The Princeton Triangle Club is a theater troupe at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
. Founded in 1891, it is one of the oldest collegiate theater troupes in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Triangle
premieres an original student-written musical every year, and then takes that show on a national tour. The club is known for its signature
kickline A kickline is a show dance figure consisting of a series of dancers who throw their legs synchronised up to eye level in the air, forming a straight line. The difficulty here is not only to lift the leg in a coordinated manner to create a uniform i ...
; historically performed by the men of the ensemble in drag, the kickline has recently featured both all-female and co-ed casts.
The troupe presents several shows throughout the year. In September at the end of the University's Freshman Week, the Club presents its "Frosh Week Show", a revue of popular material from previous years. In the autumn it premieres the year's new Triangle Show, an original student-written musical comedy, professionally directed and choreographed and performed in
McCarter Theatre
McCarter Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional company on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The institution is currently led by Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg.
...
; this Triangle Show goes on a national tour in January. In spring, the Club showcases the new writers' material in a smaller campus venue. And during
reunions
Reunion may refer to:
* Class reunion
* Family reunion
Reunion, Réunion, Re-union, Reunions or The Reunion may also refer to:
Places
* Réunion, a French overseas department and island in the Indian Ocean
* Reunion, Commerce City, Colorado, U ...
after the end of the spring semester, the year's Triangle Show plays its final performances at McCarter.
Among the club's notable alumni are
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
,
Booth Tarkington
Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and '' Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitze ...
,
Russel Wright
Russel Wright (April 3, 1904 – December 21, 1976) was an American industrial designer. His best-selling ceramic dinnerware was credited with encouraging the general public to enjoy creative modern design at table with his many other ranges of fu ...
,
Joshua Logan
Joshua Lockwood Logan III (October 5, 1908 – July 12, 1988) was an American director, writer, and actor. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the musical '' South Pacific'' and was involved in writing other musicals.
Early years
Logan ...
,
Brooks Bowman
Brooks Bowman (October 21, 1913 – October 17, 1937) composed the song "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" which has become a jazz standard.
Biography
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he graduated from University School in that city, but had ...
,
Jimmy Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...
,
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...
,
Wayne Rogers
William Wayne McMillan Rogers III (April 7, 1933 – December 31, 2015) was an American actor, known for playing the role of Captain "Trapper" John McIntyre in the CBS television series ''M*A*S*H'' and as Dr. Charley Michaels on '' House Calls ...
,
Clark Gesner
Clark Gesner (March 27, 1938 – July 23, 2002)Clark Gesner at the
Jeff Moss
Jeffrey Arnold "Jeff" Moss (June 19, 1942 – September 24, 1998) was an American composer, lyricist, playwright and television writer, best known for his award-winning work on the children's television series ''Sesame Street''.
Early life
...
,
David E. Kelley
David Edward Kelley (born April 4, 1956) is an American television writer, producer, and former attorney, known as the creator of '' Doogie Howser, M.D.'', '' Picket Fences'', ''Chicago Hope'', ''The Practice'', '' Ally McBeal'', ''Boston Publi ...
,
Nicholas Hammond
Nicholas Hammond (born May 15, 1950) is an American-born Australian actor and writer who is best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film ''The Sound of Music'' and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1970s television series ''The A ...
The history of the Princeton Triangle Club reflects many major social, cultural, economic, political, literary and theatrical trends in the United States during the late 19th and 20th centuries. It also traces the evolution of both undergraduate life and theatrical endeavors at Princeton University. In its century-plus of productions, Triangle has commented upon Princeton-specific topics, from examinations and campus safety to the Honor Code and the eating clubs, in addition to broader movements and events, including war protests, political scandals, women's rights, and affirmative action. Although Triangle essentially recreates itself every year with an entirely new, full-scale musical-comedy, the club remains committed to its longstanding traditions, from the annual national tour to the kickline, and perpetuates its unique spirit, blending topical humor with collegiate irreverence and outright playfulness.
Triangle's history is documented in several ways. ''The Long Kickline: A History of the Princeton Triangle Club'', written in 1968 by Donald Marsden '64, provides a detailed chronology of the organization through the production of ''Sham on Wry'' in 1966–67. The senior thesis of Nancy Barnes ’91, ''One Hundred Years and Still Kicking: A History of the Princeton Triangle Club'', updates this written record. Finally, Triangle's extensive archives in Princeton's Mudd Library include playbills, musical scores, scripts, reviews, photographs, business correspondence, tour itineraries, scrapbooks, recordings, and much more.
