Cornell Alumni News - eCommons@Cornell - Cornell University

CORNELL ALUMNI NEWS
June 1966
"A FUNNY
THING ..."
• An inscription over the entrance to the Theatre
Royal, Copenhagen, informs incoming patrons
that the works there presented are, "Not
only for entertainment."
It must be confessed that the average Cornell
attitude toward the theatre—outside of the
drama department—is a little less solemn.
Years ago, according to University Historian
Morris Bishop, when plays were presented at
the Wilgus Opera House on the second floor of
Rothschild's Department Store, a brass rail separated
the front row from the stage. Front row
occupants used to rest their feet on it. One evening,
eight students chalked large letters on
their shoe soles during intermission. When the
curtain rose, the actors read the message:
"THIS SHOW IS ROTTEN."
Panacea's (Bonnie Carroll '67) Roman-style tίc-tac-toe draws
fascinated attention from Psuedolus ...
The university theatre's main occupants—the
Cornell Dramatic Club—have nonetheless managed
a serious contribution to the American
Stage, supplying some noteworthy actors, playwrights,
directors, producers, and scenic artists.
It is fairly evident, then, that theatre at Cornell
(both at Willard Straight Theatre and the
Drummond Studio in Lincoln Hall) is an important
educational adjunct, for student participants
and audiences alike. The roster of plays
performed shows that Cornellians and Ithacans
have had made available to them a number of
important productions they might otherwise
have missed—and a fair collection of saucy
theatrical antics besides.
A recent production of the musical play* "A
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the
Forum," is likely to be historic in terms of its
success. Excellently performed by students under
the direction of a Visiting Drama Professor,
Richard C. Shank, it provided a scholarly lesson
for the actors; and the audience which watched
its extended run of fourteen performances was
quite obviously delighted by it.
, he takes a hand at the game.
June 1966 11