From its beginning, Trivium School has had a remarkable and enthusiastic drama program. In the early years, three plays were produced: first an L-Group play (9th and 10th grades), then a G-Group play (7th and 8th grades) and finally an R-Group play (11th and 12th grades). The repertoire covers a wide swath of Western literature. Shakespeare dominates, but there are many others: from Ancient Greece (Sophocles, Euripides), Italy (Gozzi, Goldoni), France (Moliere, Corneille), Spain, (Lope de Vega, Calderon de la Barca), England (Sheridan, Goldsmith, Shaw, Wilde, Milne, and Barrie) and America (O’Neill, Wilder). Many of the plays were edited for the audience. Mrs. Louise Schmitt was the director from 1979-1998. Leslie Cummings shared in directing and other tutors helped after Mrs. Schmitt retired. These include Michelle Scheurer, Joe Haggarty, Jana Draeger, David Muir, Amy Mitchell, Sue Walsh, Molly Smillie, Ingrid Mitchell, Clarke Mitchell, William Schmitt, Emily McBryan, Elizabeth Schroeder, Bridget Manssur. Michael Forrester, and Marie Kottenstette. The plays are listed by their academic years and order of production.
1979-1980 Midsummer’s Night Dream (excerpt about Pyramus and Thesbe); Saint Joan, Shaw (scenes); Antigone, Sophocles
1980-1981 Christmas Carol (from Dickens); The Monkey’s Paw, W.W. Jacobs; Spreading the News, Lady Gregory
1981-1982 The Devil and Daniel Webster (from Benet); Merchant of Venice (trial scene)
1982-1983 The Ransom of Red Chief (from O’Henry); Under the Oak (from Chaucer); Iphiginia in Aulis, Euripides
1983-1984 Edmund Campion (1 act); The Romancers, Rostand; Julius Caesar, Shakespeare
1984-1985 Christmas in the Market Place, Gheon; Passos de los Olivos; The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde
1985-1986 The Libation Bearers, Aeschylus; Cheaper by the Dozen; Go Back for Murder, A. Christie
1986-1987 What Ho, Jeeves!, Wodehouse; Apollo of Bellac, Giraudeux; She Stoops to Conquer, Goldsmith
1987-1988 Nicholas Nickleby, (from Dickens); Game of Chess (?); Pygmalion, Shaw
1988-1989 The Man who Married a Dumb Wife, (France); Arsenic and Old Lace; The Two Orphans
1989-1990 Tom Sawyer and The Million Pound Note; Little Women, (from Alcott); Princess Ida, Gilbert and Sullivan
1990-1991 Christmas Carol; Edmund Campion; Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare
1991-1992 Shall We Join the Ladies; The Romancers, Rostand; Virtue is Her Own Reward and Doctor in Spite of Himself, Moliere
1992-1993 Halfway to Concord; Fuente Oreuna, Lope de Vega; The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare
1993-1994 Four short plays written by students; Missing Masterpiece; The Madwoman of Chaillot
1994-1995 Four short plays by students (Change of Heart, Sherlock Holmes, the Lion, Witch and Wardrobe); Spreading the News, Lady Gregory; Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare
1995-1996 Five short plays by students; The Ugly Duckling, A.A. Milne, and Little Women, from Alcott; HMS Pinnafore, Gilbert and Sullivan
1996-1997 Short plays by students (It Was Bitter Cold, My Inheritance, Marriage is Bliss); Beauty is Fled; Loves’ Labors Lost, Shakespeare
1997-1998 The Devil and Daniel Webster, (from Benet); Love of One’s Neighbor, Andregev; JB
1998-1999 Four Short Plays Written by Students; Midsummer’s Night Dream, Shakespeare
1999-2000 Four Original One Act Plays by students; The Masque of the Two Strangers; Leave it to Psmith, Whodehouse
2000-2001 The Precious Damsels and The Fan, Moliere; Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare; Cyrano de Bergerac, Rostand
2001-2002 The King’s Stag, Grossi; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; As You Like It, Shakespeare
2002-2003 Alcestiad and The Drunken Sisters, Wilder; Servant of Two Masters, Goldoni; Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare
2003-2004 Scenes from Antigone, Merchant of Venice, Pygmalion, The Importance of Being Earnest; The Great Theatre of the World, Calderon de la Barca; The Mikado, Gilbert and Sullivan
2004-2005 Scapin and The Would-Be Gentleman, Moliere; The Devil and Daniel Webster and The Ugly Duckling; She Stoops to Conquer, Goldsmith
2005-2006 I Remember Mama, Druten; The 6th Juror and Sorry Wrong Number; Creon Monarchus, J. Schmitt and G. Phillips, (11th grade); Twelfth Night, Shakespeare, (12th grade)
2006-2007 Arsenic and Old Lace, Kesselring; Make Believe, A.A. Milne; Trial by Jury, Gilbert and Sullivan, and Scenes from Shakespeare (11th grade); The Ideal Husband, Wilde (12th grade)
2007-2008 The Artful Widow, Goldoni. Comedy of Errors; You the Jury and Quiet Please; The Learned Ladies, Moliere (12th grade)
2008-2009 Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare; The Scarlet Pimpernel
2009-2010 The King’s Stag, Gozzi; Peter Pan Barrie; The Matchmaker, Wilder; The Rivals, Sheridan
2010-2011 The Monkey’s Paw and other short plays; Toad of Toad Hall, A.A. Milne; The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert and Sullivan
2011-2012 Short plays; The Princess and the Goblin, from MacDonald; Pygmalion, Shaw; As You Like It, Shakespeare
2012-2013 Group of short plays; Tom Sawyer, from Twain; The Comic Illusion, Corneille; Admirable Crighton
2013-2014 Comedy of Errors Shakespeare; Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare, Midsummer’s Night Dream Shakespeare; 15 Minute Hamlet abridged by Tom Stoppard; Much Ado about Nothing Shakespeare
2014-2015 Make Believe Milne; The Doctor in Spite of Himself, Spreading the News, Hyacinth Halvey Lady Gregory; Shall We Join the Ladies Barrie; Ten Little Indians Christie
2015-2016 The Angel That Troubled the Waters and 6 short plays of Wilder; Johnny Tremain; A Damsel in Distress, Wodehouse
2016-2017 Scapin, Moliere; You Can’t Take It with You, Kaufman and Hart
2017-2018 Henry V, Shakespeare; Busman’s Honeymoon, Sayers
2018-2019 The Comic Illusion, Corneille; Leave It to Psmith, Wodehouse
2019-2020 Princess Bride; Babette’s Feast
2020-2021 The Scarlet Pimpernel
2021-2022 Prince Caspian; The Precious Damsels, Moliere, The Flying Doctor, Moliere; Hamlet, Shakespeare; Pride and Prejudice
