Augustana School of Oral Expression, Augustana Speech Department, Augustana College Theatre Department, Elsinore Dramatic Club

English

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

College and school drama.
Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.).
College musicals.
Opera.

Rukmini Girish, 2013

Augustana College Special Collections
Thomas Tredway Library
639 38th Street
Rock Island, Illinois 61201
309-794-7643
specialcollections@augustana.edu

Augustana College offered its first courses in elocution and physical culture in 1897-1898, which likely included some elements of acting. In 1910-1911, the Department of Elocution and Physical Culture first offered a course in “dramatic expression.” The following year, it became known as the Department of Elocution, and in 1919-1920, it became the School of Oral Expression. Starting in 1928-1929, theatre courses are listed under the School of Oral Expression and the Department of Public Speaking and Debate, which in 1929-1930 became the Department of Speech. In 1934-1935, the School of Oral Expression was dissolved, but the Speech Department continued a course in “Dramatic Art.” Augustana’s School of Oral Expression began producing one-act plays in the college chapel in the mid-1920s, and plays continued to be produced by each of the succeeding departments. In the 1960s, the Augustana Players began producing several plays a year. This continued until the mid-1980s, when plays began to be staged under the Theatre Department’s banner. The Theatre Department also ran a summer program, called the Paddle Wheel Players when it was started in 1968, and known as the Pitchfork Players from 1969 until the program’s end in 1979.
The first student-run theatre organization was the Elsinore Dramatic Club, founded in 1905. The club started with readings, and then progressed to producing short plays, eventually dissolving in 1912-1913. Augustana Musical Theatre, a student organization which donated all of its proceeds to charity, produced its first musical in the spring of 1967. The group continued to produce an annual musical until the 1977-1978 school year, when it changed its name to Augustana Student Theatre and began producing plays. The group dissolved in 1981.
Opera has also been produced at Augustana College, first by the Augustana Opera Workshop, and, more recently, by Opera @ Augustana, both collaborations between the music and theatre departments.

The Collection of Augustana College Theatre materials dates from 1898 to 2013 and measures 9.5 linear inches. It consists of ten series: Augustana College Theatre, Augustana Musical Theatre, Augustana Opera Workshop, Augustana Players, Augustana Student Theatre, Elsinore Dramatic Club, Miscellaneous, Opera @ Augustana, Pitchfork Players, and Visiting Productions.
The Augustana College Theatre series (undated and 1898-2013) includes news clippings, programs, publicity materials (flyers, emails and mailings), and releases from Augustana College’s Office of Information Services.

The Augustana Musical Theatre series (1967-1976) includes news clippings, programs, one flyer, and releases from the Office of Information Services.
The Augustana Opera Workshop series (1976-1992) includes news clippings, programs, flyers, and releases from the Office of Information Services.
The Augustana Players series (undated and 1961-1982) includes news clippings, programs, publicity materials (flyers and mailings), and releases from the Office of Information Services.
The Augustana Student Theatre series (1977-1981) includes news clippings, programs, and releases from the Office of Information Services.
The Elsinore Dramatic Club series (1908) includes one program.
The Miscellaneous series (undated and 1981-2000) contains historical information about theatre classes at Augustana College compiled by Special Collections librarians, news clippings, programs, one news release and a flyer. Most of this information pertains to theatre productions produced by various campus groups.
The Opera @ Augustana series (1998-2012) includes news clippings and publicity materials (emails and flyers).
The Pitchfork Players series (1968-1979) includes historical information compiled by the Players themselves, news clippings, programs and publicity materials (flyers and mailings).
The Visiting Productions series (undated and 1967-1988) includes news clippings, programs, publicity materials (flyers) and one news release. This information pertains to various theatrical productions produced by outside organizations and performed at Augustana College.

The materials in this collection are arranged alphabetically by theatre group, and then alphabetically by format.