Construction in the Union has moved a unique student group to Orson Spencer Hall where its members intend to carry on a 25-year tradition.
The Babcock Performing Readers is a theatrical troupe of more than 100 members who meet every Tuesday for an impromptu performance.
“A lot of people don’t like to read history, but if they can see it, they actually understand it better,” said Joyce Skidmore, historian for the group.
The group’s members’ artistic mission is to present literature through live performance. Their troupe is not a book or literary club, she said.
The BPR is determined to preserve the art of oral interpretation though plays, poems and prose.
When oral interpretation classes were dropped from the U’s curriculum in 1980, a group of former graduate students decided to teach themselves the art of oral interpretation by creating the BPR.
By sharing classic literary works as well as members’ own, BPR members hope to carry the meaning from a page into the ears and imagination of the audience. The BPR was founded by some of the last students of Maud May Babcock, who founded the theatre, dance and women’s athletics programs at the U, former theater department chairman Richard Sharine said.
Babcock’s passion persuaded students to carry on her legacy, Mavis Steadman, the first vice president of BPR, said.
“Maud May was very successful because she was so ambitious. She taught a lot of people, senators and governors in Utah,” Steadman said.
“Reading out loud is great fun. I’m one of the guys who goes back to the days of radio,” said Sharine. “Personally, I think that reading out loud makes better drama.”
“The great thing about (BPR) is that very few people have the time in evenings that is required for rehearsal for full-length plays,” Sharine said. “With Babcock (Performing Readers), there are very few rehearsals involved. You just pick up the script and read.”
The BPR is open to anyone who is interested in supporting the vision and values traditionally embodied by the group. Anyone interested can sign up at www.babcockreaders.com. Membership fees are $20 for a single membership and $35 for a family pass. Free workshops are also given in the art of oral interpretation and casting.
“We encourage people who are just too shy to perform to come to the workshops and read with us,” said Shirlee Shields, BPR chairwoman. “It’s a great experience that everyone is welcome to take a part in.”