Download history of the gonzaga theatre

HISTORY OF THE GONZAGA THEATRE
For the first six years of its existence, 1821-1827, Gonzaga, then known as the Washington
Seminary, was conducted by the Jesuits, beginning with the school’ s founder, Father
Anthony Kohlmann, S.J., in its original building on the north side of F Street, N.W., between
9th and 10th Streets.In 1827-1828, Father Jeremiah Keily, S.J., against orders, continued
the school in the old Capitol building on Capitol Hill.For the next twenty years it was
continued, back in its original building but minus the Jesuits, by Father William Matthews,
pastor of the adjacent St. Patrick’ s Church.While plays were no doubt put on by the school
during these first twenty-seven years, it is difficult to find any record of precisely what
they may have been.
The Jesuits made their triumphant return to the Washington Seminary in 1848, and at that
year’ s commencement exercises on July 20, 1849 at Carusi’ s Saloon, a comic piece, The
Disappointed Office Seeker, convulsed with laughter not only the whole audience but
especially the President of the United States, Zachary Taylor, who was in
attendance.Epiphany week of 1853 saw a double bill of The Three Kings and The Village
Lawyer.Commencement exercises at the National Theatre on July 14, 1853 featured fifteen
declamations followed by a three-act drama, Kimla, or the King’ s Son, and a comedy, The
Travellers.The reviewer for The Washington Star wrote that “an idea of the strength of the
dramatis personae may be gathered from the fact that thirty-four characters were
represented on the stage.”
At two o’ clock in the afternoon on May 4, 1858, when President James Buchanan signed its
Congressional Charter, the Washington Seminary, still in its original building, acquired its new
name, Gonzaga College.Although the school had been putting on plays for the previous fortytwo years, the Dramatic Association of Gonzaga College was not officially formed until 1863,
and gave its first production under that name, The Hidden Gem, on July 3, 1863 at the
Washington Theatre.A double bill of The Spectre Bridegroom and The Deaf Waiter was
presented on April 15, 1864, and the senior class put on a play at the 1864 commencement
exercises at Ford’ s Theatre, around the corner from the College on 10th Street, N.W.,
between E and F Streets, where President Abraham Lincoln would be assassinated within the
year.Ford’ s Theatre was closed after the assassination, and the commencement exercises of
July 5, 1865, including a production of The Merchant of Venice, were held in Gonzaga Hall, a
wooden shed erected in back of the College building.
In 1871, fifty years old, Gonzaga moved to its present location in the block where St. Aloysius
Church has stood since 1859 and into the building nowknown as Kohlmann Hall.For the next
twenty-five years Gonzaga theatrical presentations included such fare as Sebastian, or the
Roman Martyr and Guy Mannering, presented in such venues as the old Gonzaga Hall on F
Street, Harris’ Bijou Theatre, Metzerott Music Hall, Carroll Institute Hall, the Columbia
Theatre, and the Lafayette Theatre.
On Sunday afternoon, May 24, 1896, construction of the present Gonzaga Theatre
commenced with the laying of its cornerstone, still visible at the southwest corner, by
Cardinal Satolli, Apostolic Delegate to the United States.The theatre was completed in a
little over four months and was opened to the public on Sunday evening, October 4, 1896, for
a farewell reception for Cardinal Satolli and the introduction of his successor, Monsignor
Martinelli.On Sunday, October 18, 1896, the first meeting of the Gonzaga Alumni Association
was held in the theatre.On Sunday, November 15, 1896, the College’ s Diamond Jubilee
celebration got underway with morning Mass and afternoon Vespers in St. Aloysius Church,
followed by an evening reception in the theatre for Monsignor Martinelli.On Monday evening,
November 16, 1896, there was a reception for Cardinal Gibbons in the theatre, followed by
the first annual Alumni Smoker in the lower level of the theatre, the present cafeteria.On
Tuesday evening, November 17, 1896, a revival of Guy Mannering became the first play ever
performed in the theatre.
The closing years of the nineteenth century and the first two decades of the twentieth
century saw such attractions in the theatre as The Hidden Gem, King John, Henry IV, A
Comedy of Errors, What’ s Next, The Fool’ s Bauble, Our Boys, Myrtleton Manor, Twelfth
Night, As You Like It, and The Merchant of Venice, as well as Minstrel and Variety Shows and
a Passion Play put on by St. Aloysius Parish.
