History
HISTORY
It all began in
1855 when President Remigius Tellier, S.J. encouraged the students to “unite in
giving dramatic entertainments.” Fordham University wasn’t Fordham but St. John’s
College and the Mimes weren’t the Mimes but the St. John’s Dramatic Society. A
young student by the name of Charles M. Walcot ‘58 heeded the call. His father
was an actor and Charles would follow in his father’s footsteps, becoming the
first but certainly not the only “Mime” to choose a career in the theater. His
first brush with fame in 1864 was in the part of Horatio in Edwin Booth’s
famous hundred-night run of Hamlet in New York. He would be best remembered for
his performances with his wife, Isabella Nickinson, and their long association
with the Lyceum Theater from 1887 to 1899. But it was on December 8th, 1855,
when he took the part of Falstaff in Henry IV and Mynheer Hans Hoogdfit in The
Seven Clerks that the St. John’s Dramatic Society (later renamed the Mimes and Mummers)
was born. The sets were constructed by the students and mounted to a platform
at the north end of the study hall. At the conclusion of the performance the
set and stage were taken apart and stored away until another play called them
forth again.
The platform
would be brought forth again and again for another fifteen years. The programs were
long but this did not displease the audience. As the society wrote in their
program for the “Dramatic Exhibition” of 1857, we “have spared no pains to
select for the occasion plays calculated to entertain the curious and the learned.”
In 1871 a permanent stage was installed in the First Division study hall (now Dealy
Hall) and the curtain and the proscenium were painted by an Italian scholastic
visiting the college. In this year the society was officially organized. A board
of directors was established and a president elected (the first recorded president
is John Sweeney ’73, elected on October 3, 1872). The students adopted the name
of the Dramatic Association of St. John’s College and their first “Grand
Exhibition” was presented on March 29th, 1871. The Mimes have sometimes marked
1871 as their birthday but it’s more properly the year of their confirmation as
a student group that had now grown-up and was here to stay.
The Association
wasted no time and petitioned the president of the college to assign a
moderator to their newly organized group. It took until 1873 for their request
to be granted when President Joseph Shea, S.J. appointed the first moderator.
We do not know who that moderator was but from the secretary’s minutes we do
know that one of his first requests was to ask the Association to “please
refrain from cutting any more holes in the curtain.” Over the next thirty years
the college expanded. Dramatics were a favorite activity eventually superseding
the public debates and not challenged in popularity until activities like baseball,
football and general athletics began to offer alternatives to the students’
time and interests. Plays were regularly performed on or close to school
holidays: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, Washington’s Birthday, St. Patrick’s Day
and Rector’s Day. It was the habit to try and keep the program a secret until
the day of the performance. But as James J. Walsh, S.J. ’84 tells us, “somehow
it always managed to leak out, to the great disgust of older members of the dramatics,
who seemed to consider the secret connected with the Society’s dignity.”
One of those
early members was Martin H. Glynn ’94. He acted in several shows and received
special praise from a reviewer when he stepped in for an actor who was
unexpectedly called away - “Mr. Martin H. Glynn kindly accepted the arduous
task of learning more than two hundred lines in about three hours.” The reviewer
went on to say, “the young gentleman did marvelously well.” Within five years
of graduation Mr. Glynn would become a member of the United States House of
Representatives (1899- 1901). He later became lieutenant governor of New York
and then governor (1913-14) after Governor William Sulzer was impeached and
removed from office.
In spite of the
challenge to their popularity the importance of dramatics in a Jesuit education
was a strong enough tradition to influence the agenda of University President
John J. Collins, S.J. He was appointed president in 1904 and wasted no time in announcing
his plans to elevate the college to university status by establishing the
Schools of Law and Medicine (the School of Medicine closed in 1921). His plans
included a new campus building—College Hall. College Hall was to be the home of
the Law School but that was not all. In the fall of 1905 when the building was
completed and the doors opened to the first law students, they discovered a
surprise awaiting them one flight up—a magnificent theater.
On the second floor
was the auditorium. It extended the
full length of the building, occupying the full sweep of two stories to the height
of forty-two feet, and having a seating capacity of one thousand. It was fitted
out with every improvement, both for acoustics and scenic effects. In the
decorating of the theater, no expense was spared to make it one of the most pleasing
and most beautiful in New York City.
It had a spacious stage and twelve adjoining dressing rooms. The third
floor consisted of two classrooms and the framework of the theater’s gallery.
The fourth floor was the gallery, which had a seating capacity of 400 and
sloped gracefully so that every seat offered unobstructed views of the stage.
The Law School did not remain in College Hall but the St. John’s Dramatic
Association did. With a new theater
on campus the idea of trying to keep dramatic programs a secret was abandoned.
Much preparation went into the theater’s inaugural performance and with unprecedented
fanfare A College Complication was presented on March 17, 1906 (reprised May 1,
1906). It was an original student production by J. Ignatius Coveney FCRH ’06
(the author of Fordham’s fight song, “The Fordham Ram”) and Stanley Quinn FCRH
‘08 and the first musical comedy composed entirely by students of St. John’s
College. We get a flavor of their lyricism in the opening number when the
chorus sings to the audience:
Let dour old age, ’gainst nonsense rage,
Let wisdom censure folly,
The world’s a stage and not a cage,
Away with melancholy.
With merry hearts we’ll play our parts,
No matter what comes after,
While sorrow’s darts and fortune’s smarts,
We’ll drown with song and laughter.
The authors adeptly handled a
situation that was an unfortunate reality for their Association – no women.
Since there were no female students at St. John’s, all women’s parts were
played by the male students. So when Mr. Coveney and Mr. Quinn wrote their
“young maiden” character, they created the part of Harold Porrill. The college
high jinx of his fellow classmates required Harold to disguise himself as a
woman in order to entice the boastful campus lothario to reveal his true colors
as a shy and inexperienced youth. In the end the subterfuge is revealed when,
at the climax of the play, hat and wig is pulled off Harold’s head.
Reverend Collins
did not remain president for long. In the fall of 1906 (at the same time the
Law School moved to 42 Broadway), he was made Vicar Apostolic of Jamaica and
left Fordham. Yes, Fordham. Once he had received the consent from the Regents
of the University of the State of New York on June 21st, 1904, and created the
Schools of Law and Medicine, the name Fordham University came into use. It became
official in 1907 when an amendment to the college’s original charter was
approved. The Association in short order changed its name to “The Fordham
University Dramatic Association.”
The light fare
of A College Complication did not mean
that loftier plays were not attempted. By 1921 when the group commemorated
fifty years of official organization, the Association could boast three more
productions of Henry IV as well as
four productions of The Merchant of
Venice. There were three productions of Hamlet
and Macbeth and at least one
production of Julius Caesar, King John and Twelfth Night. These were certainly Shakespeare’s more male-dominated
plays but they were not entirely devoid of choice female roles. James M. Dunn
FCRH ‘14 in his portrayal of Lady Macbeth was “a woman of refinement, at least
exteriorly, devoted to her husband and full of sympathy with him in his mental
torture.” But Mr. Dunn’s was not the only notable performance. In the role of
Banquo a young man by the name of Francis J. Spellman FCRH ’11 appeared.
“Frank” (as his name appeared in the program) would later become the Archbishop
of New York in 1939 and be elevated to Cardinal in 1946. A building on campus
is named in his honor.
A year after
Cardinal Spellman graduated; another young thespian would make his mark on the
Fordham stage. His name was John F. Hamilton FCRH ’16 and though his roles at
Fordham were small they were numerous (he appeared in every show in his years
at Fordham). Obviously the acting bug had bit. He achieved early fame in the
Pulitzer Prize winning play Hell Bent Fer
Heaven and would be later remembered for his role of Candy in the original
Broadway production of Steinbeck’s Of
Mice and Men.
