In 1916, when women still didn’t have the right to vote, the all-female Ward-Belmont College hosted a major Shakespeare pageant that drew in thousands of attendees from across the city. The pageant was staged to commemorate the 300-year anniversary of the death of Shakespeare, and nearly all 500 Ward-Belmont students participated in the event. The event, written and directed by Miss Pauline Sherwood Townsend, was a parade of scenes from Shakespeare's life and work, and was meant to showcase female artistic talent to the city of Nashville.
In 1916, when women still didn’t have the right to vote, the all-female Ward-Belmont College hosted a major Shakespeare pageant that drew in thousands of attendees from across the city. The pageant was staged to commemorate the 300-year anniversary of the death of Shakespeare, and nearly all 500 Ward-Belmont students participated in the event. The event, written and directed by Miss Pauline Sherwood Townsend, was a parade of scenes from Shakespeare's life and work, and was meant to showcase female artistic talent to the city of Nashville.