Thespians Onstage in the 1970s - Dramatics Magazine

Written by Allison Dolan

WHAT SHOWS were popular with Thespians in the 1970s? Similar to today, high school stages of the era were filled with a wide range of hard-hitting dramas, classic comedies, and new musicals.

The following photos pulled from past issues of Dramatics create a production time capsule from the decade.

The 1970 Augustinian Academy (St. Louis, Mo.) production of Arsenic and Old Lace. — The 1970 Augustinian Academy (St. Louis, Mo.) production of Arsenic and Old Lace,

The 1971 Bishop McGuinness High School (Oklahoma City, Okla.) production of Antigone. — The 1971 Bishop McGuinness High School (Oklahoma City, Okla.) production of Antigone.

The 1972 Niles West High School (Skokie, Ill.) Summer Repertory Theatre production of The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd. — The 1972 Niles West High School (Skokie, Ill.) Summer Repertory Theatre production of The Roar of the Greasepaint — the Smell of the Crowd. Photo by Student Film Service.

The 1973 North High School (Eastlake, Ohio) production of Inherit the Wind — The 1973 North High School (Eastlake, Ohio) production of Inherit the Wind.

The 1973 Agoura (Calif.) High School production of The Fantasticks. — The 1973 Agoura (Calif.) High School production of The Fantasticks. Photo by Mark Dresser.

The Tigard (Ore.) High School production of Fiddler on the Roof. — The 1974 Tigard (Ore.) High School production of Fiddler on the Roof. Photo by Bruno Studios.

The 1974 Leuzinger High School (Lawndale, Calif.) production of Camelot. — The 1974 Leuzinger High School (Lawndale, Calif.) production of Camelot.

The 1976 Montville High School (Oakdale, Conn.) production of The Game. — The 1976 Montville High School (Oakdale, Conn.) production of The Game. Photo by Ed Lambright.

The 1976 McKinley High School (Honolulu, Hawaii) production of West Side Story. — The 1976 McKinley High School (Honolulu, Hawaii) production of West Side Story. Photo by James Nakamoto.

The 1976 Lakes High School (Tacoma, Wash.) production of The Miracle Worker. — The 1976 Lakes High School (Tacoma, Wash.) production of The Miracle Worker.

The 1977 Kubasaki High School (Okinawa, Japan) production of Don't Drink the Water. — The 1977 Kubasaki High School (Okinawa, Japan) production of Don’t Drink the Water. Photo by Kirk Tanigawa.

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