As the hustle and bustle of the fall semester gives way to wintry conditions, students have been flocking to huddle and snuggle up at various indoor art events such as the beloved Tiny Rug concert series, the eclectic Horn Gallery shows and — last but not least — the highly reputed drama productions. Drama has always been a large part of Kenyon’s culture, with musicals and plays abounding year after year. Yet, up until September 1969, the College remained adamant about upholding its all-male enrollment record. Although a campus with scant female representation in its drama scene seems wholly dissimilar to the Hill today, traces of those bygone days can be found in the Special Collections and Archives. 

According to a March 1904 Collegian article, following its inaugural meeting on Jan. 8, 1904, the Kenyon Dramatic Club rebranded itself as the Puff and Powder Club in an effort to “offer more inducements for new members.” The group of “histrionic fellows,” as the the Nov. 4, 1904, Collegian issue described it, proceeded to put on multiple productions during the first quarter of the century until its eventual dissolution. 

Due to the confines of an all-male college, Puff and Powder sometimes resorted to asking faculty wives and daughters to fill certain roles, while often expecting its members (including some football players) to play female parts. Still, the performances were met with great enthusiasm and positive acclaim from across the College and the state — a testimony to the impressive range of talent Kenyon boasted. 

Early productions by Puff and Powder, such as The Private Secretary and Little Buckshot, were adapted from Broadway and other professional theater shows. When talking about The Private Secretary, the June 6, 1914, issue of the Collegian spared no praise: “All of the members of the cast performed their parts with unusual success. … All of the female parts, taken by men as usual, were good. In fact we venture to state that [Vogue] can present no more perfect models of twentieth century femininity than were beheld in the persons of ‘Percy’ and ‘Jimmie’ in their borrowed Harcourt costumes.” Of Little Buckshot a Dec. 6, 1916, Collegian article remarked: “Bob Blessing [(Class of 1920)], as ‘Elsie Barton’ made undoubtedly the handsomest ‘girl’ ever seen on the Rosse Hall stage.” 

Following the conclusion of the First World War, life on the Hill gradually settled back into its pre-war rhythm. And drama, once again, established itself as a central hub for cultural edification on campus. According to a 1970 Alumni Bulletin article, Puff and Powder greeted the return of Henry S. Downe (Class of 1920), who put together his own musical skits with — just wait, you’d be surprised to hear — all-male casts. 

Emboldened by the success of Downe and by similar all-male sketch comedy productions at institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University, Puff and Powder soon found itself part of a broader collegiate trend toward male-cast musical comedy. The aforementioned Alumni Bulletin article, written by former Editor-in-Chief of the Collegian and member of the Puff and Powder Club Philip Hummel (Class of 1923), noted that the troupe went on a statewide tour in 1919 to showcase Certainly Cynthia, an original hit. Members of the cast were even invited to perform the show as part of the 1920 Commencement ceremony in front of then-President of the College William Peirce.

The following year, another Puff and Powder production, Pretty Please, rallied large audiences across Ohio during its three-week holiday run, which, according to the March 22, 1921, issue of the Collegian, had been “classed as even better than the Princeton Triangle Club.” And for the 1921-22 season, members visited Detroit and Bay City, Michigan, to perform Marrying Marilyn, a new original written by L. Melyne Latta. A A Dec 17, 1921, Collegian article stated that it surpassed “even what [had] been attempted by … the most prominent colleges and universities that send their shows on the road.”

Yet, the momentum would be short-lived, as the following years saw Puff and Powder’s popularity begin to wane. The Alumni Bulletin explained: “[Some] of the novelty had worn off … [and the core talent] was largely gone.” Despite a series of revival efforts that took place from 1925 to 1926, Kenyon ultimately had to part ways with the Puff and Powder Club due to financial reasons, leaving the Glee Club and the Kenyon College Drama Club to fill the vacancy. 

Although the curtain eventually fell on Puff and Powder, the troupe’s contributions linger in the archival record and the history of drama at Kenyon. Today’s productions stand on the shoulders of those who, despite the constraints of their era, paved the way for the vibrant dramatic culture that continues to thrive on the Hill.