Columbia University. Varsity Show.

BIOGHIST REQUIRED Initially conceived as a fundraiser for the University's Athletics team, The Varsity Show has grown into Columbia University's oldest performing arts tradition, an annual extravaganza that has launched many students on their paths to careers in the arts and elicited cheers and blushes from those in the Columbia community who find themselves subject of its satire.

BIOGHIST REQUIRED The first Varsity Show, Joan of Arc by Guy Wetmore Caryl, CC' 95, was conceived as a fundraiser for Columbia's fiscally struggling athletics team, with all funds benefiting the Columbia College Athletic Union. The original musical extravaganza was developed by The Columbia College Musical Society and featured many of the staples of early Varsity Shows: an exotic location, a far-fetched plot and humorous contemporary references (the 'All-France Football Team'). As Columbia lacked a suitable theatre for the performance, Joan of Arc was performed in The Manhattan Athletic Club Theatre. It proved a financial and artistic success, drawing praise from the press and funds from its audience.

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