Beginnings
The Triangle Club archives begin in 1883 with a production of the Princeton College Dramatic Association; during the next five years the Association presented a number of plays. In keeping with the practice of British and American all-male institutions at the time, women's roles were played by men. Entr'acte music, provided by the Instrumental or Banjo Clubs, consisted of popular dance tunes or operatic excerpts. Student theatricals were performed for the benefit of financially ailing athletic associations, and the sporadic activity of the Dramatic Association can be explained by the fluctuating fortunes of the sports teams.
In 1891 the Dramatic Association joined forces with the University Glee Club to present ''Po-ca-hon-tas'', the first show in the Triangle tradition of musicals written and produced by students. According to a New York review, the reworked John Brougham play featured "new topical songs and local hits" and was well received, both on campus and in a Trenton performance. But the faculty vetoed a proposed New York performance, and over the years, students and administrators would often be at odds over theatrical activities. Nevertheless, the Association visited Trenton once again the following year with ''Katharine'', a Shakespearean spoof marking the first appearance of
Booth Tarkington
Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and '' Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitze ...
1893 in the Triangle records.
The 1893 production, ''The Honorable Julius Caesar'', was again a reworking of Shakespeare. Tarkington, a senior and president of the Dramatic Association, was prominent as both co-author of the book and as actor in the role of Cassius. The show was so successful that it was repeated the following year, with several significant changes. Most importantly, the Princeton University Dramatic Association had been renamed the Triangle Club of Princeton. According to a preview in The New York Times, "several specialties will be introduced, such as tumbling, acrobatic feats, and dancing" and "James E. Wilson of Frohman's company... will coach the club regularly four times a week." If Wilson did indeed coach, the club had its first professional director in its very first show under the name "Triangle."
Early growth
Financial problems caused Club members to curtail expenses in 1895. Neither the February production, ''Who's Who'', nor the May offering, ''Snowball'', were written by students, and both had relatively small casts. The following year the Club turned to a recent graduate, Post Wheeler '91, in hopes that his magic touch as co-author of ''The Honorable Julius Caesar'' could be repeated, and they were pleased with the result. ''The Mummy'' (1895–96) was also notable as the first production in Triangle's new home, the Casino, located on the lower campus near the present-day
McCarter Theatre
McCarter Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional company on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The institution is currently led by Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg.
...
site. Yet another innovation was attempted in 1897. ''A Tiger Lily'', the first Triangle show to be based on Princeton student life, was part of a double bill with ''Lend Me Five Shillings'', a British farce. Since neither show was a great success, the Club returned to the tried and true in 1898 with a revival of ''Po-ca-hon-tas''. ''The Privateer'', presented in 1899, was originally entitled ''The Captain's Kidd Sister'', but the name was changed because the University of Pennsylvania's Mask and Wig Club had already produced a show about Captain Kidd. The "Privateer March" was the first commercially published Triangle song.
Traditions begin
In 1901, with ''The King of Pomeru'', Triangle ventured for the first time to New York, and the next year the club ventured as far as Pittsburgh. After the 1901 New York performance, Franklin B. Morse 1895 proposed a meeting to organize Triangle alumni, who he believed could help promote the club, build its reputation, arrange the annual tour, collect materials and memorabilia, and generally socialize among themselves. In June of that year, thirty-seven alumni met in Princeton, and the Triangle Board of Trustees was established.
During the first decade of the 20th century, the organization of Triangle became increasingly structured. Printed copies of the script, "for the exclusive use of candidates," first appear in the archives with ''The Man From Where'' (1903–04).
Although ''A Woodland Wedding'' (1899–1900) included a specialty
skirt dance A skirt dance is a form of dance popular in Europe and America, particularly in burlesque and vaudeville theater of the 1890s, in which women dancers would manipulate long, layered skirts with their arms to create a motion of flowing fabric, often ...
, and "The Pony Ballet" was a part of ''Tabasco Land'' (1905–06), ''The Mummy Monarchs kickline in 1907 was the first of that tradition to be documented photographically in the Triangle Archives.
