The Varsity Show is one of the oldest traditions at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and its oldest performing arts presentation. Founded in 1894 as a fundraiser for the university's fledgling athletic teams, the Varsity Show now draws together the entire Columbia undergraduate community for a series of sold-out performances every April. Dedicated to producing a unique full-length spectacle that skewers and satirizes many dubious aspects of life at Columbia, the Varsity Show is written and inspired by an extensive team of cast, producers and production personnel.

Notable alumni

Alumni who have written, performed, directed, worked backstage, or otherwise been associated with the show include: *

Kenneth MacKenzie Murchison Kenneth MacKenzie Murchison, Jr. (September 29, 1872 – December 15, 1938) was a prominent American Beaux-Arts and Gothic Revival architect. Early life He was born in Brooklyn, New York City in 1872. Murchison graduated from Columbia Universi ...

, 1894, architect * Henry Shrady, 1894, architect *

Guy Wetmore Carryl Guy Wetmore Carryl (4 March 1873 – 1 April 1904) was an American humorist and poet. Biography Carryl was born in New York City, the first-born of writer Charles Edward Carryl and Mary R. Wetmore. He had his first article published in ''The N ...

, 1895, author and humorist * Melville Henry Cane, 1900, lawyer and poet * William C. DeMille, 1900, president of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

* John Erskine, 1900, pioneer of the

Great Books A classic is a book accepted as being exemplary or particularly noteworthy. What makes a book "classic" is a concern that has occurred to various authors ranging from Italo Calvino to Mark Twain and the related questions of "Why Read the Cl ...

program *

Edgar Allan Woolf Edgar Allan Woolf (April 25, 1881 – December 9, 1943) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-author of the script for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Early years and education Woolf was the son ...

, 1901, co-screenwriter of '' The Wizard of Oz'' *

Arthur Garfield Hays Arthur Garfield Hays (December 12, 1881 – December 14, 1954) was an American lawyer and champion of civil liberties issues, best known as a co-founder and general counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union and for participating in notable ca ...

, 1902, who represented the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

at the Monkey Trial of John Scopes * George Middleton, 1902, president of the

Dramatists Guild of America The Dramatists Guild of America is a professional organization for playwrights, composers, and lyricists working in the U.S. theatre market. Membership as an Associate Member is open to any person having written at least one stage play. Active M ...

Ralph Morgan Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan. Early life Morgan was born in New York City, the eig ...

, 1904, the first president of the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

* Frank D. Fackenthal, 1906, acting

President of Columbia University The president of Columbia University is the chief officer of Columbia University in New York City. The position was first created in 1754 by the original royal charter for the university, issued by George II of Great Britain, George II, and the p ...

* Kenneth Webb, 1906, film director * Roy Webb, 1910, composer for scores of films, including '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'', '' Notorious'', and '' Marty'' * Dixon Ryan Fox, 1911, president of

