Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
South Dakota State University. Department of Communication Studies and Theatre. State University Theatre
State University Theatre
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The history of theater at South Dakota State University began in the 1880s with the formation of eight literary societies that presented farces and plays and established traditions such as the Senior Class Play. These organizations eventually merged into a short lived dramatic club in 1923. In 1930, the Footlight Club was organized and became the primary dramatic society on campus. By 1939, theatrical productions were formally placed under the supervision of the Forensics and Dramatics Council within the Speech Department. This council oversaw all campus productions in coordination with the State Players Dramatic Club, which was founded in 1949.
A chapter of Alpha Psi Omega was officially established on the SDSU campus in 1949 and was highly active throughout the 1950s. The first designated technical director of plays at SDSU, Lawrence Stine, was appointed in 1952. Beginning in 1953, students became eligible to receive academic credit for participation in theatrical productions. In 1956, SDSU expanded its repertoire to include Broadway musicals, including a production of South Pacific, making SDSU one of the first nonprofessional groups to stage the work. That same year, summer theater productions were introduced. Revue style productions, including Rabbit Rarities and vaudeville shows, also became part of campus theater programming during the 1950s.
State University Theatre later became a unit within the Department of Communication Studies and Theatre and is also affiliated with the School of Performing Arts at South Dakota State University. Theatrical productions have been staged in more than fourteen facilities across campus, with the most recent venues including Doner Auditorium and the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.
A comprehensive chronological history of theater programs at South Dakota State University has been documented for the period from 1892 to 1992. While records documenting theater activities after 1992 exist, they have not yet been compiled into a single, comprehensive institutional history.