Rehearsals of Scenes from As You Like It and Macbeth
In Woodworth Auditorium
Sock and Buskin Society
circa 1916
Woodworth
hall
was
constructed on the UND campus in 1910 for the Teacher's
College as a Normal School
building. Named for Horace Woodworth, principal of the first UND
Normal School, the building was located west of the UND Law School
(just south of where the East section of the Chester Fritz Library now
sits). The four story building looked nearly identical to the Law
School building (but was about 12 years older) and included
classrooms, offices and a small lecture hall that the newly formed Sock
and Buskin Society quickly claimed for rehearsals and
performances. The performance space was small (proscenium arch
opening of only about 13' X 20' and seating for about 250) but served
the early needs of
S&B. Modifications were made to the space in 1916 & 1917
to create a deeper stage (by addition of temporary platforms to the
front) and some stage lighting.
The Sock & Buskin Society (later Dakota Playmakers) held monthly
meetings in the space.
These meetings included business of the group followed by a program
that could include lectures by UND faculty or outside guests and also
included presentation of one-acts or scenes from larger works.
Meetings and presentations were open to all persons interested in
theatre.
As the Playmakers developed they quickly outgrew the space (there are
notices in both the Dakota
Student and Grand
Forks Herald that seating limits set by the Fire Marshall will
be strictly enforced). By the early 1920's most performances were
held off-campus, but meetings and some shows were still held at
Woodworth.
The building was destroyed by fire on March 10, 1949 a couple of hours
after the end of an evening's performance of Winterset by UND alum
Maxwell Anderson (who began his writing career nearly 40 years earlier
writing plays and scenes with the S&B in Woodworth Auditorium).
The photographs in this section were taken during rehearsals of scenes
from As You Like It
and Macbeth. Of
note- the clown in the As
You Like It photographs is Frederick H. Koch, director of the
Sock and Buskin
Society.
As You Like It 1 |
As You Like It 2 |
As You Like It 3
|
As You Like It 4 |
Macbeth 1 |
Macbeth 2 |
Bas Relief
Woodworth Auditorium
SL Front Wall
|
Bas Relief
Woodworth Auditorium
SR Front Wall
|
|