Budding fame and higher standards
By 1910 the tour had extended as far west as Chicago and St. Louis; printed luncheon menus and newspaper clippings provide evidence of the elaborate social functions that were becoming part of the annual trek. With ''Once in a Hundred Years'' (1912–13), Triangle moved its tour to the Christmas season, again traveling as far west as St. Louis. The following year, President and Mrs. Wilson attended ''The Pursuit of Priscilla''’s Washington matinee performance; the First Family then hosted a reception for Triangle at the White House.
''The Evil Eye'' (1915-16) had a distinguished pair of neophyte authors: Edmund Wilson '16 wrote the book, and F. Scott Fitzgerald '17 was responsible for the lyrics. Although he was never a cast member in a Triangle production, Fitzgerald wrote three shows for the Club between 1914 and 1917.
During 1917-18, a four man Triangle troupe toured Europe to entertain the soldiers stationed there for World War I. After the year hiatus, the club became active again with a revival of ''The Honorable Julius Caesar''. The first post-war tour occurred when ''The Isle of Surprise'' was taken on the road during Christmas break of 1919. This show marked a change in attitude toward Triangle productions. In the program, Club president Erdman Harris '20 described the new production: "We hope that a new day has dawned, that ‘Jazz’ will be forever relegated to a back seat, that Broadway will cease to be the idol of those who create the shows, that their staging shall be done in Princeton by Princeton men, and that the authorities and graduates will approve what is being done to elevate the standard of a society whose value in student life has been seriously questioned."
In the spring of 1922, Triangle staged George Bernard Shaw's ''The Devil's Disciple''. This production marked a milepost in the Club's history, for its three female roles were actually played by women. Sets for this production were designed and painted by
Russel Wright
Russel Wright (April 3, 1904 – December 21, 1976) was an American industrial designer. His best-selling ceramic dinnerware was credited with encouraging the general public to enjoy creative modern design at table with his many other ranges of fu ...
during his freshman year, marking one of the few times that a freshman was ever allowed to join Triangle.
Professionalization and emerging stars
During the early 1920s, New York performances began to be booked at the Metropolitan Opera House, although initially there was some concern whether the Club would be able to fill such a large theatre and whether the men's voices would be strong enough to be heard properly. Late in 1923, there were negotiations concerning a possible radio broadcast, and in the same year Triangle's music publisher, J. Church Co., corresponded with the Victor Talking Machine Co. about a trial recording. But the major event during this decade was the planning and construction of McCarter Theatre for Triangle Club. The completed theatre opened on February 21, 1930, with the Triangle Club's ''The Golden Dog''. McCarter replaced the long-controversial Casino, which burned on January 8, 1924.
Here began the Golden Period for which the Triangle Club became famous, in terms of its eventual contribution of outstanding talent to the Broadway theatre and Hollywood. Within a few years the Club would send forth into these professional realms
Erik Barnouw
Erik Barnouw (June 23, 1908 – July 19, 2001) was a U.S. historian of radio and television broadcasting. At the time of his death, Barnouw was widely considered to be America's most distinguished historian of broadcasting.
Life
According to ...
Joshua Logan
Joshua Lockwood Logan III (October 5, 1908 – July 12, 1988) was an American director, writer, and actor. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the musical '' South Pacific'' and was involved in writing other musicals.
Early years
Logan ...
, and
Myron McCormick
Myron McCormick (February 8, 1908 – July 30, 1962) was an American actor of stage, radio and film.
Early life and education
Born in Albany, Indiana, in 1908, Walter Myron McCormick was the middle child of Walter P. and Bessie M. McCormick' ...
, all Class of 1931;
James Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...
'32;
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...
'33; and Nick Foran '34.
The 1935 show, ''Stags at Bay'', featured "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)," written by
Brooks Bowman
Brooks Bowman (October 21, 1913 – October 17, 1937) composed the song "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" which has become a jazz standard.
Biography
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he graduated from University School in that city, but had ...
, which would become the most popular and longest-lasting national hit ever to come out of the Triangle Club. Recorded by
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
and
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
, among many others, "East of the Sun" still provides the club with royalties. Other songs from the same show, by Bowman, included "Love and Dime" and "Will Love find a Way?."
