“Perk” Lawrence has an abiding love of Shakespeare that goes beyond the average fan’s dedication. The Marietta resident is so devoted to the Bard that for the last 70 years she has loyally set aside two Thursdays a month to read and study his writings.
It was 1942 when Lawrence joined a small band of like-minded women who met to share their Shakespearean passion. She was introduced to the group by her mother, who was a founding member of the literary society that began in 1931. At the time, the women referred to themselves as “the Shakespeare group.”
“It was originally limited to 20 people, and it was all organized by word of mouth, but daughters of members were given priority to join,” said Lawrence, 92. “Back then, dues were 50 cents a year; now they’ve gone up to $25 a year. And the members have gotten younger. They’re maybe in their 40s and 50s.”
The group’s founder, Anne Hudgins, came up with the meeting schedules, assigned the readings and devised the membership by-laws. Candice Azurmendi, who joined in 2001 with her mother’s sponsorship, is now the group’s historian.
“When Mrs. Hudgins died, we renamed the group the Anne Hudgins Shakespeare Class,” said Azurmendi. “We started rotating teachers, and we study three plays a year. We decide if we need to do research or memorize lines. I remember attending as a child with my mom and being fascinated by these ladies who have been schoolteachers or writers and are so interesting. We have about 25 members, and Perk is our most senior. It’s a very special thing to sit and listen to someone like her read Shakespeare with her drawl.”
The members gather at each other’s homes for meetings highlighted by an informal quiz, a discussion and an occasional guest speaker. Actors from the Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta have performed; other speakers have highlighted aspects of the Bard’s life and writings. The group marks “Twelfth Night” with a celebration in January and toasts the writer on his birthday every April. Each meeting is followed with food.
“We have a social time at the end, and we always eat,” said Lawrence with a laugh. “There are wonderful cooks in this group, so we have wonderful food.”
A self-proclaimed “big reader,” Lawrence said she has always been drawn to Shakespeare more than most writers.
“His is the outstanding work in the English language,” she said. “It’s so full of meanings. The plays are wonderful and different, and the more you read them, the more there is to try and understand.”
Lawrence’s roots in Marietta are deep. She was born on Church Street, one of the main thoroughfares, and lives just 400 yards away from that spot. Her late second husband was a man she dated when they were teenagers in town. Being part of the Shakespeare circle keeps her in touch with many longtime residents who share her past.
“The thing I like most is that they’re all so smart,” she said. “Mrs. Hudgins would be very, very proud of all of them.”
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