Summer Theatre at Mount Holyoke records

1970-2001

James T. Cavanaugh, professor emeritus of theatre arts at Mount Holyoke College, founded the Summer Theatre at Mount Holyoke College (formerly the Mount Holyoke College Summer Theatre) in 1970. Cavanaugh established the theatre because students complained that during their summer internship, they often gained little or no practical experience in acting or technical skills.

With $5000 in contributions and twenty-one students, Cavanaugh established the Mount Holyoke College Summer Theatre. During the premiere summer season, eight plays of comedy and drama were performed. Five or six plays were geared for an adult audience and two plays were for children. The plays featured had previous showings on the Broadway stage. Over the years, the productions of Broadway plays and the ratio of adult to children plays remained consistent.

The Theatre was easily recognizable by its trademark orange and white tent in which the audience sat in the round to watch the actors perform on a thrust stage. Another noticeable feature was the Theatre's logo of the comedy and drama masks set in an orange and yellow sun, which appeared on the cover of all of its programs.

Cavanaugh’s guidance as executive producer proved successful for the theatre. The budget grew exponentially with contributions from the college, subscribers, attendance, and support from former students who sometimes returned to perform. This theatre also proved to be a magnet for other colleges and experienced actors. Cavanaugh produced plays at the Summer Theatre until 1992. As an artist, he also performed as an actor in summer theaters throughout the United States.

In 2002, the Summer Theatre at Mount Holyoke College moved from South Hadley, Massachusetts. The theatre would eventually become the Pioneer Valley Summer Theatre in Easthampton, Massachusetts.