General Information
At the turn of the century, a significant part of America's melting pot was immersed in a fraternal craze based, for the most part, upon the model provided by European Freemasonry. America had become a "nation of joiners" with estimates ranging from forty to sixty percent of the population participating in this unique social forum-replete with exotic initiation rites, elaborate costuming and furnishings-bearing such quixotic names as "Daughters of Rebekah" or the "Tribe of Ben Hur."
Today, our perception of this unique social phenomenon is based upon the last remnants of this movement, the "Masons," one of the few survivors of a group of over 400 fraternal organizations, active only a century ago. Theatre of the Fraternity examines both the 19th century fraternal craze and its use of theatrical elements (i.e. scenery, costumes, lighting, and special effects) as a means of dramatizing the initiation experience and creatively achieving an edge in the large and competitive market of similar organizations.
The exhibition will focus on the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry which, by the turn of the century, had adopted a fully equipped stage, "mass producing" thousands of new members. Today, much of the original Scottish Rite scenery, costumes, and lighting is still in use, providing a means of examining both this fraternal phenomenon as well as the many artifacts from this important time.
Serving as guest curator of the exhibition is Lance Brockman, professor and chair of the department of theatre and dance at the University of Minnesota. He is a nationally recognized scholar of scenic art and painting, used at the turn of the century to create illusionary "worlds" for popular-culture fare including theatre, vaudeville, and the fraternal movement.
"For most of us, the appeal and success of the Masonic and other fraternal movements in turn-of-the-century America are difficult to comprehend," noted Brockman. "For some, there are vague memories of mementos or other paraphernalia in a relatives drawer, or words and symbols found on the cornerstones and cartouches of Victorian buildings; some perhaps remember family or friends discussions about 'meeting night' at the lodge or temple. For many, of course, the most vivid image is of those 'funny guys' wearing fezzes and riding motorcycles or dune buggies in civic parades."
Theatre of the Fraternity will illustrate-through photographs, scenic backdrops, rare programs, costumes, objects, and sketches-the fantastic imagery, ritual, and elaborate theatrical productions of the Scottish Rite, a segment of the larger Masonic movement.
Unlike other fraternal organizations, the Scottish Rite utilized theatrical productions as an essential part of its ritual and ceremony. Its continued success today, as evident by the many large extant temples, is owed, in part, to this important element of theatricality.
Scenery created for the Scottish Rite contained exotic images borrowed and adapted from the popular-entertainment stage. Improvements in stage lighting, made possible by the turn-of-the-century technology of electricity, enhanced this rich imagery. The resulting material culture enabled both the popular theatre and the Scottish Rite fraternity to actively compete for larger audiences and memberships in the more visually oriented early 20th century
Although most scenery created for the popular theatre was disposable-meant to be used and replaced with new images to meet the insatiable and changing appetite of the American public-most Scottish Rite scenery, lighting, and stage effects remain intact as installed, locked in a time capsule. The fortunate result is that we can touch a rich aesthetic heritage that has been otherwise discarded.
Brockman added, "Today, standing in one of the large, elaborately decorated Scottish Rite auditoriums is very much like visiting an old, extant vaudeville theatre or opera house. Both spaces have a fleeting glimpse of times gone by-an era when audiences sought to escape their 'modern,' determinedly progressive world to a distant past that
seemed more understandable and orderly."
Major funding for Theatre of the Fraternity has been provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from the University of Minnesota' s College of Liberal Arts. The exhibition has been organized with the cooperation of the Scottish Rite Research Society.
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