Scope and arrangement
The Ping Chong Archive, dating from 1971 to 2008, documents the creative and production process of an important innovator in experimental theater. It holds scripts; correspondence; notes; production files; photographs, negatives, and slides; clippings; programs; set and technical designs; posters; and production software. It is arranged in two series, Project Files and Ping Chong & Company Files.
Series I: Project Files, contains extensive records of over 50 projects which Chong created and/or directed, including original theater works, art installations, film and video productions, theater and opera directing projects, and collaborations with other artists, including Meredith Monk and Muna Tseng. The productions with the most documentation are Undesirable Elements, Chinoiserie, Deshima, Kind Ness, Maraya - Acts of Nature in Geological Time, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Darkness, Nuit Blanche, and OBON: Tails of Rain and Moonlight.
Series II: Ping Chong & Company Files, holds clippings; development files and grant applications that shed further light on Chong's work and its creation; photographs; and posters.
Almost every project in the collection is also documented by audio or visual material, and most projects from the 1980s forward include electronic records. Inquiries regarding audio/visual material in the collection may be directed to the Billy Rose Theatre Division (theatrediv@nypl.org). Audio/visual material may be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access.
The Ping Chong Archive is arranged in two series:
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1971-2008
This series, dating from 1971 to 2008, contains documentation of over 50 works in the form of scripts; production files; photographs, negatives, slides, and filmstrips; clippings, set and stage plans, lighting notes, venue specifications, and other technical information; posters; and sound and video recordings. Projects with the most material include Undesirable Elements, Chinoiserie, Deshima, Kind Ness, Maraya - Acts of Nature in Geological Time, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Darkness, Nuit Blanche, and OBON: Tails of Rain and Moonlight. The projects are arranged alphabetically, except for the individual productions of Undesirable Elements, which are arranged chronologically. Some productions of Undesirable Elements used alternative titles, usually Secret History, or Secret Histories. These are noted in the container list.
Projects from the 1980s onward often contain electronic records, including correspondence, scripts, technical notes, and photographs. Most electronic text documents are in WordPerfect. EDDA: Viking Tales of Lust and Revenge has functioning Macromedia Director software for Macintosh systems which produces text projections shown during the production. Similarly, OBON: Tales of Rain and Moonlight has functioning Audio Visual Laboratories (AVL) software for PC systems which ran slide projectors during the production (the actual slides are in the collection as well).
A 2001 production of Undesirable Elements, a theatre piece created anew in each location in which it is produced, is documented by a set of Avid Media Composer files (for Macintosh). These files are not viewable without the necessary software.
Almost every project in the series is also documented by audio or visual material. Inquiries regarding audio/visual material in this series may be directed to the Billy Rose Theatre Division (theatrediv@nypl.org). Audio/visual material may be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access.
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1972-2005
This series, dating from 1972 to 2005, holds the papers of Chong's production company. It includes clippings; development files containing grant applications and related correspondence; photographs; and posters. The largest portions of development correspondence are with the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Japan Foundation. Photographs contain promotional headshots of Chong, both solo and with collaborators including Meredith Monk and Muna Tseng. WordPerfect files comprise portions of the correspondence with the National Endowment for the Arts.