When Mr.
Hamilton left Fordham, much of Europe was at war. The United States had managed
to remain neutral since the summer of 1914 when WWI began but public sentiments
were increasingly favoring the allies. After the discovery of the “Zimmerman
Note” and Gemany’s declaration that they would once again institute a policy of
unrestricted submarine warfare, violating the “Sussex Pledge”, Congress
declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. War fever swept the nation and the
students and administrators of Fordham were no exception. In the summer of 1918
Fordham became one of the first colleges to be granted S.A.T.C. status
(Student’s Army Training Corp). The university looked more like an army camp than
a college and dramatics were suspended for the next year even though the war ended
with the signing of the Armistice at eleven o’clock on the eleventh day of the
eleventh month of 1918.
Things returned
to normal by the start of the following school year and on April 19th and 20th,
1920 the George M. Cohan play, Seven Keys
to Baldpate was presented to a Fordham audience. Students who entered
Fordham after WWI were now performing in Collins Auditorium. No official
ceremony or pronouncement can be found but by 1920 the name was in common use.
It most likely coincided with Rev. Collin’s return to Fordham initially requested
in 1918 and granted in 1920 when his replacement in Jamaica was named. Rev.
Collins remained at Fordham for another fourteen years, teaching religion to
the college students and serving as spiritual father to the Fordham Community.
He died November 30, 1934.
1921 marked a
real milestone for Fordham’s student performers. A young scholastic by the name
of Robert I. Gannon, S.J. was in his second year as moderator of the organization.
Fr. Gannon’s enthusiasm and love of the theater was evident from the start. He
was the one who prompted the Association to change its name to the Mimes and
Mummers. How he chose the name we do not know but it certainly was in keeping
with other college dramatic societies, particularly fellow Jesuit schools like the
Boot and Buskin Dramatic Guild of Le Moyne College, the Argus Eyes of St.
Peter’s College and the Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society of Georgetown
University. Mistakes of a Night was the first play presented under this name on
December 12th, 13th and 14th.
The new moniker
of the Mimes and Mummers was not Fr. Gannon’s only contribution. In 1922 he
oversaw the completion of some badly needed renovations to Collins Theater. The
most significant change was the addition of four parterre boxes to the right
and left of the stage. The author of a one-act play manual, Fr. Gannon started
the group known as the Fordham Playshop. The group was responsible for the
annual Freshman One Act Play Contest, the annual Varsity One Act Play Contest
(both of these presenting original student works) and was a forerunner to the
annual Jesuit Intercollegiate One Act Play Festival. The Mimes were utilized
almost exclusively in these productions and assumed full responsibility for their
activities in short order. The last of these contests, the Jesuit
Intercollegiate One Act Play Festival, survived until 1962. The finals that
year were held on the Collins stage on February 24th. The Mimes won for their presentation
of The Lady in Red.
In a sense 1962
wasn’t the final curtain for the Fordham Playshop. Its legacy was felt ten
years later when the Mimes won the southern regional competition of the New
York State Theater Festival, and today with F.E.T. (Fordham Ensemble Theater),
a student group that has always worked closely with the Mimes and Mummers and
often mounts original student works. Their roots were in Keating Little
Theater, but they perform today in a black-box theater in the basement of
Collins Auditorium. The theater was once the Mimes’ shop.
Rev. Gannon
left Fordham in 1923 to complete his studies for the priesthood, but his legacy
as moderator was not a curtain call. He still had a second act to play in his
association with the Mimes.
For forty
years, the popularity of the one-act play contests ebbed and flowed. There were
years when a prize of $25 in gold awarded for the best play practically
guaranteed participation. Other years relied on course assignments by the
English department to produce a competitive number of plays. In the early years
we find two young participants, Horace McMahon LAW ’29 and Joseph S. Fechteler
FCRH ’27. Horace was part of the Mimes’ “Law School Nights” in which a replacement
cast of Law School students performed. It was a short-lived experiment available
to interested law students who saw theatrical performance as a supplement to
their classroom studies. Horace abandoned his law career and went on to achieve
fame as the stereotypical gangster in several Hollywood pictures. He is
probably best remembered for playing it straight as Detective Mike Parker in
the 1950’s television series Naked City.
Joe was active
in the Mimes for all of his four years at Fordham. In 1927 he was vice-president
of the Mimes, proclaimed runner-up as best actor in the one-act play contest
and played the title role in the Mimes’ production of Beau Brummel. Although
it wasn’t a theatrical career that Joe pursued, his love for the Mimes was
great and he left a lasting testament in the form of an annual award
established in 1959. After a three-year absence, in 1975 the award became mistakenly
known as the Fechleter Award, an error that can now be corrected.
With the inauguration
of the play contests we see a definite break from the lengthy programs of the
past. Typically only one main stage production or Varsity Play was performed
per year with the one-act play contests occupying the time and energy of the
Mimes for the remainder of the year. The Great Depression of the 1930’s
guaranteed this trend for another decade since limited resources allowed for
only one full-length play per year. The shows, although fewer, were neither
without merit nor their share of future theatrical notables. Among the
impressive productions was the 1937 show Yellow
Jack. An ambitious undertaking, the show included a cast of twenty-nine and
several sets. The RAM commented that the play called for “technical work equal
to that of any Broadway production.” By all accounts it was a tremendous success.
Horace McNally
FCRH ’32 (he later changed his name to Stephen) would be the first of the famous
30’s graduates. He was a successful character actor and best remembered for his
role as Locky McCormick in the Oscar nominated film Johnny Belinda. John McGiver FCRH ’37 was next. Another well-known character
actor he appeared in several films and was a regular on The Patty Duke Show. He was the first to appear in the famous “Do
You Know Me...” TV commercials for American Express. Last but not least was
Richard Breen FCRH ’40. A member of the cast of Yellow Jack, he would become a successful screenwriter, winning an
Oscar with his collaborators Charles Brackett and Walter Reisch for the 1953
film Titanic.
But the most
important event of the 1930’s was the return of the well-known ally of the Mimes,
Rev. Robert I. Gannon. In 1936 Rev. Gannon, the moderator of the Mimes from
1920– 1923, was appointed president of the University. Rev. Gannon set a goal
of securing the educational reputation of Fordham as an elite Catholic University.
By 1940 he had increased admission standards and resolved the accreditation problems
of both the undergraduate and graduate schools. But to do more he needed money.
With the 400th anniversary of the Society of Jesus, and Fordham’s pending centennial
anniversary, he was presented with an opportunity. He encouraged, along with
Mimes’ moderator, William Trivett, S.J. and Mr. Emmet Lavery, playwright and
founder of the Catholic Theatre Conference, two talented students, Harry Schnibbe
FCRH ’40 and the aforementioned Richard Breen FCRH ’40 to write a play for the
Jesuit quadricentenary. Harry and Richard, Mimes’ president and vice-president
respectively, chose the dramatization of the martyrdom of the Jesuit English
saint, Edmund Campion (1540 – 1581), as the subject of their play.
The play was
called Who Ride on White Horses and it
was too important to remain a purely campus event. The show was presented in
Manhattan at the Heckscher Theatre on January 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th, 1940.
It was meant as a vehicle to help kick-off Fordham’s Century Fund Appeal and
could not be viewed as an amateur college production. As a result a few Mimes
“traditions” were ignored. A professional actor named Robert Speaight and not a
student played the role of Edmund Campion. The director was also a professional
by the name of Albert McCleery. He was the first professional director hired to
direct a Mimes’ show and would play a prominent role in both the success and
controversy associated with Fordham Theater after WWII.
