In 1920, the Dramatic Club of Davidson College produced its first performance, Wildcat Minstrels," under the direction of Professor Edward J. Erwin, despite the fact that the Faculty had banned the Dramatic Club from the college in 1898. Throughout the 1920s, commencement exercises often involved an evening of theatre productions and very often these performances were in conjunction with the Coverse Comediennes, a dramatic group from the nearby woman's college. In 1929, the Dramatic Club was reorganized into the Red and Black Masquers. This honorary dramatic fraternity produced plays that varied from farsical comedies to fantasical tragedies. By the 1950s, another honorary dramatic fraternity was introduced to Davidson -- the Alpha Psi Omega fraternity. Although similar to the Red and Black Masquers in its dramatic purpose, Alpha Psi Omega was recognized as the national honorary dramatic fraternity, as opposed to the "local" fraternity, the Red and Black Masquers. By 1959, the Dramatic Club had taken on a new name and now refered to itself as the Vagabonds. Between 1978 and 1995, the Vagabonds were also known as the Davidson Players and the New Vagabonds. In 1963, Davidson College initiated the Department of Drama and Speech. This new department was responsible for developing a theatre curriculum that offered instruction in the general areas of appreciation, acting, directing, design, history, criticism, and readers theatre. At the same time, the department was responsible for producing several theatre performances a year and for organizing the annual Davidson College Drama Workshop. In 1962, the Davidson College Drama Department began sponsoring the Summer Playhouse, which is composed of workshops and productions for the general public. In 1965, the Davidson Community Players produced their first summer show, "Time of Harvest." The Davidson College Drama Department also produces a Children's Theatre Workshop, which offers local children the opportunity to enroll in drama workshops and to participate in local theatre productions."