The performing arts at Washington University have returned. Quietly, as genomes are mapped and volleyball teams triumph, Wash U theater has once again become a force in collegiate life. The production of “Me, Vashya” and the Tennessee Williams extravaganza was a critical component of the school’s sesquicentennial celebration, reminding students that Williams not only attended “Washington U” – as the playwright famously referred to his alma mater in the “The Glass Menagerie” – but in fact withdrew in disgust when his play wasn’t good enough to win an award.

Still, performing arts glory is not totally relegated to the past. Amidst the rapturous applause associated with the Performing Arts Department (PAD), there is the faint buzz of another theater troupe, Thyrsus. Whereas PAD performs the works of the Greats such as Chekhov, Williams, and Miller, Thyrsus prefers those of whom even your drama professor has yet to hear; and whereas PAD has Edison and the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theater for most of their productions, Thyrsus productions are found in classrooms and now public bathrooms.

And so what exactly is Thyrsus? “Thyrsus is terse, sounds well, and has some significance” wrote “Student Life” in 1907. Indeed, ask anyone who knows the history of the performing arts at Washington University and Thyrsus will surely ring a bell. In many ways, Thyrsus is not a rebellion to the performing arts; rather, it is the foundation of the performing arts. Before PAD had ever put on a Tennessee Williams play, or even before Williams was born, Thyrsus was the only performing arts at the University. Formed in 1905 by the dramatics club following the University’s move to the Hilltop Campus, in 1907 the name “Thyrsus Theater” was given, symbolizing the pine cone carried by Dionysus in Greek Mythology.

Since then, Thyrsus’ near 100-year history has been rather tumultuous, one of frequent disbanding and reforming. The last play Thyrsus produced was three years ago, but never to fall into oblivion, the group has reemerged stronger than ever, and with a new artistic energy. “It’s like a sine curve” says sophomore Pushkar Sharma, co-leader along with second year grad student Ryan Howe, of Thyrsus’ resurgence. Whatever lows the club may have experienced in the past, this year marks a certain high. After several seniors graduated in the past years, the club was restarted in the fall by Sharma. Its first production under the new regime, “Examination Period” – a play written by drama graduate student Justin Blum set in a classroom – was performed three times in Cupples 113 in front of more than 100 people.

The major performance of the year, however, is “Downsize,” opening today and running through the weekend. In the mode of site-specific theatre, “Downsize” is performed in an actual bathroom, and is an example of the kind of theater neo-Thyrsus is interested in performing. Pushkar Sharma saw the play performed in Chicago and knew it would be perfect for experimental student theater. With permission from the playwright, Christopher Welzenbach, “Downsize” will get its first performance outside of Chicago: a big enough deal that Welzenbach himself will be in attendance during one of the projected ten shows.

In the wake of Enron, “Downsize” is a story of corporate greed. Standing in the men’s restroom of the Performing Arts Department, the audience voyeuristically watches as five student actors unravel a comedic story of corruption – all from two feet away. The intimacy of the venue allows the viewers to experience every bulging vein, every nervous tick, and every shifty glare, while the actors remain seemingly oblivious to the presence of an audience. Viewers simultaneously see their own reflections in the bathroom mirror as villainous Archie, played by Matt Goldman, intensely stares at himself. The moral and humorous message to the audience is clear, as Archie shouts, “This could be you…don’t let your future go down the toilet!”

Is it simply experimental theater? “We don’t want to scare people away with that title,” says Sharma. Yet, the club’s president and artistic director acknowledges that their success will come from them being different from the rest of student theater. Both All Student Theater and Cast and Crew, the two most significant groups on campus, perform mostly musicals and dramas by well established playwrights. Thyrsus, however, prides itself on the relative obscurity of its productions. “They’re great at doing what they’re doing, but we’re looking to do less mainstream stuff,” Sharma says. In talking with Sharma, however, it becomes increasingly clear that Thyrsus will stop at nothing to break from the traditional mold and find new areas of dramatic creativity. “We’ll do whatever the hell we want, really,” he continues. “We want to do stuff with puppets and masks … [it's all] just as valid as Oscar Wilde.”

Fortunately for the group, their experimentation will not result in a cold treatment from the more traditional Performing Arts Department. Noting that “it’s not a competition or a revolt against PAD,” Sharma chooses the word “supplemental” to define their relationship. “It’s basically just the plays they would never sponsor,” he continues. If PAD’s latest production of Bertold Brecht’s own experiment, “The Good Person of Szechwan” is any indicator, the pressure to engage theater audiences in more untraditional ways is apparent. “There’s definitely an audience for it,” concludes Sharma.

Thyrsus is hoping that the momentum they’ve gained from this semester will carry into next year. Future plans include collaborating with another student theater club, No Shame Theater, in a “Day of Shame” in which plays are written, directed, and acted in 24 hours. Also, Thyrsus plans on staging a controversial political play around the time of the presidential debates next fall. Regardless of future plans, it appears that Washington University theater is back after all – even if in part it takes a century old student group to help revive it.

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