The Loras Players have been known for the past 100 years to entertain the audiences of the Loras community. They are, in fact, the oldest theater company this side of the Mighty Mississippi River. They have grown strong since their arduous beginning.
Father I. J. Semper started the group as a dramatics club in 1910. For the first 30 years, the plays put on by the Loras Players were directed by numerous priests. Back then, the college was an all-male college. So, when any show involved women, they would be invited from Clarke College. After that, the Rev. Karl Schroeder, better known as “King Karl,” came onto the scene to take the position of full director. He directed all of the plays from 1939-1968. During these almost three decades, he brought in big names like Eugene Loring and “The Loring Dancers” because he reportedly liked “big shows, and The Loring Dancers were BIG.”
The 2009 crew of the musical “Urinetown,” which showed a story of individual rights, capitalism, social responsibility and corporate mismanagement.
After Schroeder’s time as director came the first co-directors, who we now call the Loras Players. Don and Lauretta Stribling started co-directing shows at Loras in 1970 and continued to use their eye for the stage until 2000 when Douglas Donald, the current director, took over. Senior Hannah Spina speaks of how she feels about being a part of such a long-lasting group, saying “It’s exciting being a part of a group so established, being a part of something bigger than myself and a part of history. I like being able to look back at the past years and shows and know that I’m part of a legacy.”
Through the past 100 years, the Loras players have had numerous traditions come and go. Some current traditions include writing one’s favorite line from a show on the walls backstage and downstairs in the dressing rooms. Soon, the cast is to pick a spot on the walls for the entire cast to sign.
“It’s a great opportunity to connect to who’s been there. It’s also fun to document what you’ve done and what shows you’ve been in,” asserted senior A.J. Spike.
“Way Off-Broadway On Loras” and student directed “one-acts” are some traditions loved by the Loras Players and the audiences alike. Senior Alpha Psi Omega (APO) member Kevin Grady, who has taken part in these one-acts all of his years as a Loras Player, said, “The one-acts are a great tradition and a great way for the students who direct them to express creative freedom. We do everything including picking (and sometimes even writing the shows), casting and costuming the actors. This is where the theater really becomes student expression.”
Another new tradition is the Ironman Competition, introduced by current director Douglas Donald, in which the members of the APO gather at his home to compete in darts, pool and foosball. All these traditions were established by students.
Now the Loras Players are going strong. They typically have four to five shows per year, including a musical, one-acts, the Christmas radio show, a play and a children’s show, this is held every other year. This year’s children’s show was written by Loras students who were in the playwriting J-Term class. These students wrote a compilation of stories that students from surrounding elementary schools had written into one story.
For this year, there are still two plays coming up. “Noises Off,” a comedy adapted from a play entitled “Exits,” will give the audience a look at what the show looks like from behind. “Noises Off” will run March 19, 20 and 21. Meanwhile, the children’s play, “Riverwrites,” will show on May 1 and May 2.
The Players are celebrating their centennial anniversary in fall this year.
Congratulations on 100 years!
