the untold story of Theater Arts at the California Institute of Technology
For an archive of media from past productions see
Precursors
The roots of TACIT can be traced back to earlier programs devoted to theater at Caltech (then Throop University), including the 1897 activities of the Gnome Club for public speaking and debate. Starting in 1924, Pi Kappa Delta and the Caltech Drama Club presented an annual classical play, until events were curtailed on the eve of World War II. Drama activity was then sporadic for a few decades, though the Caltech Drama Club did persist, producing a play most years sponsored by the Associated Students of Caltech (ASCIT).
Early 1970s
After a hiatus for a few years, the early 70s saw successful student-led productions, including operettas H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance.
Also starting at this time, a semiprofessional theater company, Spectrum Productions, staged several shows at Caltech, disbanding in 1978. The company was founded by Caltech professor of humanities Oscar Mandel and Shirley Marneus, then a librarian in the Public Affairs Room.
1974
Students approached Marneus to direct the ASCIT-sponsored musical Kiss Me, Kate, which was produced in 1974. This served as an ongoing model for theater on campus.
“The students learned that I had a degree in directing, that I had been at the studios, and that I had left NBC, and asked me to help.”
Shirley Marneus
These shows were produced by an informal organization that went by a variety of names: the Caltech Drama Club, Caltech Players, Caltech Theatre Arts Program, Caltech Musical Theatre Company, to name a few.
Mid 1970s-
early 80s
These years saw the establishment of an enduring theatrical legacy: starting with 1977’s Guys and Dolls, a musical was performed on campus nearly every year, with very few exceptions, often along with one play (or more) per year as well, such as The Caucasian Chalk Circle. (This lasted through 1995’s Assassins.)
Notable productions from this period include The Student Prince, Fiorello!, and Fiddler on the Roof. The Music Man was attended by the show’s writer, Meredith Willson, and featured new Caltech president Marvin “Murph” Goldberger and his wife Mildred in cameo appearances. Goldberger reportedly so enjoyed his experience that he provided the seed money for what would soon be formalized as TACIT.
“[Theater at Caltech] had as much of an impact on me as my classes. Learning how to effectively communicate my thoughts and feelings in a larger setting has been indispensable to me in my current lectures to students as a professor of cell biology. When I think of the things that helped me to develop at Caltech, I think of my peers, my classes, my professors, and the musicals.”
Stanley Cohn (BS ’79)
“It’s vital, sometimes literally so, that students have an active creative outlet to help them deal with the pressures of the academic focus they all face. It helps keep the social environment sane, and that, in turn, helps nurture the science that the students are helping to move forward.”
José Helú (BS ’79)
Nobel Prize-winning physicist and Caltech professor Richard Feynman’s first show was Guys and Dolls, playing his trademark bongos in the Havana nightclub scene. He became a TACIT regular over the next several years, famously playing the High Priest in 1982’s South Pacific.
1982
This ad hoc program evolved into a more official organization in 1982 with the new name Theater Arts at the California Institute of Technology, or TACIT, under the direction of Marneus.
“I think scientists are perceived as unreachable and unapproachable in their ivory towers. When people see them [onstage], it’s something of a revelation.”
Shirley Marneus
1980s
TACIT’s first few years as an official program were prolific, with classics from Shakespeare, to Gilbert and Sullivan, to Albee, musicals and operettas, and original plays and one acts written and directed by students. Productions included Much Ado About Nothing, The Mikado, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Romeo and Juliet, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Oliver!, and Bye Bye Birdie.
“The arts made life at Caltech fun and enjoyable, and it added another dimension to my education… The arts gave me skills for my future career. “
Taylor Lawrence (BS ’86)
1989
On February 4, a fire broke out at the original TACIT House at 300 South Holliston Avenue, less than two weeks before opening night of Bye Bye Birdie. In addition to damaging the structure, the erratic fire destroyed various irreplaceable historical costumes, many props, and almost the entire archive of TACIT programs and posters.
A volunteer crew over fifty cast members and friends of TACIT worked from that afternoon until late at night (and through the ensuing days) salvaging what they could. Ultimately, TACIT moved to its current address at 275 South Hill Avenue.
1990s-early 2000s
While the late 1990s saw a shift away from musical offerings, it brought with it an increased focus on classics, with TACIT presenting at least one Shakespeare play or Greek tragedy nearly every year until 2007, alongside other classic and contemporary offerings. Among these were Camelot, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Hello, Dolly!, Assassins, Henry III, The Trojan Women, Hedda Gabler, and Macbeth.
