A scene from A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1970–71) with Eve Crawford, ’71 BFA, in the middle.
(Top) A scene from The Persecution and Assassination of JeanPaul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade (1982–83). This play was probably one of the biggest productions Studio Theatre has produced and was a huge success. (Bottom) A scene from The Pirates of Penzance, 1942.
Theatre
he Drama Department first came into being in the 1940s, but long before that regular productions graced the stage in Convocation Hall. They were put on by students from every faculty and meticulously reported on by The Gateway. In 1921 the Dramatic Shield was introduced and fiercely competed for by students from every discipline. In an age where live theatre was pretty much the only entertainment option, four one-act plays would be prepared and performed by groups of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors who would compete against each other in front of packed houses from the University and the community at large for the fun of it, and for the honour of taking home the Dramatic Shield.
T
lizabeth Sterling Haynes (left)
E was the Faculty of Extension’s
first drama specialist and a co-founder of the Banff School of Fine Arts. An incredibly influential presence on campus, she arrived from Toronto in the early 1920s and revolutionized theatre in Alberta, helping to spread the “Little Theatre” movement as well as founding the Alberta Drama League, establishing the first high school drama organization in Edmonton and organizing theatre workshop classes for adults and children. She also persuaded the provincial Department of Education to have drama be an accredited course in schools and taught in the Drama Department at the U of A as well as directing and acting in Studio Theatre productions. In 1986, the “Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards Celebrating Theatre in Edmonton” were established to recognize the important role she played in creating such a vibrant theatre culture in Edmonton. Winter 2007/2008
new trail
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