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

* Oscar Hammerstein II, 1916, legendary lyricist * Howard Dietz, 1917, lyricist for ''Dancing in the Dark (Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz song), Dancing in the Dark'' and head of publicity for MGM, who created its famed Leo the Lion (MGM), Leo the Lion trademark * Herman Mankiewicz, 1917, who with Orson Welles wrote ''Citizen Kane'' * Lorenz Hart, 1918, lyricist of "My Funny Valentine", "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and many other Broadway standards * Corey Ford, 1923, humorist who named Eustace Tilley, the mascot of ''The New Yorker'' magazine * Richard Rodgers, 1923, legendary songwriter * Jacques Barzun, 1927, cultural historian * Albert Maltz, 1930, one of the Hollywood Ten and screenwriter for ''Destination Tokyo'' * William Ludwig (screenwriter), William Ludwig, 1932, screenwriter for ''The Great Caruso and Academy Award, Oscar co-winner for ''Interrupted Melody * Herman Wouk, 1934, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ''The Caine Mutiny'' and ''Marjorie Morningstar (novel), Marjorie Morningstar'' * Martin Manulis, 1935, television producer and creator of ''Playhouse 90'' *Carl Emil Schorske, 1936, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian * John La Touche (musician), John La Touche, 1937, lyricist for ''Cabin in the Sky (play), Cabin in the Sky'' and ''The Golden Apple (musical), The Golden Apple'' * Robert Lax, 1938, minimalist poet * Sid Luckman, 1939, Chicago Bears quarterback * I.A.L. Diamond, 1941, Academy Award, Oscar-winning screenwriter; Billy Wilder's co-author on ''The Apartment'' and ''The Fortune Cookie'' * Gerald Green (author), Gerald Green, 1942, writer of ''Holocaust (miniseries), Holocaust'' *Ernest Kinoy, 1946, screenwriter * Edward N. Costikyan, 1947, political advisor * Dick Hyman, 1948, Emmy-award winning composer * Sorrell Booke, 1949, actor who played Boss Hogg in ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' * Philip Springer, 1950, American composer who wrote the Christmas song, Santa Baby * Edward Kleban, 1959, lyricist for ''A Chorus Line'' * Terrence McNally, 1960, Tony Award-winning playwright * Jon Bauman, 1969, of Sha Na Na * Adam Belanoff, 1984, a writer/producer of ''Wings (NBC TV series), Wings'', ''Murphy Brown'', ''Cosby (TV series), Cosby'', and ''The Closer'' * Alexa Junge, Barnard College 1986, an Emmy-nominated writer/producer of ''Friends'' and ''The West Wing'' * David Rakoff, 1986, comedic essayist * Alex Kuczynski, Barnard College 1990, Styles reporter for ''The New York Times'' * Eric Garcetti, 1992, mayor of Los Angeles * Tom Kitt (musician), Tom Kitt, 1996, Tony Award-winning composer of ''Next To Normal'' * Donna Vivino, Barnard College 2000, actress in ''Wicked (musical), Wicked'' *Lang Fisher, 2002, co-creator of Never Have I Ever (TV series), ''Never Have I Ever'' and Peabody Awards, Peabody Award winner *Will Graham (producer), Will Graham, 2002, co-creator of Onion News Network and Peabody Awards, Peabody Award winner *Brandon Victor Dixon, 2002, Tony Awards, Tony Award-winning and Emmy Awards, Emmy Award-nominated actor *Robby Mook, 2002, campaign manager for Hillary Clinton's Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign, 2016 presidential campaign *Susanna Fogel, 2002, Directors Guild of America Awards-winning director * Kelly McCreary, Barnard College 2003, actress on ''Grey's Anatomy'' *Tze Chun, 2003, director *Peter Koechley, 2003, co-founder of ''Upworthy'' and former managing editor of ''The Onion'' *Gabe Liedman, 2004, creator of ''Q-Force'' * Jenny Slate, 2004, cast member, ''Saturday Night Live'' * Greta Gerwig, Barnard College 2006, Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe and Oscars-nominated director * Kate McKinnon, 2006, actress on ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''The Big Gay Sketch Show''

''The I.A.L. Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts''

The I.A.L. Diamond Award is presented on annual basis to a Columbia or Barnard alumnus/a who has demonstrated continued commitment to and has found success in the arts. I. A. L. Diamond (1920–88) is the only individual to have written four consecutive Varsity Shows. He then went on to Hollywood to write eleven screenplays with Billy Wilder for the latter's films, including ''Some Like it Hot'' (1959) and ''The Apartment'' (1960). Diamond and Wilder won the 1960 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for ''The Apartment.'' In 2004, Terrence McNally was the first recipient of the award. McNally graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia College with a B.A. in English in 1960 and went on to author works such as ''Master Class'', ''Love! Valour! Compassion!'', and ''Ragtime (musical), Ragtime.'' During his senior year at Columbia, McNally wrote the 66th Annual Varsity Show, which featured music by fellow student Edward Kleban (who would later share the Pulitzer Prize for ''A Chorus Line'') and was directed by Michael Kahn (theatre director), Michael Kahn (later the artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.). In 2005, Jeanine Tesori, Barnard College Class of 1983, was honored with the award. Ms. Tesori was the music director for the 89th Annual Varsity Show and then came back a year in 1984 to write the music for the 90th Annual Varsity Show. She is a three-time Tony Award nominee for her work on ''Twelfth Night'' (1998, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center), ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'', and ''Caroline, or Change''. In 2006, Art Garfunkel, Columbia College Class of 1962, received the award. Garfunkel is best known as half of the folk duo Simon and Garfunkel. In 2007, Brandon V. Dixon, member of the Columbia College community, received the award. Mr. Dixon performed in the cast of the 107th Annual Varsity Show. He later received a Tony Award nomination for his performance of Harpo in ''The Color Purple (musical), The Color Purple''. He also originated the role of Simba in the national tour of ''The Lion King (musical), The Lion King''. In 2008, the award was presented to Tom Kitt (musician), Tom Kitt (CC '96) and Brian Yorkey (CC '93). For their musical ''Next To Normal,'' featuring music by Kitt and book/lyrics by Yorkey, the pair won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Original Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. While at Columbia, the duo wrote the music, lyrics, and book to the 100th Annual Varsity Show, ''Angels at Columbia: Centennial Approaches''. In 2009, the award was presented to Diane Paulus, a teacher at Barnard College, Columbia School of the Arts graduate, and, most recently, director of the Tony-winning revival of ''Hair (musical), Hair''. In 2010, the award was presented to Twyla Tharp, a Barnard College '63 alumna. She is the choreographer of many famous dances, multiple Broadway shows, and the film version of the musical ''Hair (film), Hair'' and has won a Tony and an Emmy.

