and settled more formally by the Romans in the first century BC. It is hard to separate history from the place so allow me to provide a little historical perspective as to why Arles was even a place. So, with a little time on my hands on my return trip to Aix, I wandered into town with no agenda and little knowledge….honestly, I was hungry and looking for a light lunch. It is at best, the third city of Provence, after Aix and Avignon…indeed it was my third city as I had already feasted on the beauty and splendor of the other two. Most people who travel to Provence don’t likely swing into Arles…they may swing around it but not into it. Then, I thought of Arles, France and I needed to write this. But….I kept thinking about those other places I have gone….those surprises that were an afterthought on my itinerary and then became much more. In truth, I intended to go somewhere else during this “Walk”…….a well known Italian beach destination town…one that everyone wants to travel to and so, I started writing about my journey there from two years ago. But first, here is how I got to the point of writing about the moderately sized Provence city of Arles. Well, I promise you, there is a point and I will get to it in due time and then, it will be obvious. Curtis Canfield Papers.You are probably curious about the title of this “Walk”. Materials related to the Masquers’ 1949 Folger performances and the NBC broadcast can be found in the Amherst College Dramatic Activities Collection, and the F. The Chicago Tribune reported that the broadcast proved two things: “1) Shakespeare makes a high order of television program, and 2) Amherst knows how to train actors.”ĭespite the successful run of The Masquers’ production, plays would not be regularly produced at the Folger until 1970. The on and off-stage activities of the Masquers were photographed by Gjon Mili for Life and Time magazines. The broadcast was a huge success, and was covered by most major newspapers. An article in the Folger newsletter of Masuggested, “The amount that this is costing the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company and the time that the NBC engineers are devoting to technical problems alone prove that big business must have tremendous faith in the cultural appeal of William Shakespeare.” Wright, the Folger’s Director from 1948 to 1968. The telecast profiled the Folger Library and its founder, Henry Clay Folger (AC 1879), and included appearances by Amherst College President Charles W. Audience at the NBC broadcast performance of “Julius Caesar” by The Masquers
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