Rockford University on Stage: Since as early as the 1800s, Rockford University students have staged productions formally and informally for the campus and Rockford communities. Before the establishment of the Department of Performing Arts, the Drama Club staged plays including “Nicholas
Nickleby” (1890), “A Scrap of Paper” (1894), and “Medea” (1896). These early productions were often Shakespearean, classic plays, or original creations written by students. They were made up of all-female casts. In recent years, the university’s performing arts department
In 1896, students staged “Medea” fully in Greek, with Jean Newcomber (center) as Medea. The cast and orchestra for the production of “Belle of Barcelona” in 1925.
1890
A few of the all-female cast members of “Nicholas Nickleby” in 1890.
10 CATALYST
1896
1917 The entire 1917 student cast of “As You Like It.”
1925