But the most
important break from tradition was Mary Schneider. Mary was a faculty member in
Fordham’s School of Education, and was cast as Queen Elizabeth. She had
previously appeared in plays produced by the School of Education (a group later
known as the Thalians), but her role in Who
Ride on White Horses was a Mimes’ first. Not strictly a Mime by the
definition of the day, she represented the solution to the Mimes “women problem“.
The problem was not completely
resolved until Fordham’s Thomas More College opened in 1964.
Though not the
success Rev. Gannon had hoped (Fordham’s Century Fund Appeal achieved only 60%
of its goal), there was enough money for improvements that would benefit the
Mimes. Early funds helped complete projects in Keating Hall left unfinished when
the building opened in 1935. Among these was the completion of Keating Little Theater.
A short play, Lee of Virginia and Lights and Shadows an Intimate Revue made
up the theater’s initial offering on December 6th, 1940. Collins Auditorium was
next and underwent another series of renovations. In 1941 the parterre boxes
were removed, auditorium seating was reduced to approximately 700 in both the
orchestra and gallery (now described as two loges) and two side stages were added
alongside the main stage. The “triple stage” was considered a unique theatrical
design. Collins reopened with “The First Play Cycle of 1941-1942.” The short
plays El Greco, The Most Dangerous Game and We’re
with You—a Fordham Farce were presented on December 12th and 13th, 1941.
The final Mimes-related benefit of the Century Fund was the Ted Collins
Penthouse Theatre (a.k.a. The Arena Theatre). It was a small eighty-seat
theater in-the-round constructed on the fourth floor of Collins Auditorium. The Servant of Two Masters, with Mary
Schneider in the cast, was the theater’s first show on April 23rd, 1942. The
following fall the Mimes would produce Martyr
without Tears. The play was written by the recent Fordham College graduate,
Lieutenant John Thomas Dugan FCRH ’41. It would be the last major Mimes production
produced exclusively by the Mimes for the next ten years.
It’s likely
that the theater improvements were part of a larger plan to create a Drama Department
at Fordham in the fall of 1942. But the plan was delayed when by the spring of
1942 it was clear that American life had changed. The United States was fully
engaged in the war and young college men were being called upon to participate.
After a Martyr without Tears, theater
at Fordham went dormant except for the occasional skit or radio play. No
full-length productions were mounted until nearly a year after the war ended when
the play A Saint in a Hurry was
presented to a Fordham audience on June 7th, 1946. It didn’t specifically
credit the Fordham University Theatre as co-producer with the Mimes but the
show was arranged and staged by Edgar Kloten, one of its future directors.
Another notable name in the program was John Leonard, S.J. who served as the
master electrician. It was his first Mimes production and the start of his over
sixty-year friendship with the Mimes.
In the fall of
1946 the Department of Communication Arts was inaugurated. Courses in a theater
division were available to both matriculated and non-matriculated students. A
Master of Fine Arts degree was possible. Albert McCleery returned as the department’s
first director with a staff that included William Riva (the highly regarded set
designer), the aforementioned Edgar Kloten and eventually the distinguished
Shakespearean actor Vaughn Deering. Vincent de O’Beirne, S.J. was chairman of
the department (and the Mimes moderator) until the fall of 1949 when Alfred J.
Barrett, S.J. took over. That same year Edgar Kloten became the theater department’s
second and last director.
The shows
produced by the Fordham University Theatre (F.U.T.) were often quite challenging,
professional and drew an audience from the greater New York City community. They
relied on a robust subscription campaign ($3.00 for six shows or a $1.20 per
show) to cover expenses. The Mimes always received credit as co-producers. But
its members, if not students in the theater department, were often relegated to
bit parts or crew positions. One of the best examples of this is the 1948
production of Eugene O’Neill’s play Lazarus
Laughed. The Fordham production was the New York premiere of the play. The
only other time the play had been presented was at its world premiere at the Pasadena
Community Playhouse in 1928. Perhaps the reason Fordham had the honor of producing
the play was Mr. O’Neill’s family tie to Fordham. His son, Eugene, Jr., was a
classics professor at Fordham while a generation earlier, his brother Jamie had
been expelled from St. John’s College. The administration had not approved of
Jamie bringing a prostitute on campus; an incident Mr. O’Neill had dramatized in
his play A Moon for the Misbegotten. Or more likely, it was Fordham’s
willingness to do the play. It was an overwhelming undertaking. One of
O’Neill’s pageant-dramas, it was a four act play calling for a cast of 240 in
the style of Greek plays, the majority making up the all-important chorus.
The set was to
be the most intricate and elaborate ever seen on campus. The design was sixty-four
feet by thirty feet and forty feet in depth. There were eight scene changes. A
new cyclorama from the largest single piece of cloth ever woven was used with
scenic projections from backstage. Eugene O’Neill planned on attending
rehearsals but had to send his wife instead when he was hospitalized after
breaking his leg. Mr. McCleeery cut the cast down by just about half, but he
still needed every Mime he could get his hands on. They made up the chorus
almost exclusively. As Paul Couglin, a former secretary of the Mimes, FCRH ’51 recalled,
“I was third spear-chucker from the left.” Paul’s most lasting memory of the
show was Marlene Dietrich. Ms. Dietrich was Bill Riva’s mother-in-law and she
would attend the shows, especially if her daughter Maria had helped out. On the
opening night Ms. Dietrich was late. The curtain had to be held so that Ms. Dietrich
could “make her entrance.”
New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson attended
the opening on April 8th, 1948, and reviewed the play. Of the play itself he wrote,
“shallow, sophomoric and hortatory,
Lazarus Laughed is practically unbearable in the theatre.” He was kinder on
the production, “Fordham mummers have put together an elaborate production...the
details and the various elements of the performance are good and often
excellent.” The praise was enough to help keep the theater department operating
for another four years.
Although the
Mimes willingly worked alongside the staff and students of the Fordham University
Theatre Department and the two groups mingled freely with little or no
distinction between the two, the Mimes did display a degree of independence in
the lunchtime productions they presented in Keating Little Theater. Their independence
was the by-product of a certain generalization about the two groups that was often
truer than not. A member of the Mimes and Mummers tended to be a fully
matriculated student and an undergraduate in Fordham College. As such he was
required to complete a core curriculum and remain a student in good standing.
His schoolwork did not necessarily include courses in the theater division and
he often participated in all aspects of student life at the university. In
contrast, it was not unusual for a student in the theater department to skip classes
or fail to complete course work. The staff of the theater division often held a
blind eye to such irregularities. The play was the thing. In fact, if a particular
actor was needed, he might be enrolled for a semester as a non-matriculated
student just to fill a part. This contrast is embodied by two Fordham students
of the time. William Windom, the famous character actor known for his role as
Dr. Seth Hazlett in Murder, She Wrote,
in addition to his numerous stage and screen appearances, starred as Romeo in
Fordham’s 1948 production of Romeo and Juliet.
He had been a paratrooper in WWII and joined the Biarritz American University
Theatre in the summer of 1945 when he was stranded in Frankfurt as part of the
Army of Occupation. Albert McCleery was the organizer and director of the
Biarritz Theatre. When both men returned home, Mr. McCleery cast Mr. Windom as
the lead in Richard III for the 1946
“Seminar of Theatre Practice” at Fordham. The seminar was a precursor to the theater
division that would start the following fall. After the seminar, Mr. Windom
joined the American Repertory Theatre, having signed a two-year contract with
that organization. Free in the fall of 1948 when Mr. McCleery was in need of a
Romeo, Mr. Windom was cast in the part.
