The Duquesne University Red Masquers is the oldest amateur theatre company in the city of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. Known as the Red Masquers since 1914, the company's roots trace back to the late 19th century when
Duquesne
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Duquesne or Duchesne ( , ; old spelling Du Quesne, American spelling DuQuesne) is a family name derived from a northern dialectal form of French (Norman and Picard) meaning ''du chêne'' in French ("of the oak").
The anglicization of t ...
first started to offer courses in drama.
The name Red Masquers refers to
Masque
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...
s, a form of European court entertainment in the 17th century, and the "red" represents Duquesne's colors.
Membership
The group comprises a mixture of Duquesne students from all majors, including pharmacy, business, communications, English, education, and more. Membership is open to all students in good academic standing.
Performances
The Masquers put on a variety of plays throughout the year, annually performing three
main-stage plays, generally consisting of one classical, one modern, and one contemporary. One of these main stage plays is an alumni show in which former members of the Red Masquers are invited to participate. Additionally, they perform two sets of
One-act play
A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...
s. In the winter, "One Acts for Charity," which consists of performing professional playwright one-act plays directed by students. In the spring, the company performs "Premieres," which are student-written and student-directed plays. The group has also participated in the Pittsburgh Monologue Project.
The Red Masquers celebrated their 100th Season during the 2012-13 School Year. To commemorate this, all of their performances that year were world premieres.
Though the Red Masquers have had many homes over the years, they currently perform in a new black box theater built in 2015.
Awards
The Red Masquers won the "Outstanding Production" Award for "Moon Over Gomorrah" for the 2013
Pittsburgh New Works Festival.
See also
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Theatre in Pittsburgh
Theater in Pittsburgh has existed professionally since the early 1800s and has continued to expand, having emerged as an important cultural force in the city over the past several decades.
History
The heritage of theater in Pittsburgh stretche ...
References
Duquesne University
Theatre companies in Pittsburgh
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