The Duquesne University Red Masquers are the oldest amateur theatre company in the city of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. Known as the Red Masquers since 1914, the company can trace its roots back to the late 19th century when
Duquesne 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" of course representing Duquesne's colors.
Membership
The group is constituted by 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 writ ...
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
Pittsburgh New Works Festival is an annual festival where participating Pittsburgh-area theatre companies each produce an original one-act play. Established in 1990 by Donna Rae, the Festival features four weeks of productions of new plays as well ...
.
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 stretches ...
References
Duquesne University
Theatre companies in Pittsburgh
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