Still Laughing

Over 100 Years of Mask & Wig Imagine turning on your television set to the Ed Sullivan show and seeing a kick line of 20 men dressed as women dancing live on national television. That is just one of the many public appearances the Mask & Wig club has made in its time as one of the leading performing arts groups on campus. With over 100 years of singing, dancing and panty hose, the Mask & Wig Club is still going strong. Many may wonder what it is that drives these zany young men to spend endless hours creating, writing and producing a musical production. For some it is the professional training, for others it is the comraderie, but they all agree that the experience is more than worth while. Since the club's founding in 1888, Mask & Wig has gone above and beyond most typical college theater groups. When the group was formed, only men could attend the University, so the group limited productions to an all--male cast. The tradition of dressing up as the female characters has become a source of much humor for the members and audience. Many Mask & Wig members and alumni said this week that although times have changed, the goals of the group and genre of theater have not been altered. The show still encompasses overblown characterizations, loose plotting and as much parody as it did when the club was formed. Founded with the goal of serving "justice to the stage and credit to the University," the Mask & Wig Club has held true to these claims. Wiggers said this week the tradition of excellent performers and humorous material has been upheld through the years. With two large productions each year, the club members are busy year round. But for them the experience is worth all the time in the world "It's a very intense program," said College sophomore Joel Chasnoff. "We're really always working on something, that's what makes Mask & Wig so unique." Many Wiggers said one of the reasons they were drawn to the club is because it is so different from the other groups on campus. "The club has produced my best friends here," said College junior Dan Zola. "We're different in that after a show ends we don't end. We spend time together all year long." For many the comraderie and fraternal aspects of Mask & Wig may be the reason that the club has survived for over a century. Robert Brown, a 1928 University graduate, said as the years go by, he still is very attached to Mask & Wig. "There are many long--time associations with the club," he said. "You almost forget you were in the shows but you still maintain much contact with the people you shared those years with." Zola said much of these bonding is a natural part of the Mask & Wig tradition. "We have a host of traditions like the tour over spring break and all the pageantry," he said. "We are the only performing arts group that consistently looks good in a dress." College senior Dan Bisbee said that for him one of the greatest rewards of being a part of the club are the creative aspects. "Mask & Wig is a great outlet to create," Bisbee said. "Writing skits and songs and then getting a chance to perform them is an incredible experience." Bisbee said his first great experience with the club was when he wrote a song and then saw it performed. "I wrote a heavy metal song performed by a nun called 'bad habit,'" he said. "Writing the Jesus Christ Superstar parody for the fall show was definitely the plateau of what I've done. It was amazing being able to choreograph and create a whole segment of the show." Wharton senior Norm Golightly agreed with Bisbee that producing the plays themselves is one of the strongest parts of Mask & Wig. "Saying I created that is the most rewarding part of it all," he said. "It strengthens any bond with the other members because we're in it together from ground zero." Wiggers say they find the risk of performing original plays much of the fun and excitement of being a part of Mask & Wig. While other groups may know what kind of reaction to expect from the audience, these writers put their creativity on the line. "The shows provide an added thrill of gambling with your own creativity," Bisbee said. Golightly said it is difficult to gauge what will go over well. He added that they do not exactly know if things are funny or not until opening night. Although Mask & Wig requires more than the average rehearsal time for theater groups, members say the product is well worth the work. Golightly said at first he found the time committment to be very strenuous. But, he added that when you see the final production and hear the audience reaction, it all becomes worthwhile. Joining Mask & Wig seemed to be a love at first sight for most of the members. After seeing the group perform early on in their freshman year, many of these men seemed to do almost anything to get on stage in dresses and wigs. "I was impressed with the unity and dedication of the group," said College junior Brian Yanish, a Mask & Wig member. "The product of Mask & Wig is much larger than many of the other groups on campus." Brown recalled seeing the club perform and dedicating himself to gaining a role on stage. He said he had heard they were putting on a show with a Scottish theme so he decided to rent a set of bag pipes and learn how to play. "I went to the rehearsal and played the one and only song I knew," he said. "They couldn't turn me down because I was the only bag pipe player on campus." Chasnoff said he originally did not think he could get into the cast so he tried out for the band, but when they didn't need him he decided to go for it and try out. "It was the best decision I made," Chasnoff said. Working with so many creative actors, musicians and writers often lends for amusing "behind the scenes" plots that sometimes make their way onto the stage. "Last year I played a villain in the show and I had a gun as part of my costume," Chasnoff said. "As a joke someone switched the gun with a banana. Right before I was supposed to go on stage, I realized that my gun was missing and I held the scene up until someone gave me my gun back. There was a long period of silence on stage." University graduate Michel Huber, who was part of the class of 1953, said he and his wife had their first date at an opening night production of Mask & Wig. The club offered Huber more than romance, however. "One year when I arrived home for the summer I had brought my dirty laundry," Huber said. "I didn't realize that I had thrown in a bra from one of my costumes from Mask & Wig. My mother saw it and broke down into tears, she didn't know what was going on with her son." Zola said that there are many unexpected occurrences that go on with any production of this size. "Last week we had a sword go flying into the band unexpectedly," he said. "It luckily hit a cymbal at an opportune moment and the audience got a good laugh out of it." For many Wiggers, being a part of the club gave them a new direction for their future endeavors. There have been a handful of alumni who continued in all levels of theater following graduation. University graduate Bobby Troup, part of the 1941 graduating class, became a famous songwriter and musician best known for the song "Route 66." The club can also take credit for the werewolf in American Werewolf in Paris played by 1973 University graduate David Naughton. Naughton also had a role on the television series called My Sister Sam. Golightly is one of the few seniors who will be moving into the theatrical world after this year's graduation. "One of the important things about Mask & Wig is that it helped me to realize what I wanted to do with my life," he said. "The club helped me develop my creative skills and now I'm going out to L.A. to work for Tri-Star pictures." University alum Stephen Goff, who graduated in 1962, said his involvement with the business side of Mask & Wig led him to his current job as managing director of the Annenberg Center. "I would definitely say that my job now all goes back to my early involvement with Mask & Wig," Goff said. "Mask & Wig is like a family, we all come from different backgrounds but we come together to create some amazing theatrical productions," Golightly said. "A lot of life--long friendships are formed from the years we spend with Mask & Wig."