Difficulties in the Depression years
With ''The Tiger Smiles'' (1930–31), Triangle writers returned to a Princeton town and gown setting for the first time since ''When Congress Came to Princeton'' (1908–09). The production was well received, but the club was already beginning to feel the effects of the Great Depression. In October 1930, the Program Manager reported, "Due to the financial depression, the business of getting ads is a rather difficult one just now." By the following year economic conditions had begun to affect the tour. South Orange reported poor ticket sales, and the local alumni chairman was concerned with keeping down the cost of stagehands; in Pittsburgh, a poor house and lack of entertainment were attributed to the weak stock market. ''When It's the Valet'' (1932–33) was ready to tour, local alumni groups were either unwilling to sponsor a show or unable to guarantee an adequate sum to cover expenses, let alone show a profit. The club's Graduate Board sought aid from alumni in underwriting the show, but individual contributions were equally difficult to come by.
Throughout the mid-thirties, Triangle continued to tour in spite of the Depression, but there were rumblings of discontent from both the Graduate Board of the Club and the University administration. In a 1934 meeting with President Dodds, the Board indicated concern about the financial condition of McCarter Theatre; Triangle profits were insufficient to keep McCarter operating in the black, a situation that would become increasingly serious as the decade wore on. President Dodds had also heard alumni criticism about poor acting and an apparent lack of coaching in connection with the latest show. Yet he remained confident that Triangle could play an important role on campus. Later that year, Club Manager Stryker Warren '35 received a stern letter from Dean of the College Christian Gauss. Gauss had considered canceling the Christmas tour, first because of financial considerations, and then because of alumni criticism, which "in nearly every case... came as the result of the excessive drinking on the part of a few of your men." Nevertheless, the Dean concluded by wishing "you and all the officers and members of the Club a highly successful trip, a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year."
At a 1937 Board meeting there was discussion about the lack of good voices in Triangle. Alumni as well as Board members had noted this situation, and it was suggested that "there must be someone in the Glee Club who could at least be drafted to sing, so that a song could be heard beyond the footlights." Another complaint came from a Louisville alumnus early in 1938, who wrote, "I am not crazy about the Triangle Club bringing in certain dirty lines about ‘buying a drink’ and ‘the Knights of the Garter,’ etc..... Personally I would prefer to see the young men get properly soused and have to be poured on the train than to use heselines."
Another change in tradition came during the 1941-42 academic year, when Triangle produced ''Ask Me Another'', its first show in revue format. Then, at a Board meeting in September 1943, Graduate Treasurer B. Franklin Bunn '07 announced that there would be no Triangle Club activities for the duration of the war. The University assumed control of McCarter Theatre during this period, and the building was leased by the military for trainees’ use on campus.
Post-war comeback
In November 1945, the University Committee on Undergraduate Activities issued a report describing Triangle as "perhaps the most controversial of all undergraduate extracurricular activities. Despite obvious shortcomings, the Club affords many valuable opportunities to the undergraduate body and plays a very real part in alumni relations. According, it should be reestablished at the first possible moment." The first post-war show, ''Clear the Track'', opened in December 1946 and even managed a seven-city tour. But Triangle was beset with problems the following year for ''All Rights Reserved'' (1947–48). The Daily Princetonian reported, "All Rights pretty nearly weren't reserved. A play by the same name had fizzled on Broadway for a bare month, in 1934, and the petulant playwright threatened to sue. Hasty consultation with a Broadway lawyer revealed that the author could not possibly win the suit and that matter was closed." The club resolved tricky labor questions by employing union stagehands and music-hirelings, putting the later to work first in Philadelphia, where they were made to earn their fee by playing with the regular orchestra, and then in Washington, where they provided the intermission music.
Despite ongoing debate in the 1950s about the club's obligations to theatrical professionalism, as well as its questionable effect on the University's reputation, Triangle continued to reach a wider audience through greater media exposure. In 1948, ''All in Favor'' was broadcast on WNBC-TV, becoming the first college show to appear on the new medium of television. The entire score of ''Too Hot for Toddy'' (1950–51) was recorded, and members of the cast appeared on ''The Kate Smith Show'' and ''Ed Sullivan's The Toast of the Town''. Club productions appeared on The ''Ed Sullivan Show'' from 1950 to 1957; its host wrote to Triangle President Charles Robinson, "The Princeton Triangle Club has an annual appointment on our stage, so long as I'm on TV."
Finally, in 1953, a memorandum of agreement was drawn up between Princeton University and the Trustees of the Triangle Club abrogating the McCarter agreement of the 1920s. The club had simply been unable to cover the operating expenses and pay the taxes of the Theatre. A full-time general manager was hired for McCarter, and the University, which had been underwriting Triangle's losses, agreed to cancel the club's debts.
