Young Company tour records, 1976-1999

Sub-Series — Box: 3, Folder: 1-19

Identifier: UA 1024 Series 1 Sub-Series 4

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Contains records of season performances by the Young Company, dating from between 1976 and 1999.

Dates

1976-1999

Creator

Young Company (creator, Organization)
Whittlin' Whistlin' Brigade (creator, Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Restricted. Closed for 35 years from the date of creation of the records, and thereafter open to the public in accordance with the University Archives Policy.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright of Young Company records is held by Brigham Young University.

Permission to publish material from the Young Company records must be obtained from the Permissions & Licensing Office of the University and the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Administrative History

From the Collection:

The Whittlin’ Whistlin’ Brigade (1974-1983) is a performing group from Brigham Young University.

The Whittlin' Whistling Brigade borrowed its name from a part of Nauvoo history. Life in Nauvoo in the 1840’s was a time of great persecution. Whenever a suspicious stranger came to town, a group of boys armed with knives and sticks would surround the stranger, not saying anything, and would whittle and whistle until the stranger became uncomfortable and left. Harold R. Oaks founded BYU's brigade in 1974. Ever since, this group has become a vital member of BYU's touring groups. Every year they tour elementary and junior high schools, sharing plays such as Androcles and the Lion, Yankee Doodle, and more recently The Yellow Boat and Taste of Sunrise. The group changed its name to The Young Company in 1983, when the company took their play Patches of Oz on tour to Yugoslavia. The name change made it easier to associate the group with Brigham Young University.

Administrative History

From the Collection:

The Young Company (1974-) is a theatre group at Brigham Young University.

The group was founded as the Whittlin' Whistlin' Brigade in 1974 by Harold R. Oaks. In 1983, however, its name was changed to Young Company so that it could be more easily affiliated with the University. Today, the troupe mostly performs for young audiences, reaching more than 23,000 young people every year. The Young Company's mission statement is "to introduce theatre to children at an early age through performances and workshops, helping them to start a lifelong love of fine arts," as well as to give experience to the student actors involved in each production.