1/2/2011:
On this date one hundred years ago, a group of students at the University of North Dakota were exploring an idea to create a theater group. The following evening, they gathered with supportive faculty members, and the Sock and Buskin Society was created. Sock and Buskin stood for the Greek symbols of comedy and tragedy. In 1917 the name was changed to The Dakota Playmakers, which was used until the mid 1960s. Productions were held on the banks of the English Coulee, in Woodworth Hall or scattered about town. The addition of the Burtness Theater to the campus in 1963 gave the Playmakers a permanent home, and in 1972 the Department of Theater Arts was established and carries on today. So, to all the past and present thespians at UND, Happy Anniversary!
Dakota Datebook written by Jim Davis
Source:
Theater History at the University of North Dakota by Loren J. Liepold 2008