GALLERY: DRESSING FOR SHAKESPEARE

An Open Air Theatre: “The State Normal Orchard”
James Madison University began as “The State Normal & Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg.” In 1909, the original bluestone campus featured two buildings: Science Hall (Maury) and Dormitory #1 (Jackson.) Dormitory #2 (Ashby) and a Students’ Building (Harrison Hall) followed in 1911 and 1915 respectively. Seating capacity in the second floor auditorium/gymnasium of Science Hall was limited, and the new dining hall doubling as an auditorium in Harrison was also insufficient for larger capacity crowds. (Scroll to the bottom of this gallery for more details.)

See more about this collection here.

This is a photograph of young onlookers at the ceremony.

This is a photograph of Professor Wayland’s family being ushered to reserved seating--John Sr. and John Jr. were honorary member and class mascot of 1913 respectively.

This is a photograph of a pageant performance staged in the open air theatre.

This is a photograph of tents, trees, and parasols providing relief from the elements

This is a photograph of a schoolboy climbing a tree to watch the parade.

This is a photograph of the 1916 Shakespeare Pageant

This is a photograph of Julian Burruss announcing the festivities.

This is a photograph of the stately pageant that processed from Campus to Court Square in downtown Harrisonburg.

Queen Elizabeth and William Shakespeare lead the way with Maury, Jackson, and Harrison Halls visible in the background.

This is the Stratford Literary Society group photo from the State Normal School for Women's 1914 yearbook, professor James Johnson seated.

This is a photograph of the detail of State Normal School for Women's 1916 yearbook showing audience in outdoor theatre observing Merry Wives of Windsor

This is a photograph of children from the Main Street School as Queen Elizabeth, Robin Hood and Foresters

This image shows Stratford Literary Society’s first performance in the open air theatre: Merry Wives of Windsor

This is a photograph of an early yearbook picture of the open air theatre.

This image shows Julius Caesar program from 1950 Madison College production

This is a photograph of the program from the 1916 Colburn Players' on-campus production of Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor.

This is a photograph of the program from Stratford Players' production of Taming of the Shrew in November, 1952.

This is the front page of The Breeze on February 1, 1936

This is a 1950 Madison College yearbook photo featuring Stratford Dramatic Club (eventually renamed Stratford Players).

This is a photograph of a newspaper clipping from the February 1, 1936 article in The Breeze

To meet this need, an open air theatre built into the shady slope behind Maury Hall was the setting of choice for many of the school’s fair weather events such as graduation ceremonies, performances, and plays. Wooden benches lined the grassy hillside with a rustic stage as a focal point in the orchard of the old Newman Farm. An audience of approximately five hundred could be seated with overflow crowds spilling onto the grass or onto extra chairs and benches pulled up along the edges. A large tent was also erected when weather was questionable. Some theatrical performances were staged at the New Virginia Theatre in downtown Harrisonburg, but the orchard served as the main event space until construction on Wilson Hall was completed in 1931.

Today, outdoor performances and graduation ceremonies are featured in various locations across the campus. From the main quadrangle to Astronomy Park on East Campus—from the Commons to Hillside Field, the arts, music, and “pomp and circumstance” are a campus tradition.

The Tercentenary Shakespearean Celebration
According to Daily News-Record article, “Brilliant Scenes at Pageant’s End,” Saturday May 27, 1916, the 300^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death was a momentous event in the Shenandoah Valley. Town and campus came together for a two-day celebration attended by a “large audience from Harrisonburg, points in Rockingham and adjoining counties.”

Faculty member, Miss Ruth Hudson, organized the festivities which began May 25^th in the “State Normal Orchard” which served as an open air auditorium. School groups from Broadway, Waterman, and Main Street Schools presented scenes from: As You Like It, The Triumph of Spring, Midsummer’s Eve Festival on the Stratford Village Green, and A May Day Celebration with Queen Elizabeth. Folk Games, Songs, Dances, and a May Pole followed the dramatic performances.

A “magnificent street parade” began at 5pm and wound its way from the top of the quadrangle in a stately procession all the way to Court Square in downtown Harrisonburg. Heralds and marshals portrayed by President Julian Burruss and Professors Smithey and Heatwole led the way followed by Queen Elizabeth played by Mrs. Saylor D. Myers, and A.K. Fletcher, Jr. as Shakespeare who regally “viewed the program from a dais, surrounded by her court.”

On the second day, Friday May 26^th, festivities began with Ballad Singers led by Director of Music, Miss Edna Shaeffer, and sixteen separate scenes. The Normal School Seniors presented “Merchant of Venice,” the Juniors “Much Ado About Nothing,” the Sophomores “As You Like It,” the Lee Society “Julius Caesar,” the Lanier Society “Twelfth Night,” and the Stratford Society “Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.” Lastly, the Freshmen portrayed the flowers of Shakespeare’s sonnets.

Because the Stratford Players formed in 1914, it is possible that planning for the Tercentenary was two years in the making. Celebrating Shakespeare must have been a welcome diversion from world news. The United States’ official involvement in the Great War began just one year later in 1917, and the Influenza Pandemic that curtailed similar public gatherings peaked in 1918. Regardless, the same Daily News-Record edition touting the Pageant’s success also reported on severe fighting in the European trenches and “Verdun Battle Goes On.”

The Stratford Players
In 1914, ten members from both the Lee and Lanier Literary Societies joined to form the Stratford Literary Society. Their focus was bringing the works of Shakespeare to life, and their motto “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” was adopted from their first stage production, As You Like It, in February. Faculty advisor, James Johnston’s, seated countenance in the group’s yearbook photo seems to contradict the lively expressions of his charges. Perhaps Johnston was pondering the paradox of an all female Shakespearean cast and the traction Woman Suffrage was gaining on the national stage.

For the Tercentenary Shakespeare Pageant in 1916, the society presented a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The character “Bottom” is visible seventh from the left in the spectacular panoramic shot included as a special pull-out feature in the 1916 SchoolMa’am yearbook, a precursor to today’s Bluestone. A green-hued “encore” of the poster reappeared in the 1917 School Ma’am as testament to the popularity of the pageant.

By 1919, the society had changed its name to the Stratford Dramatic Club and began presenting theatrical performances each year in the New Virginia Theatre in downtown Harrisonburg until Wilson Hall auditorium was built in 1931. By 1950, the group had taken its present-day name, The Stratford Players. They have the distinction of being the longest continuously run student-led organization on campus. That two of their members performed with the Margaret Webster Shakespeare Company’s production of Julius Caesar in 1950 attests to the professionalism of the group.

This exhibit was made possible by contributions from:

JMU School of Theatre & Dance
JMU Libraries & Educational Technologies
American Shakespeare Company
JMU Lisanby Museum
JMU Stratford Players

Historic Clothing and Costumes courtesy of JMU School of Theatre & Dance.

Images and ephemera courtesy of JMU Special Collections and JMU Digital Collections’ Scholarly Commons.

Federal Theatre Project Repository images courtesy George Mason University Special Collections & Archives.

Special thanks to the Adam & Lilia Murray Family for the generous loan the Shakespeare bust.

Research, Design & Installation:

Pamela Schuelke Johnson ‘90M and Julia Merkel ‘92M

With Madison Whitesell ’17, Megan O’Neill ‘17M Margaret Dapogny ‘16M

With Special Thanks to Madison Library Associates: Caroline Hamby ‘17M and Liana Bayne ‘17M