Dance and Drama
From KCpedia
For more information about the history of theater at Kenyon, see Drama.
Contents |
Early Theater
There exists documentation suggesting that Kenyon theater has been active since 1848. However, the first recorded performance took place in November of 1885 with the production of Tom Cobb or Fortune's Toy: a Comedy in Three Acts. It is assumed that before this year, the theatrical fare included vaudevilles, minstrels, parodies, and topical performances under the literary societies.
Senior Plays
Though the Puff and Powder Club was still a registered club at Kenyon, its performances were sporadic at best and all musicals. However, the senior class of 1903 decided to put on a commencement play under the guidance of Professor Reeves. They chose to perform Beaumont and Fletcher's The Knight of the Burning Pestle. The production was very successful and in 1904, the senior class decided to follow in the tradition and put on another commencement play. Up until 1930 each senior class put on a play in celebration of their commencement, with the exception of the class of 1913. Professor Reeves was the faculty member in charge of helping the seniors with their performances. He chose and directed the plays. It was only when his health deteriorated in 1930 that his this tradition died out.
From Theater to Drama
In 1947, Professor James E. Michael joined Kenyon's theater department as Associate Professor of Speech and it was at this time that emphasis in the department veered towards dramatic studies. However, it wasn't until 1956 that the department recieved the title of the Department of Drama.
Drama Faculty
Department members who are no longer at Kenyon include Clifford E. Hamar, Frederick W. Thon, Phyllis P. Bigelow, Thomas P. Cooke, Michael D. Birtwhistle, Clark Hobbie, James A. Patterson, James E. Michael, Daniel O. Parr, and Harlene Marley--who, in 1972, became the first woman department head in the history of Kenyon College.
The current Dance and Drama Department Faculty:
- Julie Brodie, Assistant Professor of Dance
- Balinda Craig-Quijada, Associate Professor of Dance
- Daniel Elihu Kramer, Assistant Professor of Drama
- Wendy A. MacLeod, James Michael Playwright-in-Residence
- Andrew Reinert, Associate Professor of Drama
- Leslie Seiters, Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance
- Jonathan Tazewell, Associate Professor of Drama
- Thomas Turgeon, Professor of Drama
Drama Locations
Before the completion of the Shaffer Building, or the Hill Theater, in 1941, most of the plays were performed in Rosse Hall. There are, however, records of productions taking place in Philomathesian Hall, Nu Pi Kappa Hall, Colburn Hall, and Church of the Holy Spirit.
The Shaffer building is called the Hill Theater because in a 1953 production of The Show Off, the players began to call it that.
Drama Awards
The Ashford Memorial Award for Excellence in Dramatics is awarded each year to the student who had made the most notable contribution to the theater department.
There Paul Newman Trophy and the Joanne Woodward Trophy, were both given by Paul Newman (K1949), the latter in honor of his wife. These are awarded to the senior actor and actress who have given the most skilled and successful performances in an acting role during the academic year.
The Beginings of the Dance Department
The first record of a dance performance associated with Kenyon College took place on Friday April 27, 1973, at 8:30pm. It was directed by Maggie Patton and was presented by the Department of Drama and the Kenyon College Dramatic Club. The program discussed the college's hopes of giving "Dance as a Performing Art" a real place in the Gambier Community and surrounding area.
Resources in the Kenyon College Archives
- Greenslade, Thomas Boardman. Kenyon College: Its Third Half Century. Gambier, Ohio: Kenyon College, 1975. KNA Press, Inc. [Find in Kenyon's Library]
