The Philaletheis Society

The Philaletheis Society

The Philaletheis Society's logo as of 2014
Formation	December 2, 1865; 158 years ago (1865-12-02)
Founder	John Howard Raymond
Type	Student theatre organization
Location	Vassar College
Budget	$12,000
Website	philaletheis.org
Formerly called	The Philalethean Society

The Philaletheis Society (often shortened to Philaletheis or just Phil and founded as The Philalethean Society) is a student theatre group at Vassar College in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, and the school's oldest student organization. Founded in December 1865, Phil began as a college literary society and its first leader was college president John Howard Raymond. Control of the organization was swiftly handed to the students and the group split into three chapters, each with a distinct focus. The group maintained its literary focus until the 1890s, by which point dramatic productions had taken over in popularity. The tradition of producing four and later three plays per year continued into the mid-twentieth century, but in 1958, the organization disbanded due to lack of interest. It was revived in 1975, first as an arm of student government and then as an independent student organization.

The group is run by an executive board that selects which plays to produce each year based on the proposals received from student-directors. Auditions are open to all Vassar students but those interested in directing must have previously completed a directing workshop through the organization.