All The World’s A Stage
The University of Idaho has staged theatrical productions in various locations on the Moscow campus over the years. Below are a sample of the venues and plays that were produced. In the early days and after the old Administration Building burned, plays were staged at venues in Moscow like the opera house and St. Mark’s Guild Hall.
Administration Auditorium
Once the new Administration Building was constructed, the primary venue on campus was the University Auditorium. Comprising the north wing of the building, it is noted for its the ornate chandeliers and stain glass windows listing all of the university presidents.
Having a very small backstage, little rigging, and scant theatrical lights, it was not the ideal environment to work in but generations of Vandals proved agile in creating art within these limited confines.
Students also put on shows outside the auditorium, including this production of Embers in the basement. They staged shows in the great outdoors too.
Theatre Under the Willow
A natural amphitheater was discovered west of the Big Willow which used to stand near the Ridenbaugh tennis courts.
In the late 1910s, several Shakespeare plays were shown there in the spring. The faculty constructed a small stage by the Old Willow after the first production. Summer Theatre entertained across the lawn on the northeast side of the Administration Building.
Theatre on the Lawn
During the 1971 season, Summer Theatre offered scenes and short plays. They were performed near the Spanish-American War Memorial.
Theatre in the U-Hut
The Y.M.C.A. Hut was was constructed in 1918 as a gathering space for the Student Army Training Corps during World War I. The Y built these huts on war and home fronts.
The war ended before construction of the hut was completed–work was delayed because of an influenza pandemic quarantine. The Y-Hut was given to the university in 1921 and it became known as the U-Hut or the University Hut. The building was remodeled over the years to host offices, lecture space, and two small theatres, the Arena Theater and the unnamed experimental theater. In 1979, the experimental space became the Jean Collette Theatre” to honor her memory and her dedication to U of I theatre.
The Tent Players
Though not an official U of I project, the Tent Players was on university land and received the university’s blessing. Operated by theatre faculty member John Ford Sollers and theatre students, the Tent Players performed for two years during World War II. Renting a large tent, the Players performed close to where the Agricultural Biotech Building now stands on the corner of 6th and Rayburn. While popular with the community, it was unsustainable with people being pulled away for the war effort.
