How to Create a Long-Lasting Society: An Interview with Owen Benjamin on the History of SMUDS
Written By Carolee Avery
Header Photo by Annie Gavin on Unsplash
Saint Mary’s University Drama Society (SMUDS) is the oldest university drama society in Canada. Its first recorded production, “Saint Mary’s Dramatic Class,” took place in 1907, over 114 years ago. The group went on to conduct plays annually as part of the University’s closing activities under the Saint Mary’s Dramatic Class banner until they adopted the name Saint Mary’s College Playshop in 1940. The club held strong until the early 1950s when the university moved the campus from Windsor Street to the current Gorsebrook location, at which time they took a short hiatus. They returned to performing in the Fall of 1953 and officially took on the Saint Mary’s Drama Society title in 1958.
Even though SMU only allowed male students to attend the school until 1968, SMUDS has always been a safe and inclusive space for all, with all the female roles in productions filled by female students from the convent of Sacred Hearts. The convent of Sacred Hearts was located in Brookside (which is now the Lord Nelson Hotel) and was a female-only school. These days, SMUDS continues to welcome all types of people and champions being an LGBTQ2S+ friendly space for students and community members. Despite the ever-changing university policies, SMUDS has managed to remain an active part of the SMU culture in some form or another.
According to an email I received when I first reached out for an interview, the society is currently undergoing a shuffle and they have plans to “restructure independently of Saint Mary’s University.” I wasn’t able to find any further information about the restructure on the society’s various social media or their website. Moreover, I was not able to get a comment from anyone in the society regarding the restructure. So, for now, I suppose that will be a mystery. Hopefully, we’ll have updates to come.
Although not currently engaged with them, I have previously been a part of this society. In my experience, the environment created by society members truly helps the society to stay alive, even when faced with challenges. When a society is made up of people who care about you, it feels like coming home time and time again, even if you have been away for months at a time. It truly feels like a family, and this can be captured in a quote by Mary Jakeman (SMUDS Vice President) on the SMUDS website.
"SMUDS has given me friends and family, it’s given me something to look forward to during the hardest parts of my life, and it’s been one of the best parts of my university experience."
Photo by Owen Benjamin via SMUDS website
I had the pleasure of catching up with Owen Benjamin, a close friend and the current secretary of SMUDS. We talked about the rich history of SMUDS, what Owen believes is the key to a successful club, and what advice he would give to new clubs or societies at SMU, including what factors he thinks influences likelihood of long-term success as a campus society. I also asked him what factors he thinks draws people to the club, and he had this to say:
“The society is one of the few fine arts opportunities at Saint Mary's and thus fills a unique niche. [I feel] the key to our longevity is a combination of our independence from SMUSA, as well as our openness to the community.
It should be noted that there are various types of student societies at SMU. Some societies such as SMUDS and The Journal exist for SMU students but are not owned by SMUSA nor do they answer to SMUSA.
Community support for SMUDS has always been strong. As I mentioned previously, students from Sacred Hearts Convent often joined the society to fill roles during the club’s early days. Pre-pandemic, the Saint Mary’s University McNally Theater would fill with community members during show nights. However, one facet that makes this society unique from others on campus is that they accept non-student members from the greater Halifax area. That is, you can join this club even if you are not a Saint Mary’s student. When asked about this, Owen commented:
“We accept non-student members because we are a society that focuses on openness and the value of community that the theatre is essentially about.”
SMUDS’s rich history and passionate members have allowed it to thrive for over a hundred years, despite relocations, name changes and most pressingly, a global pandemic. Few societies at SMU have lasted anywhere near as long. I asked Owen for advice regarding longevity that he could offer to other society executives hoping to make their mark. Owen offered the following:
“One piece of advice I can give for longevity is to ensure that [the executives] are creating an environment that is conducive to the goals of the organization.”
The executives lay the foundation for a society, so it would only make sense that a strong and long-standing society would have a strong well lead team. Society executives can make or break an organization and well-organized strong leadership seems to be indicative of a societies’ success.
If you are interested in joining SMUDS, membership applications can be found here. They currently do not require a membership fee, and the society is open to members of the general public regardless of SMU affiliations. The society hopes to be operational by the fall despite the shuffle and pandemic. If you would like to find out more information about any part of the society, feel free to reach out to them via their contact page or by emailing them directly.