“I owe so much to TACIT… for making my time at Caltech so memorable. TACIT quickly became my home away from home and was a much-needed release from the often very stressful academic rigor of Caltech.”
Phil Rodriguez (BS ’98)
2007
Marneus retired in 2007, with an impressive legacy of directing 80 shows, including 15 musicals, and providing production support to countless more.
“I want them to have something that when they leave they can do the rest of their lives”
Shirley Marneus, on her desires for TACIT participants
Shirley Marneus passed in January 2024. A memorial service was held in Dabney Lounge, a site of many productions, followed by a gathering at TACIT House, which brought together dozens of former TACIT participants and friends from decades past.
“There was a warmth in everything [Shirley] said and did, which extended to the cast and crew, inspiring them also to be the best people they could be [and] to do the best job they could do.”
José Helú (BS ’79)
2008
Brian Brophy began his leadership of TACIT and expanded the scope of programing to include courses on public speaking and science communication, all while maintaining a focus on providing acting and production opportunities for the Caltech/JPL community.
“In TACIT, science merges with culture, and our performers end up engaging both sides of the brain. In the process, students gain self-confidence and develop the skills to be leaders.”
Brian Brophy
Around this time, two new programs were founded: the student theater club EXPLiCIT, the Extracurricular Players at the California Institute of Technology (the “i” is imaginary), and IMPLiCIT, the Improvisational Players.
TACIT also began featuring science-driven theater such as RUR and Brecht’s Life of Galileo, as well as original science-focused works in the ensuring years, such as Rocket Girl and Pasadena Babalon.
2008-2010s
The 2010s saw a renewed presence of musical theater including Little Shop of Horrors, Rent, Company, Avenue Q, and original musicals Alice through the Wormhole and Boldly Go!, alongside plays including She Kills Monsters, The Three Musketeers, a revival of Mandel’s Gobble Up Stories, and new, original works such as Mate, Rocket Girl, and Pasadena Babalon.
In addition, Brophy’s “Storytelling for Scientists” class became very popular, teaching public speaking and writing to students, through both science communication and personal narratives.
“I find that it’s really important to have some kind of outlet; something else to care about besides my research. For one thing, taking time to be creative outside of science resets my brain… That is enormously encouraging and has kept me feeling productive and positive through really rough spots.”
Meg Rosenburg (PhD ’14)
2013
Bringing together scientists and theater artists served as a model for MACH 33: The Caltech Festival of New Science-Driven Plays, officially founded in 2013 by Brophy and Dr. Arden Thomas. Over the years, MACH 33 has helped develop dozens of science plays, many of which have gone on to receive full productions elsewhere.
2016
TACIT produced the premiere of Boldly Go!, a musical parody based on Star Trek, written by Caltech graduate student Dr. Grant Remmen (PhD ’17) and his brother, Dr. Cole Remmen (current TACIT Affiliate Artist). The original musical played to sold-out houses, broke Caltech box office records, and generated mentions in the LA Times, The New York Times, and more.
Early 2020s
Only weeks after the production of the original play Bradbury 100, the COVID-19 pandemic forced all in-person theater to be suspended for 18 months. Virtual productions brought people together while they isolated at home, including a film version of The New Galileos created while socially-distanced.
The return to campus brought with it a return to live theater, with a renewed interest in new musical works. In 2022, TACIT’s premiere of From the Earth to the Moon (also by Cole Remmen and Grant Remmen), a steampunk spectacle based on Jules Verne’s novel, revitalized live theater on campus.
New science-driven works continued to feature, with new plays such as Sunrise from the Moon and Another Revolution, the latter of which toured to Trento, Italy as part of the Teatro della Meraviglia science theater festival in 2023.
2024
In 2024, TACIT debuted a new musical as part of the Getty’s prestigious PST ART: Art and Science Collide festival. Earth Data: The Musical was co-created with the cast and crew of students, scientists, engineers, and staff, based on emerging climate research from JPL scientists.
Looking to the Future
Theater Arts Caltech continues to provide valuable performance opportunities, education, and community-building, all while looking for new ways to expand programming with new initiatives. This is supported by our generous donors, including the newly established endowment fund created by Caltech alumnus and former TACIT player Dr. Taylor Lawrence.
If you are interested in supporting our future endeavors, please consider donating.