The Lyon era
''Spree de Corps'' (1955–56) marked the debut of Milton Lyon as Triangle director. From 1955 until his death forty years later, Lyon would direct all but a handful of Triangle's original productions.
Student apathy toward extracurricular activities began to affect Triangle toward the end of the 1950s. At a meeting in October 1958, the Board noted a very small turnout for the previous month's auditions. It was decided that more on-campus publicity would help, and as part of this effort Triangle Junior was formed, a group of seven club members who performed favorite Triangle songs at various receptions and functions. Over the following years, this small group would undergo periodic name changes, being known as ''Triangle Ding!'' and ''Triangle Bit Parts'' before returning to ''Ding!'', as it is called today.
With the gradual elimination of passenger trains in the late 1950s, the club began touring by bus. Early in 1960 there was a proposal to produce a motion picture on the Triangle Club, but a Hollywood writers' strike and possible heavy expenses brought an end to this publicity idea. However, Triangle did embark on its first European tour that summer; the Club performed ''Breakfast in Bedlam'' (1959–60) at French and German bases of the American army. ''Tour de Farce'' (1961–62) became perhaps the most widely toured show: performances in Pasadena and San Francisco marked the first time the show had been seen live on both coasts, and then troupe members again went to Europe that summer to perform at US Army bases.
''Funny Side Up'' (1963–64) was billed as the 75th anniversary show in spite of the fact that number seventy was ''Tour de Farce'', produced only two years earlier. ''Funny Side Up'' did not have a smooth start: the writers were slow to produce material, and the trustees even considered the possibility that there would be no show. Because of the diamond jubilee, twenty-one songs from earlier shows were made a part of the program. The tour of ''Funny Side Up'' included several southern stops, and the Birmingham visit became problematic when Triangle was booked into a segregated theatre. After some strongly worded letters from Board members, it was determined that the performance would either be cancelled or moved to a non-segregated house.
Coeducation and other changes
''A Different Kick'' (1968–69) was a Triangle milestone, featuring the first female undergraduate to be cast in a Club show—Sue Jean Lee '70, a junior in the Critical Languages Program. The University's shift to coeducation the next fall would have a profound effect on Triangle. ''Call a Spade a Shovel'' (1969–1970) featured six women in a seventeen-member cast. The social and political commentary of the show, most especially its anti-Vietnam War tones, which reflected the views of the Vietnam Veteran who was president and much of the country, unleashed an unprecedented storm of alumni protest and caused a mass audience walk-out at the Grosse Pointe tour performance.
This incident, along with growing budgetary and logistical concerns, caused the Board of Trustees to revise its production schedule. As per the May 1970 Report of the Board's New Directions Committee, there was to be neither a December show nor a Christmas tour; instead, a spring show was promised, to be followed by a short tour. ''Cracked Ice'' opened in April 1971, was repeated for alumni in June, but did finally tour the following December. To cut expenses, the cast and crew stayed in private homes rather than hotels, and non-union halls were booked.
The Princeton Triangle Workshop made its debut in November 1972 with a presentation of ''The Fantasticks'' at the Princeton Inn Theater; the following March the Workshop produced ''Transitions'', described as "five original plays and a multimedia extravaganza," in Wilcox Hall. This began a 25-year tradition of smaller fall productions to complement the full-scale, original spring shows. The fall productions of 1978, ''Happily Ever After'', and 1979, ''String of Pearls'', were both written by undergraduates. For the 1981 spring show, Triangle writers returned to the very roots of the club and based their book musical, ''Bold Type'', on Booth Tarkington's novel, ''A Gentleman from Indiana''.
The 1981 tour again returned to California, but with a revue of Triangle favorites, ''Fool's Gold'', rather than the spring show. The following year Triangle hired Miriam Fond, the first female director in the club's history. Triangle finally found a permanent home for its fall productions when ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' opened at the Triangle Broadmead Theatre in November 1984. In the 1980s, the club began to present produce revues of the best of Triangle early in the fall to introduce the freshman class to the organization.
