Then & Mee-Ow

It wasn’t immediately evident that a lasting tradition had begun. With Mee-Ow’s official status as a funded campus organization came accusations of money mismanagement over the 1974 show, a hurdle that led to a brief but public campus controversy. Over the next few years, mixed reviews of Mee-Ow installments resulted in a change in direction, production, and performance types. Most notably, improv became a central component of Mee-Ow’s offerings, with the 1977 show incorporating audience-suggested prompts for improvisors.

“Mee-Ow reports filed,” Daily Northwestern, Jan. 15, 1975

Paul Warshauer, 1974. Uncredited photo taken during the University Hearing and Appeals System process to resolve overspending and document handling issues around the Mee-Ow Show. The handwriting on the image titles this “Man concerned.”

“Free Warshauer” button, 1975. On loan from Michael Lynn.

After its inaugural shows in spring and fall 1974, Mee-Ow incurred a $1,700 debt. Producer Paul Warshauer found himself on the hook with the Student Activities Funding Board and Associated Student Government. He produced buttons and posters in an ongoing protest. In 1975, Northwestern’s hearings system eventually issued a two-year disciplinary probation for mishandling funds and documents — but Warshauer had withdrawn from Northwestern earlier that year, maintaining his innocence.

Script, “Double Date,” 1979

The Records of the Mee-Ow Show and the Dana Olsen Papers are housed in the Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections and University Archives, Northwestern University Libraries. Additional loans from Michael Lynn and Paul Barrosse. To view the collections, contact the McCormick Library.