Gonzaga’ s Centennial celebration began on Sunday, November 13, 1921, with morning Mass in
St. Aloysius Church and an evening dinner below the theatre followed by Vespers in the
Church.On Monday evening, November 14, 1921, the twenty-sixth annual Alumni Smoker was
held in the lower level of the theatre.On Tuesday morning, November 15, 1921, the campus
witnessed a military Mass, drill, dress parade, and band concert.That evening the centennial
dramatic production, Macbeth, was presented in the theatre.On Wednesday, November 16,
1921, there was a morning Mass in the Church, and in the evening an academic convocation in
the theatre with Bishop Denis J. O’ Connell of Richmond presiding.The convocation featured
the awarding of sixteen honorary degrees, three Jesuit alumni of Gonzaga declaiming odes
they had composed in honor of the College in English iambic, Latin Alcaic, and Greek Sapphic,
respectively, and a song composed by former Gonzaga President Francis P. Donnelly, S.J., and
sung by alumnus Thomas A. Cantwell ’ 05.
From the 1920’ s to the mid-1960’ s, the Gonzaga Theatre saw a mixture of Broadway
comedies and dramas, interspersed with an occasional classic.Productions in which Gonzaga
men played the female roles gave way to productions which had, or could be made to have,
male roles only.Attractions of this period included Seventeen, From the Depths of My Heart,
Father Malachy’ s Miracle, The Rivals, Cyrano de Bergerac, Brother Orchid, Career Angel,
Submerged, Julius Caesar, Arsenic and Old Lace, George Washington Slept Here, Room
Service, Ramshackle Inn, You Can’ t Take It With You, Detective Story, Mr. Roberts, My
Three Angels, Richard II, Stalag 17, The Front Page, Billy Budd, Murder in the Cathedral, and
The Teahouse of the August Moon.This was also the era of Mission Variety Shows, one-act
play contests, oratorical contests, band concerts, school assemblies, and commencement
exercises that kept the Gonzaga Theatre forever busy.
The 1965 spring production of Once in a Lifetime and the 1966 spring revival of Cyrano de
Bergerac, both directed by faculty member James H. Twynham and Gonzaga’ s first two coed plays, the 1967 spring production of Gonzaga’ s first musical comedy, Guys and Dolls,
directed by Philip J. Rosato, S.J., his 1967 fall production of Oedipus Rex, his ill-fated 1968
spring production of The Pajama Game, cancelled due to the riots in the city, and the decision
by faculty members Domenic N. Teti and John C. Warman to make up for the cancellation by
presenting a musical comedy, Bye Bye Birdie, the following fall led into the period in the
history of the Gonzaga Theatre, 1968-1994, celebrated in the Gonzaga Alumni Theatre
Project’ s production of The Gonzaga Musical, 1968-1994 on September 28 and 29, 1996, to
mark the Centennial of the Theatre and the Terquasquicentennial (175th Anniversary) of the
College
Recent dramatic productions in the Gonzaga Theatre have included One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’ s Nest, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Midsummer Night’ s Dream, Twelve Angry Men,
Shakespeare: An Evening of Comedy, Inherit the Wind, The Man Who Came to Dinner, As You
Like It, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, The Nerd, Dracula, Possibilities and Ice Cream, Romeo
and Juliet, and Arsenic and Old Lace.Recent musical productions have included The Pirates of
Penzance, Gonzaga’ s fourth production of Guys and Dolls, The Fantasticks, Gonzaga’ s third
production of Damn Yankees (marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first), Gonzaga’ s
second (almost third) production of The Pajama Game, Singin’ in the Rain, She Loves Me, the
twenty-fifth anniversary revival of Hello, Dolly!, The Cocoanuts, and 42nd Street.
The constant figure in the Gonzaga Theatre for the final third of the twentieth century into
the twenty-first has been Producer, Director and Musical Director Dr. John C. Warman, in
collaboration with fellow faculty members Philip J. Rosato, S.J., Domenic N. Teti, Alvan D.
Malone, J-Glenn Murray, S.J., Allan D. L’ Etoile, Roger B. Schlegel, Paul V. Buckley and most
especially, for twenty-five productions, Br. Jon King, as well as faculty Stage Crew
Moderators Joseph M. Ritzman, S.J., Michael T. Sobus, Donald M. Ward, S.J., Thomas R.
Williams, S.J., Robert L. Phillips, S.J., Mark J. Howell, Thomas J. Buckley, S.J., John W.
Cosgrove, Parke Thomas, Robert Theriaque and a host of other faculty members, alumni,
parents, guest artists (Directors, Choreographers and Designers) and approximately twothousand students.
The Gonzaga Theatre Hall of Fame was established in 1999 and has the following members:
1999 Dr. John C. Warman
(Class of 1957)
2000
Br. Jon King
Peter Hackett
(Class of 1971)
Catherine Cronin
(Notre Dame Class of 1972)
2001
Br. Joseph Ritzman, S.J.
John Delaney
(Class of 1950)
Graham Hunt
(Class of 1984)
Marybeth Rizio Rowan
(Immaculata Class of 1984)
2002
Domenic Teti
James Twynham
(Class of 1957)
Michael Hume
(Class of 1969)
Rosemary Schommer Marggraf
(Notre Dame Class of 1972)