Centennial
The club's centennial was celebrated in 1991 with a series of campus events throughout the year, including the spring show entitled ''The Older, the Better'', a large Firestone Library exhibition of more than 850 items from the Triangle Archives, and a fall reunion weekend of parties and performances. But how could the centennial celebration be held in 1991 when the fiftieth anniversary show was ''Once Over Lightly'', produced in 1938-39? After much debate, it had been decided that the first show in the true Triangle tradition of original work was ''Po-ca-hon-tas'' in 1891; hence the choice of 1991 for the one-hundredth anniversary.
The 2nd century
In the late 1990s, the production schedule reverted to its original calendar, in which the new Triangle Show premiered at McCarter in the fall of each academic year, followed in winter by that show's tour. This change meant that in 1997-1998 the Club needed to generate two-full length musicals in fifteen months, almost twice the writing load of previous years. In September 1997, Triangle began a writing workshop to coordinate the efforts of the writers; this program was enormously successful, producing ''In Lava and War'' in April 1998 and ''101 Damnations'' in November 1998. By the spring of 1999, the corps of 21 writers had been so prolific that Triangle presented an extra, original spring show at
Theatre Intime
Theatre Intime is an entirely student-run dramatic arts not-for-profit organization operating out of the Hamilton Murray Theater at Princeton University. Intime receives no direct support from the university, and is entirely acted, produced, direc ...
, entitled ''The Rude Olympics''. The 1999–2000 season saw the hundredth anniversary of the kickline in ''The Blair Arch Project'' (November 1999), as well as Triangle's return to Theatre Intime in May with ''The Rude Olympics II: American Booty''. ''Puns of Steel'' (2000–2001) became the first Club show to record its score on a CD.
Recent developments
The Club's current calendar continues the production schedule begun in the 1990s, with the Frosh Week Show presented during the first week of classes, the new Triangle Show premiering at McCarter Theatre in November, the Club's national tour in late January, a spring showcase of new writers' material in April/May, and the Triangle Show's encore performance at McCarter for Reunions.
Recent years have seen the refinement of the club's infrastructure, with continued development of the writing workshop and the shaping of a more active business team under the name "TriBiz."
The Club continues to receive a high level of regional recognition, with the 2007 Triangle Show ''A Turnpike Runs Through It'' appearing in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. ''Turnpike'' also marked the first collaboration of a creative team composed largely of Club alumni with extensive experience in NY professional theater: Glen Pannell '87 (director), Hans Kriefall '87 (choreographer), Pete Mills '95 (music director) and David Kaley '97 (costumer). This team collaborated on a string of well-received productions over the next decade, highlighting the Club's commitment to a professional aesthetic in showcasing ever more ambitious work from the Writers' Workshop.
Notable cast members and contributors
*
Booth Tarkington
Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and '' Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitze ...
1893
*
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
1917
*
Russel Wright
Russel Wright (April 3, 1904 – December 21, 1976) was an American industrial designer. His best-selling ceramic dinnerware was credited with encouraging the general public to enjoy creative modern design at table with his many other ranges of fu ...
'21 and '22
*
Joshua Logan
Joshua Lockwood Logan III (October 5, 1908 – July 12, 1988) was an American director, writer, and actor. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the musical '' South Pacific'' and was involved in writing other musicals.
Early years
Logan ...
'31
*
James Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...
'32
*
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...
'34
*
Brooks Bowman
Brooks Bowman (October 21, 1913 – October 17, 1937) composed the song "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" which has become a jazz standard.
Biography
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he graduated from University School in that city, but had ...
'36
*
Bo Goldman
Robert "Bo" Goldman (born September 10, 1932) is an American screenwriter and playwright. He has received two Academy Awards for his screenplays of '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975) and ''Melvin and Howard'' (1980).
Early life and edu ...
'53
*
Wayne Rogers
William Wayne McMillan Rogers III (April 7, 1933 – December 31, 2015) was an American actor, known for playing the role of Captain "Trapper" John McIntyre in the CBS television series ''M*A*S*H'' and as Dr. Charley Michaels on '' House Calls ...
'56
*
Clark Gesner
Clark Gesner (March 27, 1938 – July 23, 2002)Clark Gesner at the
Jeff Moss
Jeffrey Arnold "Jeff" Moss (June 19, 1942 – September 24, 1998) was an American composer, lyricist, playwright and television writer, best known for his award-winning work on the children's television series ''Sesame Street''.
Early life
...
