The Whittlin’ Whistlin’ Brigade, a performing group from Brigham Young University, borrowed its name from a part of Nauvoo history. Life in Nauvoo in the 1840’s was a time of great persecution. Whenever a suspicious stranger came to town, a group of boys armed with knives and sticks would surround the stranger, not saying anything, and would whittle and whistle until the stranger became uncomfortable and left. Harold R. Oaks founded BYU’s brigade in 1974. Ever since, this group has become a vital member of BYU’s touring groups. Every year they tour elementary and junior high schools, sharing plays such as Androcles and the Lion, Yankee Doodle, and more recently The Yellow Boat and Taste of Sunrise . The group changed its name to The Young Company in 1983, when the company took their play Patches of Oz on tour to Yugoslavia. The change made it easier to associate the group with Brigham Young University.
From the guide to the University performing groups : the Young Company files, 1961-2002, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)
