Tableaux: The Flower of Youth

This black-and-white photograph shows nine Springfield College gymnasts forming a Tableaux. Four students are standing in a ring around a platform. Standing on the platform are three more students, also forming a ring. Standing on a platform inside of their ring is the ninth student, who is holding a basketball high in the air. This Tableaux has two names: “The Flower of Youth” and “The Fountain of Youth.”The Tableaux as used in gymnastics performances was created by Springfield College alumnus Leslie J. Judd (class of 1920), who went on to become a famous gymnastics coach at his alma mater (1921-1956). Tableaux, essentially, means living picture, and it is performed by costumed actors who remain silent and motionless. Tableaux have been used throughout theatrical history, but Judd transformed the idea. Coach Judd and Coach Frank Wolcott, his successor, created Tableaux that expressed ideals and commemorated moments in history. Tableaux are still performed by Springfield College gymnasts. For biographical information on Frank Wolcott, see: https://springfield.as.atlas-sys.com/agents/people/54