Busy Bees

The Busy Bees were an amateur theatre society set up in the 1880s in London.

The paper programmes for the Busy Bees have a cover design which includes three hives representing 'Drama', 'Music', and 'Recitations'. The society's President was Hermann Vezin, the American who had success on the British stage as an actor but became better known as a teacher of elocution.

On 10 November 1885 the society performed School by T. W. Robertson. Robertson's plays were popular with amateur societies. The performance took place at St George's Hall, Langham Place, which was a popular venue with amateur groups.

An article in The Queen; The Lady's Newspaper in 1889 explains how by this time the Busy Bees had been disbanded and Hilda Abinger, who had been a member, instead joined the Strolling Players. The article also tells us that 'Miss Maude Millett, Miss Edith Chester, and Miss Olga Nethersole all emerged from the kindly shelter of the hive to take distinguished places on the London boards'.