'63
*
A. Scott Berg
Andrew Scott Berg (born December 4, 1949) is an American biographer. After graduating from Princeton University in 1971, Berg expanded his senior thesis on editor Maxwell Perkins into a full-length biography, ''Max Perkins: Editor of Genius'' (1 ...
The Daily Princetonian
''The Daily Princetonian'', originally known as ''The Princetonian'' and nicknamed the Prince, is the independent daily student newspaper of Princeton University.
Founded on June 14, 1876 as ''The'' ''Princetonian'', it changed its name to ''T ...
, 2001-04-14. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
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David E. Kelley
David Edward Kelley (born April 4, 1956) is an American television writer, producer, and former attorney, known as the creator of '' Doogie Howser, M.D.'', '' Picket Fences'', ''Chicago Hope'', ''The Practice'', '' Ally McBeal'', ''Boston Publi ...
'79
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Cecil Hoffman
Cecil Hoffmann (born July 11, 1962) is an American film and television actress.
Career
Best known for her portrayal of district attorney Zoey Clemmons in the television series ''L.A. Law'', Hoffman starred on 26 episodes, spanning three seasons ...
'84
*
Louis Bayard
Louis Bayard (born November 30, 1963) is an American author. His historical mysteries include ''The Pale Blue Eye'', ''Mr. Timothy'', ''The Black Tower'', ''The School of Night'', and ''Roosevelt's Beast'', and they have been translated into ...
Ellie Kemper
Elizabeth Claire Kemper (born May 2, 1980) is an American actress and comedian. She has been nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two Critics' Choice Television Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Satellite Awards, and seven Scre ...
'02
* Michael Yang '04Romano, Andrew "Unaccredited Triangle Show Musical Themes Written in 64 Holder Hall", Retrieved on 2013-01-15.
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Molly Ephraim
Molly Ephraim (born May 22, 1986) is an American actress who has appeared in films, television, and Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theater productions. She is best known for her role as Mandy Baxter on the ABC sitcom '' Last Man Standing' ...
'08
History of shows
Academic Year / Show (if more than one show listed, the first is the Mainstage Show)
1890-1891 ''
Po-ca-hon-tas, or The Gentle Savage
''Po-ca-hon-tas, or The Gentle Savage'' (subtitled "An Original Aboriginal Erratic Operatic Semi-civilized and Demi-savage Extravaganza") is a two- act musical burlesque by John Brougham (words) and James Gaspard Maeder (music). It debuted in 185 ...
''
1891-1892 Katharine
1892-1893 The Honorable Julius Caesar
1893-1894 The Honorable Julius Caesar
1894-1895 Snowball; Who's Who
1895-1896 The Mummy
1896-1897 Lend Me Five Shillings; A Tiger Lily
1897-1898 Po-ca-hon-tas, or The Gentle Savage
1898-1899 The Privateer, or The Pirates of Pennsnec
1899-1900 A Woodland Wedding
1900-1901 The King of Pomeru
1901-1902 The King of Pomeru
1902-1903 The Mullah of Miasma
1903-1904 The Man From Where
1904-1905 The Pretenders
1905-1906 Tabasco Land
1906-1907 The Mummy Monarch
1907-1908 When Congress Went to Princeton
1908-1909 The Duchess of Bluffshire
1909-1910 His Honor the Sultan
1910-1911 Simply Cynthia
1911-1912 Main Street
1912-1913 Once in a Hundred Years
1913-1914 The Pursuit of Priscilla
1914-1915 Fie! Fie! Fi-Fi!
1915-1916 The Evil Eye
1916-1917 Safety First
1917-1918 (a four-man troupe entertained troops in Europe)
1918-1919 The Honorable Julius Caesar
1919-1920 The Isle of Surprise
1920-1921 They Never Come Back
1921-1922 Espanola; The Devil's Disciple
1922-1923 The Man From Earth
1923-1924 Drake's Drum
1924-1925 The Scarlet Coat
1925-1926 Fortuno
1926-1927 Samarkand; Captain Applejack
1927-1928 Napoleon Passes
1928-1929 Zuider Zee
1929-1930 The Golden Dog; The Second Man
1930-1931 The Tiger Smiles
1931-1932 Spanish Blades
1932-1933 It's the Valet; Private Lives
1933-1934 Fiesta; Goodbye Again
1934-1935 Stags at Bay (incl.
