Campus Theater

Campus traditions, literary classics, and the avant-garde all have a place in the Columbia theater community. This weekend, Columbia students will have the opportunity to see three unique theater productions.

The Varsity Show, one of Columbia’s oldest traditions, is intended to be a satire on student life. Every year since 1894, a team of Columbia and Barnard students has created an entirely original musical about life at Columbia during the past year—including news events, student issues, and neighborhood changes.

“You’re recording this? Cool, can I say ‘off the record’?” said Michael Molina, CC ’10, smiling.

A playwright may devote months or years to a script, but the process of determining whether it is ready for the stage is much more succinct. Samantha Carlin claims that she can tell just by reading the first 10 pages.

What is it about student theater? The energy, the excitement, the intensity—it has to be more than those raging adolescent hormones.

Anyone who has studied Shakespeare in any capacity knows the axiom that his work is meant to be seen, not read. If you’re a devotee of the Bard, you’ve probably already taken this mantra to heart.

Given Columbia’s wide variety of schools and programs, finding a project that unifies the different aspects of the community can be challenging.