100 years of Theatre and Drama are celebrated

James Earl Jones, Gilda Radner and “Glee” star Darren Criss were trained at the University of Michigan’s Department of Theatre and Drama, at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, which celebrated its 100th anniversary with commemorative performances during FY 2016.

The yearlong “Theatre 100” celebration opened with free performances of “Sun & Shadows: A Guatemalan Tale Projected on North Campus.” The show’s unique feature involved giant shadow puppets projected on the outside glass walls of the Arthur Miller Theatre in the Walgreen Drama Center.

The centennial celebrations included festivities over Homecoming Weekend and events celebrating the centenary of Arthur Miller’s birth, with performances of “All My Sons” and a three-day Miller symposium.

U-M has offered theater classes for credit for 125 years. “It’s only since 1915 that we started calling ourselves a department, and began offering credit to be in a production and also offering classes in things other than acting, including costume design and lighting and set design. We’ve got an amazing history,” explains Priscilla Lindsay, associate professor and chair of the Department of Theatre and Drama.

Students perform "A Matter of Style" in 1963.

James Earl Jones in Aristophanes’s "The Birds," 1952. Photo courtesy U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

Darren Criss, “Glee” star, in a December 2008 production of "Pride and Prejudice." Photo by Peter Smith.

The centennial celebrations recognized the centenary of alumnus Arthur Miller’s birth, with performances of “All My Sons” and a three-day Miller symposium.