Gould Library

The cast of "A New Girl in Town," 1967, Carleton College Archives

Before Carleton had the theater program we know today, productions on campus were staged by faculty and students under the aegis of The Players, The Uninvited Company, The Magic Lantern Troupe, The Black Repertory, The Co-op, and Experimental Theater Board. The thespians who started these programs, several of which are still active today, were primarily students and members of the English Department who saw theater as a crucial part of campus life and collegiate learning.

This exhibit features a variety of materials primarily from the 1970s, including programs, promotional artwork, a model of the Arena Theater, a slide show, and more, pulled mostly from the College Archives. These handmade artifacts remind us not only of  the technology we now take for granted, but also of the energy and commitment of the members of this community who saw theater as an indispensable part of the Carleton experience during a dynamic era of the college's past.