Daniel Patrick
Harrington FCRH ‘50 was the more typical Mime. He was a political theory major
and elected a member of the Mimes’ Board of Directors his senior year. He was
also the head of the social committee and featured in the more Mimes-dominated
productions, the Ramblings of 1947
and the Ramblings of 1948 presented
in the Penthouse Theatre. They were musical reviews, with most of the material original
student work. Pat wrote the sketch “Still Life in the Ozarks” for the Ramblings
of 1947. Of course Pat Harrington, like William Windom, would go on to a
successful acting career. Another multitalented character actor, he is best remembered
for his role as Dwayne Schneider in the popular TV sitcom, One Day at a Time. He won an Emmy for the role in 1984.
In 1949 Rev.
Gannon retired as University president and left Fordham to pursue other interests.
He served three terms as president of the State Association of Colleges and Universities,
wrote seven books, including a biography of Cardinal Spellman whom he served as
adviser during their twenty-year friendship, and even recorded the entire
Jerusalem Bible on forty-eight cassette tapes for the blind. He died on March
12, 1978 at the age of 84. His successor was Laurence McGinley, S.J. Like President
Gannon he warned against the dangers of liberalism but without a soft spot for
dramatics, President McGinley was not predisposed to tolerate a division
lacking in academic integrity. Factions within the Department of the Communication
Arts were becoming more vocal in their opposition to the irregularities within
the theater division. Of course, it didn’t help that old stereotypes regarding
the loose values of “theater folks” were being fueled by rumors of drinking in
Collins, women remaining in the theater long after rehearsals had ended and nonspecific
accusations of activities not “representative of Fordham.” As Raymond Schroth,
S.J FCRH ’55 wrote in an article for his 45th reunion book, “the drama
department was a poisoned well of gossip and infighting.”
Nineteen
fifty-two marked the breaking point when Mimesnite,
an annual year-end Mimes’ variety show popular in the late 1940’s and early
1950’s, was presented to the Fordham community. It included two controversial
numbers both being performed for a second time (each number had been part of January’s
A Trip to Syracuse production). One
was a risqué number about a couple that no longer had to sleep together to stay
warm now that they had an electric blanket. The second was a comic ballet in
which a line of chorus boys danced with a decidedly atypical ballerina (she was
short, overweight and not very graceful). The number was very funny and popular
with the audience but considered vulgar by some in the administration.
The reaction
was fairly swift and implemented unceremoniously in the summer months of 1952.
When the students returned in the fall, they learned that Rev. Leo P.
McLaughlin, S.J., the director of WFUV, had replaced Fr. Barrett as the head of
the Communication Arts Department. Edgar Kloten and Bill Riva had “resigned”
and all classes and productions in the theater department were suspended. Among
those associated with the glory days of F.U.T. and the Mimes, only Fr. Barrett
and Vaughn Deering remained. Fr. Barrett was moved to the Business School to
write and teach religion and Mr. Deering taught speech and eventually became
the director of practically every Mimes show from 1955 until 1968.
The exit of
F.U.T. and the entrance of a newly independent Mimes and Mummers marked the
exit and entrance of two more Mimes’ notables, G. Gordon Liddy FCRH ’52 and
Alan Alda FCRH ’56. Mr. Liddy was a member of the Mimes and the business
manager for several of the shows. He is currently a successful radio
personality but is probably best remembered for his involvement in the
Watergate scandal. He was convicted of conspiracy, burglary and illegal
wiretapping, and received a twenty-year sentence. He served four and a half
years in prison before his sentence was commuted by President Jimmy Carter. Mr.
Liddy is a second generation Mime. His father, Sylvester Liddy FCRH ’23 served
as Mimes’ president from 1922- 1923. Two of his sons, James FCRH ’84 and Thomas
FCRH ’86 participated in Mimes’ shows in the 1980’s.
Alan Alda
entered Fordham just as F.U.T. ended. The lack of a theater department,
however, did not affect his desire to perform. He was an active Mime,
participating in several main stage productions as well as the Jesuit
Intercollegiate Play Festival. Mr. Alda has gone on to a successful acting
career and is probably the Mimes’ most illustrious alumnus. An Oscar and Tony
nominated actor, he is the only person ever to win an Emmy for acting, writing
and directing. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Hawkeye
Pierce in the television show, M*A*S*H,
and is known to today’s audience for his role as Senator Arnold Vinick in The West Wing.
Although the
Mimes had returned to their roots as a student group responsible for bringing
theater to the Fordham Community, it wasn’t quite the same as the days before
WWII. They proudly proclaimed in the program for the May 1953 production You Can’t Take It with You, “this is the
first season in almost a decade in which the Mimes and Mummers have produced
plays exclusively on their own resources.” But by the time Alan Alda graduated
and the Mimes celebrated their centennial anniversary with the Thalians in a
performance they named Etapes (the
French word for stages), a definite shift in their position on campus was
underway.
By 1956 the
Mimes were losing their preeminence as a student activity. It wasn’t just the
loss of the theater department but several factors. Student interests were
changing and dramatics didn’t seem to have the appeal it once had. The Bronx
was also changing. People were moving to the suburbs and the population around
the university was undergoing a transformation. Without F.U.T.’s backing, the
idea that an audience outside of Fordham might be interested in a Mimes’
production no longer seemed possible. Finally the University was less
interested in dramatics as part of a student’s Jesuit education. Leftover
resentments from the days of F.U.T. and the fear of making the same “mistakes”
might have played a part, but in truth the focus had shifted downtown. Plans
for a Lincoln Center campus would occupy the energy of the administration for
the second half of the 1950’s and eventually shift any serious educational
interest in theater to that location.
Fortunately, Vaughn
Deering and Rev. John Leonard, S.J. were still at Fordham and had not given up
on the Mimes. Both men tread softly in the wake of F.U.T.’s demise. Fr. Leonard
had only just returned to Fordham in the fall of 1952 (having left in June of
1947 to complete his studies for the priesthood) and did not become moderator
of the Mimes until 1954. His first contribution of note came in 1955 when he
sought and received permission from Jesuit Superiors in Rome to enlist women
from other Catholic colleges to participate in Mimes’ productions.
At first, Mr. Deering
concentrated on teaching but gradually worked his way back into the theater. By
1955 he was directing the Mimes’ shows but the apathy of the administration and
much of the student body was a challenge. By 1958 there was barely enough
interest to get the shows produced let alone sustain an active student organization.
In fact in 1959 and 1960, the Mimes’ Board of Directors ceased to exist when no
officers were elected. The nadir occurred in early 1960 when an article in the RAM
appeared, titled “Revive Theatre.” In it the author wrote, “the Mimes and
Mummers have reached a standstill.”
The salvation
of the Mimes occurred the same year when the Mimes presented The Curmudgeon. It was an ancient Greek
comedy by Menander that had only recently been rediscovered in Switzerland in
1958. It is Menander’s oldest complete comedy and the Mimes’ 1960 production,
in association with Fordham’s Greek Academy, was its American premier. Gilbert Highet,
a Columbia University professor translated the play and Vaughn Deering
directed. The show was a hit and boasted audience attendance comparable to days
past. There were more than a thousand spectators of which less than one quarter
were Fordham students.
The team of Vaughn
Deering and Fr. Leonard or “Dutch” (as he was often called by the Mimes in
those days) hit their stride in the 1960’s. After The Curmudgeon things improved.
