Michael
Newberry and Christopher Nitchie founded the Rude Mechanicals in the Fall of
1996. The two Sophomore Engineering students had a mutual love of theatre, particularly Shakespeare. They noticed there were few opportunities for
non-theater students to work on theater at a University level, so they decided to
make their own theatre organization on campus.
At
the time, the University Activities Center
had a committee called SophShow. Mike and Chris transformed this group into the
Rude Mechanicals. They produced one non-musical performance a year, with no
restrictions on the age of the cast. The first production was King Lear in the Fall of 1996, followed by
A Few Good Men
in Winter 1997.
Since
then, the Rude Mechanicals have consistently produced one Shakespeare show each
school year in addition to works by more contemporary authors, such as Edward Albee,
Steve Martin, and Tennessee Williams.
Most
people say Rudes has changed their lives.
Give us a try. Maybe we'll change
you.
