Last Saturday evening at the Palace Theatre, Colgate’s dramatic society Masque & Triangle hosted a benefit to celebrate and honor the group’s cultural output of the past year.

This is the third time the now annual gala has been held. The event began with a dinner catered by Curtain Call. Guests, about forty in all, sat at round tables decorated with ornamental masks while they munched on pasta, cheese and crackers and brownies.

Guests dressed in semi-formal attire, ranging from gowns worthy of a high school prom to a more casual, laid-back style. Despite this variance in dress, the banquet maintained an atmosphere of fun and celebration.

After most had completed their dinner, two skits were presented. The first was a preview of Student Theater’s upcoming production of Reefer Madness, a musical based on the 1930s anti-marijuana propaganda film. First-years Lindsey Simpson and Lucas Myerson, who play the lead characters, performed the bubbly number “Romeo and Juliet,” accompanied by piano. The musical will be performed this Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the Commons. It is directed by first-year Rachel Wassel and shows great promise.

The next skit featured an ensemble cast of much of Colgate’s finest acting talent. The darkly comic one-act play depicted a very dysfunctional family’s Thanksgiving festivities. The short piece easily won over the audience.

Masque & Triangle is responsible for all theatre events on campus. The group was started in the early 1900s, but stopped being active around the 1960s. However, students feeling the need for an all-encompassing theatre organization

decided to rejuvenate the group in 2005. It now serves as an umbrella organization for theatre companies at Colgate, such as Student Musical Theatre Company (known affectionately as SMuTCo), University Theatre, and Student Theatre. M&T’s job is to provide support for all these groups and ensure that the dramatic arts on campus work in harmony.

Despite advertising the event all over campus, the banquet was mainly attended by participants in the theatre program.

“The event was a lot of fun, but I hope in the future we can branch out more,” said first-year Sarah Tilley who sits on the Student Theater board. “I knew almost everyone there through my involvement in theatre groups. Hopefully next year we can include more of the Colgate community as a whole, not just the theatre community.”

Although the event was somewhat inclusive to those involved in theatre, it was nevertheless a great opportunity for outsiders to see the incredible amount of talent such a small school has to offer. It is clear to see that at Colgate Masque and Triangle has been a cultural force that merits celebration.