Past Varsity Shows

* 1894: Joan of Arc * 1896: The Buccaneer * 1897: Cleopatra * 1899: Varsity Show * 1900: The Governor's Vrouw * 1901: The Princess Proud * 1902: The Vanity Fair * 1903: The Mischief Maker * 1904: The Isle of Illusia * 1905: The Khan of Kathan * 1906: The Conspirators * 1907: The Ides of March * 1908: Mr. King * 1909: In Newport * 1910: The King of Hilaria * 1911: Made in India * 1912: The Mysterious Miss Apache * 1913: The Brigands * 1914: The Merry Lunatic * 1915: On Your Way * 1916: The Peace Pirates * 1917: Home, James * 1918: Ten for Five * 1919: Take a Chance * 1920: Fly with Me * 1921: You'll Never Know * 1922: Steppe Around * 1923: Half Moon Inn * 1924: Old King's * 1925: Half Moon Inn (revival) * 1926: His Majesty, The Queen * 1927: Betty Behave * 1928: Zuleika, or the Sultan Insulted * 1929: Oh, Hector * 1930: Heigh-ho Pharaoh * 1931: Great Shakes * 1932: How Revolting! * 1933: Home, James * 1934: Laugh it Off! * 1935: Flair-Flair: The Idol of Paree * 1936: Off Your Marx * 1937: Some of the People * 1938: You've Got Something There * 1939: Fair Enough * 1940: Life Begins in '40 * 1941: Hit the Road * 1942: Saints Alive * 1944: On the Double * 1945: Second the Motion * 1946: Step Right Up * 1947: Dead to Rights * 1948: Streets of New York * 1949: Mr. Oscar * 1950: Wait For It * 1951: Babe in the Woods * 1952: Streets of New York (revival) * 1953: Shape of Things * 1954: Sky's the Limit * 1955: When in Rome * 1956: Not Fit to Print * 1957: The Voice of the Sea * 1958: Streets of New York (revival) * 1959: Dig That Treasure * 1960: A Little Bit Different * 1961: Streets of New York (revival) * 1963: Elsinore * 1964: Il Troubleshootore * 1965: Destry Rides Again * 1966: The Bawd's Opera * 1967: Feathertop * 1978: The Great Columbia Riot of '78 * 1980: Fly With Me (revival) * 1982: College on Broadway * 1982: Columbia Graffiti * 1983: Fear of Scaffolding * 1984: The New 'U' * 1985: Lost in Place * 1987: From Here to Uncertainty * 1988: The Bonfire of Humanities * 1989: Sans Souci, Be Happy * 1990: Behind the Lion Curtain * 1991: The Silence of the Lions * 1992: Columbia U, 10027 * 1993: The Lion Game * 1994: Angels at Columbia: Centennial Approaches * 1995: Step Inside * 1996: Devil in a Light Blue Dress * 1997: Enlargement and Enhancement: The Scaffolding Years * 1998: Love is Indefinite * 1999: Beyond Oedipus: Leaving the Womb * 2000: Mo' Money, Mo' Problems * 2001: Sex, Lions, and Videotape * 2002: 108th Annual Varsity Show * 2003: Dial 'D' for Deadline * 2004: Off-Broadway * 2005: The Sound of Muses * 2006: Misery Loves Columbia * 2007: Insufficient Funds * 2008: Morningside Hates * 2009: The Gates of Wrath * 2010: College Walk of Shame * 2011: Another Scandal! * 2012: The Corporate Core * 2013: The Great Netscape * 2014: Morningside Nights * 2015: Almageddon * 2016: A King's College * 2017: A Tale of Two Colleges * 2018: Lights Out on Broadway * 2019: It’s a Wonderful Strife * 2020: We Hope This Musical Finds You Well * 2021: Campus in the Cloud * 2022: Well Endowed

References

External links

*
Sing a Song of Morningside
, an official history of the show by Thomas Vinciguerra
The Varsity Show – Official Page

Notable alumni

''The I.A.L. Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts''

Past Varsity Shows

References

External links

Further reading