The Board of Directors was reestablished in the fall of 1961 and Gabriel Lopez
became president. For the Mimes of the 1960’s, Vaughn Deering was a much beloved
mentor, credited by many as a guiding influence in their lives. His impact was particularly
felt by two Mimes at Fordham at this time. Former Mimes’ vice-president, Philip
LeStrange CBA ’64, credits Mr. Deering for much of his success. After
graduation, Mr. LeStrange obtained a Masters of Fine Arts from Catholic
University and started acting in regional and repertory theater. He returned to
New York for the 1987 Broadway revival of The
Front Page. Other Broadway credits include the original cast of Six Degrees of Separation and the recent
musical comedy, Never Gonna Dance.
Encouraged by
Mr. Deering to develop his writing skills, the one act plays Cooper’s Yard and Child’s Play by Ed Kelleher FCRH ’65 were performed by the Mimes in
1964 and 1965. Mr. Kelleher went on to achieve a certain cult status as the
screenwriter of several B science fiction movies including Shriek of the Mutilated. But Mr. Deering’s most illustrious
recipient of theatrical advice came late in his life. In 1974 he encouraged
Denzel Washington to transfer to the College of Lincoln Center. Although not a
Mime, Mr. Washington performed in many productions at Lincoln Center. He has
been nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two. One for a best supporting
role in the 1989 film Glory and as
lead actor in 2001 for Training Day.
Another sign of
the Mimes revitalization was the start of the Barrett Award first presented in
1964. In its inaugural year, two Mimes were selected as recipients, the
aforementioned Gabriel Lopez FCRH ’64 and John Garbarino FCRH ‘64. The Barrett
Award is presented in memory of Alfred Barrett, S.J. (the former head of the
Communication Arts Department) who died November 9, 1955. The award is given to
the Fordham College student who has exemplified the high levels set down by Fr.
Barrett in theater at Fordham.
Two years
later, the last remnant of F.U.T. was eliminated. Fordham’s
theater-in-the-round, the Penthouse Theatre, the first theater of its kind on
the East Coast, was converted into office space. It had been closed and used
only as rehearsal space for several years but in 1966 it was gone for good.
By the late
1960’s American college campuses were becoming hotbeds for student protests.
The Vietnam War was raging and young people were demanding to be heard. The
sheer volume of the first baby boomers was forcing people to listen. Fordham
was not exempt. In 1968, after Mr. Deering left the theater to teach full-time
in the Communications Department and Fr. Leonard took a year-long sabbatical,
control of the Mimes and Mummers passed from the hands of the faculty to the
students. In a nod to the emerging student sentiments of independence, outgoing
President Rev. Leo McLaughlin, S.J. urged Fr. Leonard to not return as
moderator in the fall of 1969. The Mimes were officially without a moderator
for the first time since 1873.
Considered a
“club,” the Mimes became eligible for student activity money (subscriptions and
box office receipts had funded the shows in the past). Their initial grant was
generous and included a separate $4,000 (later reduced to $3,000) for a
director’s fund. The Mimes also had the money to hire a full-time technical
director, Gerald Patt. Under his tutelage the Mimes experienced a glimmer of
some of the special technical effects of the past, but it was difficult for the
theater to support real innovation. Falling plaster, poor ventilation, heating
problems and deteriorating acoustics forced the Mimes to use outdated and
dangerous equipment. Two accidents occurred in 1969 in preparation for the
production of It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane,
It’s Superman. Frayed pulley ropes snapped under the weight of the actors.
One student broke his arm and the second suffered head injuries. The University
took no action and the Mimes used student activity money to try and fix some of
the problems themselves.
Money may not
have been a problem in its first years as a student club but independence was.
New University President Michael Walsh, S.J. did not agree with his successor’s
urging that the Mimes exist without a Jesuit moderator. He tried to reverse his
predecessor’s decision but failed. University solvency and student protests
like the one regarding Professor Friedland were more pressing issues. Professor
Friedland was a popular teacher who had been denied tenure. In protest,
students occupied the Administration Building on April 13, 1970. Classes were
suspended for a day but the Mimes production of Marat/Sade went on. The play’s radical political overtones and a
metaphor that questioned who were the real “inmates running the asylum,” was an
irony not lost on the audience and the administration. The Mimes continued to
challenge campus sensibilities with the 1971 production of The Balcony, whose poster featured a woman’s naked profile and a
nearly bare breasted actress on stage. The initial generosity of the University,
however, did not last and money soon became the more dominant problem.
Productions became less controversial. Only the 1974 production of The Boys in the Band and the 1980
production of The Ritz, with their
frank and unapologetic treatment of homosexuality, raised eyebrows in the
administration for the remainder of the decade.
To achieve
solvency, University costs were cut. In the fall of 1971, the full-time
position of Collins Administrator, filled only three years earlier by Gerald Patt,
was eliminated. A parttime position existed temporarily but even that was gone
within another year. In 1974 the University eliminated the director’s fund and
appointed Rev. Paul McCarren, S.J. director of the Mimes. The Mimes and Rev.
McCarren got off on the wrong foot immediately. Arguments developed over McCarren’s
direction and supposed lack of technical know-how. After his first year the
Mimes refused to allow him to direct their shows and hired their own directors
out of their student activity budget. After three years Rev. McCarren was gone
but the Mimes never got the director’s fund back.
To combat some
of the fiscal problems, the Mimes tried more audience-friendly fare. They
settled on a format of producing four shows a year, typically that of a comedy,
a classic, a musical and a drama. Musicals became the real crowd pleasers. The classic musical comedy Anything Goes, presented in 1974,
started a pattern of producing at least one musical per year. The musical has
remained a mainstay of the Mimes’ annual performance schedule and continues to
be the Mimes’ most popular show every year.
Typically
performed in the spring, the musical was also the transitional show for the
organization’s Board of Directors. In 1974 Eric Schultz FCRH ’74 was the
outgoing president of the Mimes but the incoming president was the real
transition. Christine Boris FCRH ’75 was elected president but immediately
resigned and vice-president-elect Sally Parry FCRH ’75 became the first woman
to serve as president of the Mimes. Women continued to be leaders of the group.
Over the last thirty-one years women have served as president eighteen times. A
lasting monument to one such woman’s contribution was a
scaffold purchased in 1978. A necessary piece of equipment for hanging lights
in Collins Auditorium, the scaffold in use had been around for as long as
anyone could remember. It was in a dangerously dilapidated condition. Two-term
President, Alexandra Shepherd CBA ’79, lobbied the University tirelessly to obtain
the funding necessary to replace it. The scaffold was christened “Alex” in her
honor.
Nineteen seventy-eight
was an important year for another reason. The vice-president of the Mimes, Tod
Engle FCRH ’79, established the Johnny Awards (the appellation chosen for
theater’s namesake). It’s a night for the Mimes to recognize the commitment of
the outgoing seniors and to celebrate the success and failures of past
performances. The evening ends with the presentation of the Johnny Award to a
deserving senior who missed out on the Barrett or the Fechteler Awards. Nick
Tullo FCRH ’78 was the first Johnny Award recipient. Mr. Engle probably didn’t
realize it, but his efforts had a link to the past. In the 1920’s and 1930’s
the Mimes had an annual dinner in which pins were presented to the Mimes who
had earned enough points to be deemed worthy of such an honor. In the 1940’s
and early 1950’s the Mimes had the MiMi’s. But it’s the Johnny Awards that have
lasted. The Johnnies were enhanced in 2002 with the addition of the Miles
Swanson Award, presented to the graduating senior that most contributed to the
technical aspects of stagecraft while at Rose Hill. Jennifer Saeger FCRH ’02
was the first recipient.
Another link to
the past was resurrected a few years later in the fall of 1981. The policy that
all student groups must have a moderator was being enforced. Fortunately for
the Mimes, Fr. Leonard had remained in the wings. From 1969 until 1981 he had
been a dean and teacher at Fordham’s Prep school and was instrumental in the
success of the dramatic program there. When the Mimes needed him he answered
the call. The role of moderator had changed. The Mimes continued to choose the
shows and hire the directors but in Fr. Leonard they had an advocate who was
capable of stepping in when friction between a now more secular administration
needed the reminder that dramatics were still a Jesuit educational tradition
worth preserving.
