In 1897, some 129 years ago, the Covington Dramatic Club was established, putting on a variety of plays and "entertainments" that helped raised funds for the maintenance and improvement of the stage at Covington Town Hall, along with donations to the newly-formed M.C.B. Library and Reading Room. Several local churches also received contributions from the dramatic club proceeds.
The Dramatic Club, later renamed as the Covington Musical and Dramatic Club, performed a variety of plays for local patrons, making it one of Covington's first amateur theater efforts, a tradition that has continued throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries with the Covington Little Theater in the late 1930's and Playmakers in the mid-1950's through today.
In 1899 E.D. Kentzel was president of the Dramatic Club. That year, a meeting was called to discuss the "re-organizing" of the Dramatic Club. The Club at one point was headed by Joseph B. Lancaster, a well-known figure in the Covington area, a man who served as the parish's first superintendent of schools, in addition to his other positions as head of the Covington Hook & Ladder Fire Company, a district judge, and state legislator.
In 1900 an entertainment was scheduled by the Dramatic Club to raise funds for the orphaned children of a local police officer killed in the line of duty.
In 1901 it was "re-organized" again, under the leadership of Lancaster, with a major goal to be providing a better stage at the town hall for its performances. The poor condition of the stage had hampered some productions, it was reported.
Also in 1901, it modified its name once again, this time to the Covington Literary, Social and Dramatic Club. The newly-organized Covington Brass Band often provided music for the club's events.
Two years later, in 1903, a new dramatic club was mentioned in the St. Tammany Farmer Newspaper, this one being named the "Enterprise Dramatic Club." The next year, 1904, it was announced that another new Dramatic Club was being organized, so interest continued.
By 1907 the Covington Dramatic Club was fully back in action, presenting delightful productions for the theater-going public. In 1908 it was preparing another production, and named among those involved in the "merry drama" was Sidney Fuhrmann, a popular local showman who went on to open motion picture theaters in Covington and Madisonville. In 1909 several young people in Mandeville were forming a dramatic club, and the following year, 1910, a similar effort was launched in Slidell.
No more mentions of the "Covington Dramatic Club" were found in later editions of the St. Tammany Farmer newspaper, 1910 through 1920, but there were several articles about the St. Paul's College Dramatic Club and other school-associated dramatic groups in Covington and Slidell.
Newspaper Clippings About the Dramatic Club
The original organizational meeting
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Down By The Sea Cast Members
The club occasionally appealed to the town council for help.
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Several programs raised funds for the town hall stage.
The Club often worked with the M.B.C. Library
Churches were aided by Club donations.
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Performances were sometimes followed by dances and refreshments.
The M.C.B. Library was the community's reading room.
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The Dramatic Club grew in popularity and admiration.
Dances were held as fund-raisers for the town hall stage.
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Dramatic Club Reborn
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