Six Decades of Junior Shows

Program from the first Junior Show, 1936

 

In 1936, a group of sophomores in Shafer Hall, including Virginia Spangler, Putzie Henriches, Charlotte Paul, Katherine Campbell, Margaret Miller, and Elizabeth Turner, decided to produce a theatrical extravaganza. Junior Show was born and since then, Wellesley juniors have had the chance to vent creative energies and poke fun at Wellesley.

Junior Show quickly became one of the biggest events on campus, an endeavor that students looked forward to participating in during their third year at Wellesley. Students went all out for this event, spending months writing the script, composing original musical scores, and casting the elaborate production.

" Junior Show is definitely one of the most fun and most rewarding traditions at Wellesley. It is a unique organization in a number of ways. Our members are all juniors and our only purpose is to write and produce a full length musical comedy every September. The chairman of Junior Show is elected in April by the sophomore class and she selects a group of about 20-25 sophomores who will go to Cape Cod in late August to write Junior Show. The Cape Committee pays for their own expenses while at the Cape. Upon returning to Wellesley, the Cape Committe usually forms the nucleus of the show's production staff, but there is no obligation on their part for continued involvement and all other juniors are encouraged to help out. Generally, over 100 class members become involved in some aspect of the show. There are opportunities for all levels of participation. Some of the different committees are Business, Lighting, Program, Costumes, Make-up, Props, and Stage Crew. Approximately 3000 people attend the two performances. Non-Wellesley students are charged 50 cents to help defray expenses."

--Description of Junior Show from the Class of 1978
Junior Show varies from year to year, and era to era, but the common denominator remains: perennially, the show features the average Wellesley student, Wendy Wellesley, trying to pursue an active academic and social life amidst daily tribulations, love troubles, and the Wellesley culture of stress.