Ten years later
the University celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary. Times had
definitely changed. Only fifty years earlier, when the University celebrated
its centennial anniversary, the Mimes were an integral part of the celebration.
This time around a theatrical fund-raiser for the 150th celebration was a
professional affair that had nothing to do with the group except for the Mimes volunteers
solicited to assist celebrity attendees at the event. The Mimes remained
unfazed. In the years that followed they have continued to produce shows that
have not only challenged the performers and the audience but also kept the
tradition of dramatics alive on Rose Hill.
As Joseph Fechteler
recognized in 1957 when he wrote to President McGinley, S.J. to establish the
award bearing his name, “I am convinced that the training and experience
provided by college stage productions contribute materially to the full
development of the students who participate.” It’s that development that is the
essence of the bond that connects all Mimes, a bond that is forged in the
challenges presented in working together purely for the love of the outcome and
the magic it can create.
A History of Shows From 1855-Present
1855 KING HENRY THE FOURTH & SEVEN CLERKS;
1871-72 HANDY ANDY; HEARTWELL AND HANDFORD
1873-74 BOURGEOIS GENTILHOMME; TEMPTATION; THE CRITIC; NOGO DUMPS; MACBETH
1875-76 THE GREAT ELIXIR; OUR RURAL FRIENDS; A REGULAR FIX; ROBERT EMMET; THE SPECTRE BRIDGROOM
1877-78 THE SEVEN CLERKS; THE HIDDEN GEMS; TWO BLIND BEGGARS; THE WHITE HORSE OF THE PEPPERS; THE CROSS OF ST JOHN; THE COUSINS; GUY MANNERING
1879-80 THE STEEPLE CHASE; NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND; OLIVER TWIST; ROBERT MACAIRE; THE ARTFUL DODGER; NO THOROUGHFARE; COX AND BOX; THE IRON CHEST; O’DONNELL OGE; HENRY DUNBAR; A NERVOUS MAN AND A MAN OF NERVE; THE MAN WITH THE IRON MASK
1881-82 THE BELLS; ELMA THE DRUID MARTYR; DAMON AND PYTHIAS, THE CRITIC; THE TICKET OF LEAVE MAN; SECRET SERVICE; THE GOLDEN FARMER; KING JOHN
1883-84 ROB ROY; THREE THIEVES; KING HENRY IV;
THE WHITE HORSE OF THE PEPPERS; BOMBASTES FURIOSO;
GUY MANNERING; THE LILLIPUTIANS
THE WHITE HORSE OF THE PEPPERS; BOMBASTES FURIOSO;
GUY MANNERING; THE LILLIPUTIANS
1885-86 THE CROSS OF ST JOHN; THE COUNT AND THE SECRETARY;
MERCHANT OF VENICE; HIDDEN GEM; ST THOMAS MOORE;
BATTLE OF HALLIDON
MERCHANT OF VENICE; HIDDEN GEM; ST THOMAS MOORE;
BATTLE OF HALLIDON
1887-88 WILLIAM TELL; HAMLET; THE BROKEN SWORD; KING JOHN;
ROB ROY; THE HEIR OF AESCENDUNE
ROB ROY; THE HEIR OF AESCENDUNE
1889-90 PEACOCKS’ HOLIDAY; THE INNKEEPER OF ABBEVILLE;
WHENLOCK OF WHENLOCK; THE RIVALS; THE CRITIC;
WAITING FOR THE VERDICT; OLIVER TWIST; THE VIRGINIA MUMMY
WHENLOCK OF WHENLOCK; THE RIVALS; THE CRITIC;
WAITING FOR THE VERDICT; OLIVER TWIST; THE VIRGINIA MUMMY
1891-92 A CELEBRATED CASE; BARNABY RUDGE; DISOWNED;
THE BURGOMASTER OF SAARDAM; THE MERCHANT OF VENICE;
NO. 1 AROUND THE CORNER; A NEW WAY TO PAY OLD DEBTS
THE BURGOMASTER OF SAARDAM; THE MERCHANT OF VENICE;
NO. 1 AROUND THE CORNER; A NEW WAY TO PAY OLD DEBTS
1893-94 KING JOHN; DAMON AND PYTHIAS; POISONED
1895-96 RICHELIEU; THE BELLS; MACBETH; JULIUS CAESAR
1897-98 PAULUS THE TRIBUNE
1899-00 THE RIVALS; THE MERCHANT OF VENICE; THE CRITIC
1901-02 A PAIR OF SPECTACLES; MACBETH
1903-04 KING ROBERT OF SICILY; A NIGHT OFF; RECORD MISSING
1905-06 MAKE YOUR WILLS; A COLLEGE COMPLICATION
1907-08 A SOCIAL ASPIRANT; ROB ROY; ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME
1909-10 KING JOHN; WHAT HAPPENED TO JONES; MACBETH
1911-12 IN THE FOOL’S BAUBLE; BACHELOR’S HALL;
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
1913-14 M. BALMER; KING HENRY IV; THE PRIVATE SECRETARY;
TWELFTH NIGHT
TWELFTH NIGHT
1917-18 IF I WERE KING
1919-20 SEVEN KEYS TO BALDPATE
1923 HENRY VIII
1924 THE RIVALS
1925 ALBERIC, ARCHBISHOP OF GHENT
1926 BEAU BRUMMELL
1927 PALS FIRST
1927-28 PALS FIRST; RICHELIEU
1929-30 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
1930-31 TRELAWNY OF THE WELLS
1932-33 THE RIVALS
1933-34 STRIFE
1934-35 CRIMINAL AT LARGE
1935-36 THE WOLVES
1936-37 JOURNEY’S END
1937-38 YELLOW JACK
1938-39 EPICOENE, THE SILENT WOMAN
1939-40 WHO RIDE ON WHITE HORSES
1940-41 LUCIFER AT LARGE
1941-42 A SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS; B-17
1942-43 MARTYR WITHOUT TEARS
1943-45
1945-46 SAINT IN A HURRY;
1946-47 WINGS OVER EUROPE; RAMBLINGS OF ’46; PEER GYNT; CROWN COLONY; BIKINI - BIKINI
1947-48 THE CARDINAL AND THE CROWS; RAMBLINGS OF ’47; AARON SLICK FROM PUMPKIN CRICK;
LAZARUS LAUGHED; Four Short Plays; CAESAR’S DOLL
LAZARUS LAUGHED; Four Short Plays; CAESAR’S DOLL
1948-49 ROMEO AND JULIET; CAPTAIN JINKS OF THE HORSE MARINES; RAMBLINGS OF ’48; A VOICE IN RAMA; THE NEW GOSSON
1949-50 COME BACK ON TUESDAY; THE DOCTOR IN SPITE OF HIMSELF; THE COMEDIAN; SAM EGO’S HOUSE
1950-51 A TRIP TO CHINATOWN; DR FAUSTUS; COLOMBYRE; ANTIGONE; CUPID IN THE CLOISTER
1951-52 THE INSPECTOR GENERAL; ALL FOR LOVE; A TRIP TO SYRACUSE;
THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINER; HOTEL UNIVERSE;
PYRAMUS AND THISBE; ONCE UPON A MIDNIGHT
THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINER; HOTEL UNIVERSE;
PYRAMUS AND THISBE; ONCE UPON A MIDNIGHT
1952-53 A GAME OF CHESS; THE TRAITOR; THE ENEMY;
YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU
YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU
1953-54 OTHELLO; THE DEVIL IS A FOOL; CAESAR’S DOLL
1954-55 THE CAINE MUTINY COURT MARTIAL
1955-56 THE CENTENNIAL JUBILEE REVIEW; THE PROPOSAL;
One Act Plays (RIP VAN WINKLE, CHARLES II, ANDRE)
One Act Plays (RIP VAN WINKLE, CHARLES II, ANDRE)
1956-57 TIME LIMIT; ANTIGONE
1957-58 One Act Plays (A SLEEP OF PRISONERS, THE FLATTERING WORD);
THE CAVE DWELLERS
THE CAVE DWELLERS
1958-59 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE; ALL MY SONS; OTHELLO
1959-60 THE CURMUDGEON; THE LAST MILE
1960-61 EMPEROR JONES & THE FARCE OF M. PIERRE PATELIN;
1961-62 CAINE MUTINY COURT MARTIAL; HIPPOLYTUS;
Dramatic Reading (MEDEA); THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE
Dramatic Reading (MEDEA); THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE
1962-63 INHERIT THE WIND; THE SHOWOFF;
WAITING FOR GODOT; Readings From
(PROMETHEUS BOUND; THE BOOK OF JOB) RHINOCEROS
WAITING FOR GODOT; Readings From
(PROMETHEUS BOUND; THE BOOK OF JOB) RHINOCEROS
1963-64 ANTIGONE & MEDEA; TWELFTH NIGHT;
ENDGAME & COOPER’S YARD; TAKE HER, SHE’S MINE;
