The Barnstormers are
Johns Hopkins University's largest and oldest
theater organization. They take their name from the converted
barn on the Homewood estate where they once performed, but were
forcibly relocated, when
Hopkins leased the theater to the Hopkins Players, a
community theater organization. The Barnstomers are said to have been founded around 1900, but nobody knows for sure, since they are an entirely student run organization. That means Hopkins
students, which means people too busy to keep good records. However, the group manages to put up a total of seven
productions per year, including five student-directed
shows and two
professionaly directed shows, and usually one
musical per year, thanks to their infamous
techies, and insanely
dedicated members. As a group, the Barnstormers are often found in league with
HOPSFA,
DSAGA, and the
Mental Notes. Barnstormers most often recruit young
freshmen into their circle through the Freshman One-Acts each October. These
freshmen are rarely heard from again.
Interestingly, the Barnstormers qualify as a cult under the Hopkins Student Code of Conduct. Luckily, their religion seems to have also seduced the administration, which has just completed building a new Student Arts Center, including a nice new theater. It is rumoured that Hopkins may add a theater major in the future.