The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-11
THE CLUE.
History Of the Undergraduate Dramatic
Society st Princeton.

SDChedy NJ fTtnCetDus
To THE EDITOR or TRE SUS-Sir: The
Triangle Club. Princeton's undergraduate
dramatic organization, Is the oldest of the
newer college theatrical societies. Like Mask
and Wig OF the University Of Pennsylvania.
IL has done excellent work. To understand
better the position OF these societies. which
are thoroughly modern enterprises. not merely
self-supporting but money making. II may
be well to devote a paragraph to Harvard ~
preeminently representative OF the earlier
fashion following established tradition. where
Nassau and Penn are making tradition.
The notable features OF the work at Har-
ward are. first. the number OF independent
organizations participating In Il; and secondly
the fact that they do not travel. their plays
being purely university affairs. There are
half a dozen societies at Harvard which an
nually produce plays: the famous old Hasty
Pudding Club. the Pi Eta Society. the Delta
Epsilon. the Cercle Francois. the Deutscher
Verein and La Sociedad Espahola. Special
plays, like last years reproduction in the
original Greek, with Greek co 'tumes and on an
open air stage. in the Stadium. OF the Aga
memnon" Of Eschylus. are frequently per-
formed under the direction OF departments
of the university.
Princeton's dramatic club was organized
in 1852. In the first decade of its history the
plays given were classics. such as she Stoops
TO Conquer" and The Rivals" In 1891. how
ever. a play written for the club was presented.
IL was "Po-ca-hon-tas; or. the Gentle Savage.
and the authors Of the book were John
| Brougham and James Barnes OF the class
Of oil.
The play for the ollowing year was a
Shakesperian travesty. Katherine. in which
John Kendrick Bangs cOllaborated with a
| member OF the Princeton class or %. In the
cast were Booth Tarkin ston. os. and McCready
Sykes. who is famous among Princetonians
for his celebration In mock heroic verse OF
Princetons athletic victories.
The. play in 1898 was written, for the first
time. entirely by undergraduates. one Of the
collaboratin g authors being Booth Harrington.
Their musical comedy was a great success,
the music being bright and catchy, and the
play was repeated the following year. II
was at this time -1sa3-that the reorgsni-
zation Of the club. with a change TO is
present title. the gle Club. occurred.
The faculty objected to the term dramatic
and the Triangle was selected FOR its distin>-
lively Princeton flavor. There are three
-~triangles" in Princeton. formed by cross
streets connecting two main avenues that run
out from a common centre.
In 1905 another new feature was introduced,
this being the cooperation OF the cole e man
dolin club. The two clubs. in the year men,
toned, worked together in two plays, Who's
Who" and Snow Ball" The play OF the fol-
lowing year was The Mummy" described in
the subtitle as a High Old Egyptian Ex-
travaganza." During this season the man
dolin club gave way to an orchestra composed
entirely OF undergraduates, and this inno-
walton proved 90 successful that the custom
has ever since been continued.
The play Of 1897 was one Of college life.
1t was "A Tiger Lily" The Tiger, in the per-
son OF the captain OF the varsity eleven. wins
the Lady or the Lily.
The club had been advancing steadily all
these years. and now came it's greatest step
forward. A more ambitious schedule was
attempted. Hitherto plays had been pre-
scented only in Princeton. Somstimes the
plays had been given more than once, but
always one at commencement time. In 1895
the consent Of the faculty to outside produc-
tions was obtained. and the play Of '9I. -Po-
ca-hon-tas." in revised form, was given at
Trenton and at Morristown in addition to
the regular Princeton performances.
In 1899 the Pirates Of Penzance" furnished
a hint for The Pirates of PENIS Neck
PENIS Neck being the name of a tiny cross
roads hamlet just south OF Princeton. A spe-
cialty introduced was the Mermaid Dance.
The 1900 play was a comic opera, Woodland
Wedding" In this play a chorus OF thirty
men was used and a performance was given
at Englewood.
The 1901 play. The King OF Pomeru." was
presented in Orange and In New York az Car
negie Hall. In the following year il was
NoA a. NNV SAuO " us MS AHA
to Pittsburg. with two performances at the
Avenue Theatre. One performance was also
given in Newark and one in this town. making
with the two Princeton performances a
season of six appearances. The title as
written had II "Pommern." but the printer
decreed otherwise.
Two years later a more extended Western
trip was made. The Mad Mullah of Mas
mia" was seen in Cleveland and in the recital
hall Of the Fine Arts Building in Chicag 20.
Other performances were given in Newark,
New York, Philadelphia and Princeton.
In 1904 THE Man From Where" was pro-
duced at the Teck Theatre in Buffalo, in Mont |
clair, in New Haven, Philadelphia and New
York, with three performances at Princeton.
The 1905 play was The Pretenders. IL was
the most successful ever given by the club.
and was seen in three performances at Pitts
burg, New York. Chicago. Cleveland. Orange,
Philadelphia and Princeton. The 1909 play,
"Tabasco Land" was a great success. In
recent years, as the plays and the tours have
become more ambitious, the training has
been increasingly thorough. A stage man
ager of experience has had charse OF the
costumes and the general stag o effects and
has had personal supervision Of rehearsals.
Special attention has been paid to the dancing
and the chorus. Successful as have been the
performances away from Princeton, the
Triangle show. to be enjoyed at Its best,
should be seen in Princeton, where the audi
ence is distinctly a college crowd, with all
the enthusiasm OF a commencement throng.
Songs of the Triangle Clubs scores have
frequently OF recent years been repeated on
the professional stage.
The public Appearances OF the Triangle
Club are attended by no loss OF cole &c atmos-
phere and the Princeton performances are
purely college affairs. A Harvard man Is
quoted as having pronounced a Triangle
play better than Hasty Pudding" and that
is praise from Sir Hubert indeed, leaving
nothing more to be said. T..
NEW YORK, November o.