JULIUS CAESAR
ENDGAME & COOPER’S YARD; TAKE HER, SHE’S MINE;
JULIUS CAESAR
1964-65 HECUBA & LA FEMME EN ROUGE; ROSS;
Two One Acts (A SLEEP OF PRISONERS, WILD BILL SWEET WILLIAM);
ANIMAL FARM; DOCTOR FAUSTUS & DON JUAN IN HELL
Two One Acts (A SLEEP OF PRISONERS, WILD BILL SWEET WILLIAM);
ANIMAL FARM; DOCTOR FAUSTUS & DON JUAN IN HELL
1965-66 MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL; Two One Acts (THE CURMUDGEON, CHILD’S PLAY); AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE; THE WAYWARD SAINT
1966-67 ANATOMY OF A MURDER; NO EXIT; THE TRIAL
1967-68 UNDER THE MILKWOOD; THE PHYSICIST; THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT; MARAT-SADE; Trilogy of One Acts (THE PLAY, THE SLAVE, THE ROOM)
1968-69 THE INFERNAL MACHINE; BAREFOOT IN THE PARK;
IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE, IT’S SUPERMAN; THE HOMECOMING
IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE, IT’S SUPERMAN; THE HOMECOMING
1969-70 HAMLET; SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR;
MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT; MARAT SADE
MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT; MARAT SADE
1970-71 ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD; AMERICA HURRAH; THE TEMPEST; THE BALCONY
1971-72 LOVERS; MISSING SHOW HERE; THE BIRTHDAY PARTY; THE THREE PENNY OPERA
1972-73 AN EVENING WITH ISRAEL HOROVITZ; DRACULA; RHINOCEROS; ANTIGONE
1973-74 YOU KNOW I CAN’T HEAR YOU WHEN THE WATER’S RUNNING;
TWELFTH NIGHT; ANYTHING GOES; BOYS IN THE BAND
TWELFTH NIGHT; ANYTHING GOES; BOYS IN THE BAND
1974-75 STEAMBATH; THE TAMING OF THE SHREW; ONCE UPON A MATTRESS; THE CRUCIBLE
1975-76 PLAY IT AGAIN SAM; MAN FOR ALL SEASONS; CABARET; ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOOS NEST
1976-77 THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE; THE LION IN WINTER; Three One Acts (BIRDBATH, WITNESS, ZOO STORY); APPLAUSE;
1977-78 THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER; THE MISANTHROPE;
BYE BYE BIRDE; FIVE FINGER EXERCISE
BYE BYE BIRDE; FIVE FINGER EXERCISE
1978-79 ARSENIC AND OLD LACE; MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING; PIPPIN; ROSENCRANZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD
1979-80 DON'T DRINK THE WATER; THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST; COMPANY; THE GLASS MENAGERIE
1980-81 THE RITZ; RHINOCEROS; CHICAGO; DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
1981-82 HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES; AS YOU LIKE IT; ON THE TOWN;
THE RUNNER STUMBLES
THE RUNNER STUMBLES
1982-83 BAREFOOT IN THE PARK; TAMING OF THE SHREW;
GREASE; THE RIMERS OF ELDRICH
GREASE; THE RIMERS OF ELDRICH
1983-84 GOD'S FAVORITE; SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER; PAL JOEY; BUS STOP
1984-85 YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU; A CHRISTMAS CAROL;
GODSPELL; THE SHADOWBOX
GODSPELL; THE SHADOWBOX
1985-86 THE ROMANCERS & THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING SHY; DRACULA;
PIPPIN; BURIED CHILD
PIPPIN; BURIED CHILD
1986-87 AH WILDERNESS; THE TEMPEST; JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR;
TEN LITTLE INDIANS
TEN LITTLE INDIANS
1987-88 BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS; THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST; SWEENEY TODD; INHERIT THE WIND
1988-89 ARSENIC AND OLD LACE; MACBETH; HAIR;
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
1989-90 THE NERD; MACBETH; ANYTHING GOES; OUR TOWN
1990-91 HAY FEVER; THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER; WEST SIDE STORY; CRIMES OF THE HEART
1991-92 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM; A CHRISTMAS CAROL;
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF; THE ODD COUPLE
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF; THE ODD COUPLE
1992-93 PIPPIN; NEIL SIMON’S FOOLS; THE MUSIC MAN; STEEL MAGNOLIAS
1993-94 INTO THE WOODS; THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST;
CABARET; THE CRUCIBLE
CABARET; THE CRUCIBLE
1994-95 MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING; THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST; MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG; WAIT UNTIL DARK
1995-96 TWELFTH NIGHT; PRELUDE TO A KISS;
CITY OF ANGELS; GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
CITY OF ANGELS; GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
1996-97 MACBETH; BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS; GODSPELL;
ANGELS IN AMERICA: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES
ANGELS IN AMERICA: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES
1997-98 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM; MOON OVER BUFFALO;
BLOOD BROTHERS; A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
BLOOD BROTHERS; A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
1998-99 THE TEMPEST; MOON OVER BUFFALO; JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR; DANCING AT LUGHNASA
1999-00 HAMLET; NOISES OFF; A CHORUS LINE;
TO GILLIAN ON HER 37TH BIRTHDAY
TO GILLIAN ON HER 37TH BIRTHDAY
2000-01 MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING; AN IDEAL HUSBAND; HAIR
2001-02 ROMEO AND JULIET; RUMORS; TEN LITTLE INDIANS; IOLANTHE
2002-03 THE TAMING OF THE SHREW; THE MARRIAGE OF BETTE AND BOO;
THE WIZ; ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
THE WIZ; ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
2003-04 MACBETH; THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER;
THE WILD PARTY; BLOOD WEDDING
THE WILD PARTY; BLOOD WEDDING
2004-05 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM; NOISES OFF;
INTO THE WOODS; THE CRUCIBLE
INTO THE WOODS; THE CRUCIBLE
2005-06 CHILDREN OF EDEN; YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU;
ON THE TOWN; OTHELLO
ON THE TOWN; OTHELLO
Fechteler and Barrett Awards
The Fechteler (also spelled Fechleter) predates the Barrett award. So there is a bit of an irony as to which award is considered the more prestigious. The first listing in the Enceania programs for the Fechteler Award is in 1959. The first Barrett award recipients appear in the 1963 Enceania program. The Fechleter award was originally listed as the Fechteler award (the Fechleter spelling does not occur until 1975 when the award re-emerges after a three year hiatus). The Archivists could not find any information on Fechteler or Fechleter and Google searches have not yielded any information either.