East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)
"East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" is a popular song written by Brooks Bowman, an undergraduate member of Princeton University's Class of 1936, for the 1934 production of the Princeton Triangle Club's production of Stags at Bay. It was publ ...
); Holiday
1935-1936 What a Relief!
1936-1937 Take It Away
1937-1938 Fol-de-Rol
1938-1939 Once Over Lightly; Spring Shambles
1939-1940 Any Moment Now
1940-1941 Many A Slip
1941-1942 Ask Me Another
1942-1943 Time and Again
1943-1944 (no show, due to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
)
1944-1945 (no show, due to World War II)
1945-1946 (no show, due to World War II)
1946-1947 Clear the Track
1947-1948
All Rights Reserved
"All rights reserved" is a copyright formality indicating that the copyright holder ''reserves'', or holds for its own use, all the rights provided by copyright law. Originating in the Buenos Aires Convention of 1910, it is unclear if it has any ...
1948-1949 All in Favor
1949-1950 Come Across
1950-1951 Too Hot for Toddy
1951-1952 Never Say
Horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
s
1952-1953 Ham 'n Legs
1953-1954 Malice in Wonderland
1954-1955 Tunis, Anyone?
1955-1956 Spree de Corps
1956-1957 Take a Gander
1957-1958 After a
Fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
1958-1959 For
Heaven
Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
's Sake
1959-1960
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)''Breakfast: A History'' AltaMira Press. Various "typical" or "t ...
Guys and Dolls
''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...
1961-1962 Tour de Farce
1962-1963 Ahead of the Game
1963-1964 Funny Side Up
1964-1965 Grape Expectations
1965-1966 High Sobriety
1966-1967 Sham on Wry
1967-1968 Enter Venus
1968-1969 A Different Kick
1969-1970 Call a Spade a Shovel; '70 Minutes
1970-1971 Cracked Ice
1971-1972 Blue Genes; One More Hour for Uncle Ben
1972-1973
Future Schlock
''Future Schlock'' is a 1984 Australian film. It was the first of four movies made by the team of Barry Peak and Chris Kiely who ran the Valhalla Cinema, Melbourne, Valhalla Cinemas in Sydney and Melbourne. The movie was known in production as ' ...
1973-1974 A Titter Ran Through the Audience
1974-1975 American Zucchini; Blithe Spirit
1975-1976 Mugs Money
1976-1977
Kafka
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typ ...
,
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...
or Me
1977-1978
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
Today,
Guacamole
Guacamole (; (informally shortened to ''guac'' in the United States since the 1980s) is an avocado-based dip, spread, or salad first developed in Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine, it has become part of international cuisi ...
Stock
In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...
s and Bondage and Cabaret; Fool's Gold: 85 Minutes of the Best of Triangle
1982-1983 Under the Influence; Merrily We Roll Along
1983-1984 Revel Without a Pause; Three Penny Opera
1984-1985 No. 96-Untitled;
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grange ...
Into the Woods
''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.
The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story ...
; 94 Minutes of the Best of Triangle
1991-1992 Do-Re-Media;The Centennial Revue: "100 Years and Still Kicking";95 Minutes of the Best of Triangle
1992-1993 Shelf Indulgence;
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart.
Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specifica ...
Palindromes
A palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as the words ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date and time ''11/11/11 11:11,'' and the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Panam ...
Weapons of Mass Distraction
''Weapons of Mass Distraction'' is a 1997 television film directed by Stephen Surjik and written by Larry Gelbart, about two media moguls and their fight over ownership of a professional American football team. The film starred Gabriel Byrne and B ...
Wall-E
''WALL-E'' (stylized with an interpunct as ''WALL·E'') is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton, pro ...
Cornel West
Cornel Ronald West (born June 2, 1953) is an American philosopher, political activist, social critic, actor, and public intellectual. The grandson of a Baptist minister, West focuses on the role of race, gender, and class in American society an ...
Side Story
In fiction, a subplot is a secondary strand of the plot that is a supporting side story for any story or for the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or thematic significance. Subplots often involve supporting ...
2010-2011
Family Feud
''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. It features two families who compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes.
The show has had three separate runs, the ...
Triangle Club
The Princeton Triangle Club is a theater troupe at Princeton University. Founded in 1891, it is one of the oldest collegiate theater troupes in the United States. Triangle
premieres an original student-written musical every year, and then takes ...