Shakespeare at Amherst
Julius Caesar (1949)
Poster for the March 1949 stage production
Charles Rogers' set design of an Elizabethan stage
The cast at dress rehearsal in Kirby Theater
The 1949 Television Production of Julius Caesar at the
Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D. C.
On Sunday, April 3, 1949, the Amherst College Masquers, an honorary undergraduate dramatic organization, made television history. NBC broadcast the entire performance of Julius Caesar to 14 cities nationwide, marking the first time in history that an entire play of William Shakespeare's was televised. Arranged by then network vice-president Charles R. Denney (AC 1933), this performance of Julius Caesar also marked the first use of the Elizabethan Playhouse in the Library and the first production of the play in the Elizabethan format. The play featured about fifty students in the cast and stage crew and was directed by F. Curtis Canfield (AC 1925), Professor of Dramatic Arts and director of Amherst's Kirby Theater.
Poster for the April 1949 televised production at the Folger Shakespeare Library
Itinerary for trip to Washington, D.C.
Television truck and crew
Sewing the costumes for the production
Cast, crew and designers
Director Curtis Canfield (center) with the cast
Tuffy McGoun '27 (right), Technical Director
and Louis Wright, Folger Shakespeare Librarian
The production
Lighting Cue Script
Program for the Folger Shakespeare Library production
Director Curtis Canfield (left) off stage
Poster advertising kinescope film showing of the television broadcast
January 23, 1950
Scrapbook documenting the production
The Tempest (November 1951)
The Program
Left: Costume design by Charles Rogers for the dogs in The Tempest.
Right: Dog masks used in the production.
A Midsummer Night's Dream (November 1952)
Poster
Cast and Crew
Set design by Charles Rogers
Newspaper advertisements for the production
Costume designs by Charles Rogers
Scenes from the production
Pages from the prompt book used for the production