JMU STRATFORD PLAYERS

Now JMU’s oldest continuously running organization on campus, The Stratford Players

was first established as the Stratford Literacy Society in 1914 at the Harrisonburg Normal

School. The group was named after Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-on-Avon. The

original club colors were pink and green, its flower was a primrose, and its motto was

Shakespeare’s famous As You Like It quote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and

women merely players.” In its beginning years, the club’s main focus was on reading

theatrical works.

 

Just five years after its inception, the group’s advisor, Professor Johnston, led a reorganization of the club. This began with renaming the club to the Stratford Dramatic Club, and switched its focus to producing stage performances. It began producing one play a year at Harrisonburg’s New Virginia Theatre with Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

 

By the 1940s, the group had expanded their capacity for producting shows, thanks to the help of Dr. Mary E. Latimer, who the Latimer-Shaeffer Theatre would later be named after. In 1952, the club was again renamed to the current namesake, Stratford Players. 

 

In 1973, Thomas H. Arthur was hired in order to develop the theatre program from an extracurricular to a department. He brought on board Allen Lyndrup, Thomas L. King, Phil S. Grayson, Roger Hall, and their current advisor, Pam Johnson. The group grew over the next several decades, and Pam Johnson became the advisor in 2004. 

 

Currently, The Stratford Players produces between 3-6 studio and lab productions and various workshop productions every semester. The organization meets every Monday at 5pm and is open to any JMU student who wants to join. An annual Topdog/Underdog Scavenger Hunt, Snowball, Stratford Banquet, and Stratford Day are just a few of the events that have become tradition for the organization. 

 

 

Want to join the organization or stay informed? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or email us at stratfordplayersjmu@gmail.com!

 

THEATRE II

The old Theatre II, pictured above just after its purchase.

MARY E. LATIMER

Advisor of Stratford 1946-1965.