It's also interesting that there were a couple of years when there were multiple recipients (1960 & 1963). Plus the Fechteler was originally determined by the "moderator and director of the Fordham College Dramatic Society" while the Barrett had a religious "theme" to it:
The Fechteler (also spelled Fechleter) predates the Barrett award. So there is a bit of an irony as to which award is considered the more prestigious. The first listing in the Enceania programs for the Fechteler Award is in 1959. The first Barrett award recipients appear in the 1963 Enceania program. The Fechleter award was originally listed as the Fechteler award (the Fechleter spelling does not occur until 1975 when the award re-emerges after a three year hiatus). The Archivists could not find any information on Fechteler or Fechleter and Google searches have not yielded any information either.
It's also interesting that there were a couple of years when there were multiple recipients (1960 & 1963). Plus the Fechteler was originally determined by the "moderator and director of the Fordham College Dramatic Society" while the Barrett had a religious "theme" to it:
Here are the original descriptions for the awards:
"The Fechteler Award, for the Senior who has, in the judgment of the Moderator and Director of the Fordham College Dramatic Society, contributed most to theatre - acting, playwriting, and producing - at Fordham. The award is given to:"
"The Father Barrett Memorial Award, given to the Senior who has exemplified the high ideals set down by Rev. Alfred Barrett, S.J. in theatre at Fordham: a sincere, self-sacrificing and competent artist, who has used his talents generously for the greater honor and glory of God. The award is given ex aequo:"
Finally, even written history can be incomplete and/or misleading. There are years when an award is not listed in the Encaenia programs but our memories have provided the names. In any event, by clicking the link below you will find a list of those who have received the awards. If anyone has further information, we will of course update our records.
"The Fechteler Award, for the Senior who has, in the judgment of the Moderator and Director of the Fordham College Dramatic Society, contributed most to theatre - acting, playwriting, and producing - at Fordham. The award is given to:"
"The Father Barrett Memorial Award, given to the Senior who has exemplified the high ideals set down by Rev. Alfred Barrett, S.J. in theatre at Fordham: a sincere, self-sacrificing and competent artist, who has used his talents generously for the greater honor and glory of God. The award is given ex aequo:"
Finally, even written history can be incomplete and/or misleading. There are years when an award is not listed in the Encaenia programs but our memories have provided the names. In any event, by clicking the link below you will find a list of those who have received the awards. If anyone has further information, we will of course update our records.
The original description of the Barrett and Fechleter (alternatively spelled Fechteler) Awards is described below. They are currently given to the two graduation seniors who have contributed the most to the Mimes during their years at Fordham.
"The Fechteler Award, for the Senior who has, in the judgment of the Moderator and Director of the Fordham College Dramatic Society, contributed most to theatre -acting, playwriting, and producing - at Fordham. The award is given to:"
"The Father Barrett Memorial Award, established in 1964, given to the Senior who has exemplified the high ideals set down by Rev. Alfred Barrett, S.J. in theatre at Fordham: a sincere, self-sacrificing and competent artist, who has used his talents generously for the greater honor and glory of God. The award is given ex aequo:"
"The Father Barrett Memorial Award, established in 1964, given to the Senior who has exemplified the high ideals set down by Rev. Alfred Barrett, S.J. in theatre at Fordham: a sincere, self-sacrificing and competent artist, who has used his talents generously for the greater honor and glory of God. The award is given ex aequo:"
Please help us fill in the gaps listed in red! We have done out best to accurately represent the names of the recipients, please let us know if we have made an error. Contact LauraBC@mimesalums.org with additions/corrections.
Date | Fechteler (1959 - 1971) Fechleter (1975 - Present) | Barrett |
6/9/1959 | Ritchel, Raymond Bennett | |
6/8/1960 | Ryan, Paul Cassidy | |
6/13/1961 | Dinan, Thomas Francis & Martini, Thomas Paul | |
1962 | Award not listed in Encaenia Program | |
6/11/1963 | Bivona, John Vincent | |
6/9/1964 | Arrigon, William Charles & Cuzzi-Spada, Richard Ernest | Lopez, Gabriel & Garbarino, John Bradley |
6/8/1965 | Pellicia, Noel Michael | Klein, Edward Joseph |
1966 | Award not listed in Encaenia Program | Award not listed in Encaenia Program |
6/8/1967 | Ahem, Dennis M. | Geraghty, Joseph M. |
6/6/1968 | Walsh, Martin W. | Reilly, Thomas P. |
6/4/1969 | Leahey Jr., Eward B. | Von Berg, Peter |
6/3/1970 | Ouzounian, Richard D. | Kearney, Richard P. |
6/2/1971 | Giovannetti, Anthony | O'Rourke, Michael T. |
1972 | Award not listed in Encaenia Program | Award not listed in Encaenia Program |
5/30/1973 | Award not listed in Encaenia Program | O'Neill, Michael C. |
5/30/1974 | Award not listed in Encaenia Program | Schultz, Eric H. |
6/4/1975 | Boris, Christine | Parry, Sally E. |
5/27/1976 | Doyle, Gerald D. | Moran, Margaret E. |
5/26/1977 | Dennehy, John P. | Adinilfi, Dominic P. |
5/25/1978 | Gadler, Frank J. | DiGiovanni, Thomas A. |
5/24/1979 | Engle, Tod W. | Shepherd, Alexandra |
5/22/1980 | Cronin, Joseph A. | Sorapure, Gabrielle M. |
5/21/1981 | Pirolli, Joseph | Mayora, Richard A. |
5/20/1982 | Marano, Vincent C. | Manousos, James P. |
5/19/1983 | Konopka, Amelia S. | Phillips, Kathleen M. |
5/18/1984 | Benner, Sally | Metzing, Kevin |
5/24/1985 | Mullen, Michael T. | Knowles, Brian P. |
5/23/1986 | Joy, James V. | Stan, Gail B. |
5/22/1987 | Barry, Robert D. | Fois, Laura M. |
5/19/1988 | Cristiano, Kevin J. | Byrne, Laura J. |
5/18/1989 | DiFalco, Patricia J. | Murphy, Denis P. |
5/17/1990 | Kuser, Robert "Chris" | De Carlo, Anthony |
5/16/1991 | Kristin McGinty | Keenan, Joseph |
5/14/1992 | Garde, Jennifer | McMorrow, Michael |
5/20/1993 | DeMaio, Gene | Bingay, Julia |
5/19/1994 | Zegers, Tara | Dieckman, Charles |
5/18/1995 | Kiley, Edward | Adams, Benjamin |
5/16/1996 | Hogan, Michael | Reichert, Jennifer |
1997 | Lavoie, Kitt | Campbell, Sean |
1998 | Landers, Diane | Flanagan, Kerry |
1999 | Truscinski, Mark | Moore, Sara |
2000 | Cooper, Chris | Kramer, Katie |
5/17/2001 | Filippazzo, Jennifer | McDonald, Brendan |
2002 | Kerlin, Johanna | McCarthy, Dennis |
2003 | Marche, Peter | McCarthy, Dennis |
2004 | Walsh, Kevin | Burke, Bridget |
2005 | DeProphetis, Jim | Nguyen, Rob |