Theatron Sets the Stage

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Theatron, the College’s longest-running student club, is the source of wonderful memories for all Baruch alumni, from the 1930s to the present. Encouraged by Baruch College Alumni Magazine, some of these fans have shared their stories with us. Enjoy, or should we say, “Break a leg”?

Lloyd Small (’50): Theatron, His Best Baruch Experience

For fun, companionship, and getting involved with the school, Theatron was my best Baruch student experience. I was Theatron president in 1950. Through the student theatrical club, I met my wife—we have been married 61 years. The two of us have maybe a zillion stories to tell, because we spent all of our free time building sets, rehearsing, generally having a ball in the Pauline Edwards Theater [now Mason Hall]. Our old playbills bring back great memories.

Our faculty advisor was Professor Lou Levy, and he was the best.

Once we were directed by Ted Post, who was paid $100 for his work. He later went to LA to direct such shows as Gunsmoke (his son, Mike Post, composed the theme music for all the Law and Order TV shows).

Several of our group made careers in show business.

—Lloyd Small (’50)
Vice President and Sales Manager, United Merchants and Manufacturers (retired)

Note: Small wrote the Ticker column “Small Talk.”

Hal Weiner (’60): Theatron Kindled
His Passion for Theater

I first directed a Theatron stage production in the spring of 1957. My fondest memory of Theatron is the rowdy parties that followed opening night. These parties were usually held at a cheap Chinese restaurant just across the street, on 23rd.

But more important, Theatron kindled my passion for theater and helped point me toward a life in motion pictures, specifically producing and directing feature films and documentaries, which is what I still do.

 

—Hal Weiner (’60)
Executive Producer, Screenscope, Inc.

Screenscope was founded by Weiner and his wife, Marilyn. They have produced, written, and directed over 225 documentaries, four public television series, a dozen after-school TV dramas, over 100 television commercials, and four feature films (Family Business, The Imagemaker, and K2). Among the country’s most honored filmmakers, they have won the National Academy of Television Arts and Science’s Silver Circle Award, Emmy Awards, CINE Golden Eagle Awards, and over 120 top international film festival awards. Screenscope’s current project is the PBS series Journey to Planet Earth, which deals with global environmental issues.