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I. Early Years (1974-1980)

The MIT Shakespeare Ensemble was founded in 1974 by Murray Biggs, an Assistant Professor in the MIT Humanities Department. In the Spring of 1974, he directed the MTG production of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. Four students from Forum, nine other MIT students, two Wellesley students, and one young MIT staff member became the first members of the Ensemble. The first show was Twelfth Night in the Spring of 1975.

The question immediately arose where the Ensemble would fit in the MIT theater scene. At the time, other theater groups included MTG, the Community Players, and Dramashop. Space was at a premium and the other non-musical groups occasionally performed Shakespeare. The MIT Theater Arts department did not yet exist.

To distinguish itself early on, the Shakespeare Ensemble borrowed traditions from repertoire theater companies. In addition to a main stage production each semester, the Ensemble trained and maintained a set of scenes which they could perform at Scene Nights throughout the year. In addition, the Ensemble took their Fall productions on tour around the East Coast over IAP. By 1977, members wishing to join the Ensemble went through a full year of training before becoming company members.

To solve the problem of space, the Shakespeare Ensemble pioneered the use of La Sala de Puerto Rico for performances. The Ensemble communicated with Facilities and the City of Cambridge on updating the features of La Sala de Puerto Rico to make it a legal performance space. From then on, they prefered to use La Sala as their performing space due to the open-stage style of their productions.

For its contributions to the community, the Ensemble won the Karl Taylor Compton Prize in 1977.

In 1978, the production of Much Ado about Nothing was directed by recent Ensemble alumnus Jon Ivester. It was the first production directed by a member or alumnus.

II. Growth and New Director (1981-1984)

As the Ensemble established its niche within the theater community, it decided to occasionally tour works outside Shakespeare’s canon. The first of these was A View from the Bridge, which toured England in the summer of 1980. At the time, the Ensemble expected to do contemporary works every three years. The WEsemble competed in several performing competitions throughout New England and was recognized for notable performance.

Murray Biggs’ contract with the Humanities department was not renewed in 1977 and he directed his last show for the Ensemble in 1981. The group did not revert to being student-run. Instead, they hired Larry Lane as the second resident director of the Ensemble. Leadership continued to come from the MIT Steering Committee, which had begun in 1979 and included members of the MIT faculty as well as Ensemble alumni. Murray continued to advise the Ensemble while freelancing in the Boston area until moving full-time to Yale in 1986.

Scene nights grew in scope. In addition to their traditional performances at MIT, including being invited to the MIT President’s House, the Ensemble piloted an educational outreach program where they performed at local schools. They even had a successful program of performing scenes in prisons.

III. Tenth Anniversary and Change of Purpose (1985-1987)

In 1984, the Ensemble was flourishing and prepared to celebrate its Tenth Anniversary. For the first time, they repeated a production, producing Twelfth Night, like their opening season. Over IAP 1985, they took this anniversary production on a tour through California. To further celebrate ten years, Ensemble alumni were invited to a gala accompanying the 1985 production of Romeo & Juliet.

There were also changes. After Larry Lane’s two years of directing for the Ensemble, alumni Mitch Rothstein and Tom Stefanick temporarily stepped in as managers while alumnus Thomas Garvey directed for a year before a new long-term director Derek Campbell was hired.

Amidst all the success, there were some challenges in 1985-1987. Each governing body, including the students, the Steering Committee, and the director, had different goals for the future. After some debate, two major changes were enacted. First, the Steering Committee rethought its position and turned into the Alumni Council, relinquishing some of its power to the students. Second, the students decided not to have a resident director and instead hire on a per-show basis.

IV. Theater Arts (1988-2000)

With the Shakespeare Ensemble, the scope of theater arts at MIT was clearly growing. To accommodate, the Provost commissioned a report on the arts at MIT. This report, submitted in 1987, concluded that a Theater Arts program should be formed. Alan Brody, the first Theater Arts professor, was hired in 1988.

The Ensemble operated as a hybrid between an academic program, a student group, and its own repertory company. Many of its shows were now directed by MIT Faculty, including Alan Brody, Kim Mancuso, Michael Ouellette, and Kermit Dunkelberg. Occasionally, a guest outside artist would direct. The Ensemble devoted approximately one of every four term shows to exploring classical work by writers other than Shakespeare.

The Ensemble came under the general jurisdiction of Theater Arts, alongside Dramashop. Administration was still handled by students, with resources and advice now coming from the Theater Arts department. The Humanities Department and the Alumni Committee ceased to play a formal role in Ensemble government. For a brief period, the Ensemble maintained a professional partnership with Shakespeare & Company.

As curricular theater arts grew, the need for an apprentice program decreased. Scene nights continued to be a tradition, but did not perform or tour as much. Instead, students were encouraged to take new credited classes offered by the Theater Arts department. Eventually, a three-semester acting sequence was developed, along with classes focusing on Shakespeare and technical theater work.

V. Student Group (2001-Present)

In late 2001, amidst diverging administrative priorities, the Ensemble and the Theater Arts department agreed to dissolve formal ties. Winter's Tale in 2002 served as a transitional show, with Theater Arts still involved. The Ensemble considered restoring a Steering Committee, but ultimately decided to leave administration in the hands of students. Instead, the Ensemble invited a member of MIT Theater Arts faculty to serve as Artistic Advisor. Outside professionals were again hired to direct on a per-show basis. Membership continued to be open to the larger MIT community.

With the exception of one, every term show performed by the Ensemble since 2001 has been Shakespeare. To explore works by other authors, the Ensemble added a new Summer Show slot to their season. The Ensemble also used IAP to explore scenes and, more recently, full productions of short plays. Scene nights eventually became tools for recruitment.

Though the group no longer performs shows in repertoire, it still bears some of the traditions of a repertory company. Emphasis is placed on “Ensemble” work. Actors will often work with the same members on several shows. Above all, the Ensemble continues to highly value teamwork and community building as avenues to putting on the highest quality shows possible.


Archives originally compiled by Mark Velednitsky '14, Delphine Kaiser '15, Shante Stowell '15, and Jake Gunter '16