Sock and Buskin celebrating a century at Brown

by Mary Jo Curtis

The year-long celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the founding of Sock and Buskin stages its grand finale during Commencement weekend with a full slate of events offered by the Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance and its alumni.

Founded by Professor of English Thomas Crosby Jr., Class of 1894, Sock and Buskin is the country’s oldest college theater organization directed by faculty (distinguishing it from Harvard’s older but student-run Hasty Pudding troupe). It has mounted hundreds of theatrical productions ­– from classical dramas, Shakespearean tragedies and light comedies, to contemporary musicals and original works – providing training for thousands of students in every aspect of theater production and preparing many for successful careers in professional theater. This weekend’s events include:

• “Sight Unseen,” a play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies, through May 25 at 7 p.m. in Leeds Theatre, starring alumni Andrew Borba '87, Kate Hampton '91, Marin Hinkle '88 and Peter Jacobson '87. (That's Borba, Hinkle and Jacobson, left to right, in the photo at left.) Their undergraduate understudies will give a performance of the same play on Sunday, May 26, at 4 p.m.

• A Commencement Forum, titled “Play Memory Play,” featuring Margulies and the alumni actors on May 25 at 2:15 p.m. in Leeds. Professional dramaturg and NYU Professor Laurence Maslon ’81 will moderate this examination of how personal memories inspire the creative process and shape our response to the arts.

• An Alums and Friends Cocktail Party, set for May 25 at 5 p.m. in the Liv Ullmann Lobby in Stuart Theatre. Guests can enjoy a Sock and Buskin 100th anniversary exhibit of photos and memorabilia from shows throughout the century. A commemorative book featuring 100 years of cast lists and photos will also be available.

• Commencement Dance Concert, 7 p.m. May 25 in Stuart Theatre, featuring choreography by seniors Lauren Hale, Jonathan Martin, Courtney Rowe and Ryan Smith.

• Alumni and Undergraduate Cabaret, 10 p.m. May 25 in Ashamu Studio, a chance to enjoy food, drinks and birthday cake to celebrate Sock and Buskin’s 100^th anniversary.

Tickets for the Dance Concert and “Sight Unseen” are $14 for regular admission, $10 senior citizens and Brown employees, and $5 for students. A “pay what you can” admission is asked for the May 26 student performance.