Found 14 collections related to American drama -- 20th century

Clifford Odets, a leading playwright of the 1930s, was born in Philadelphia on July 18, 1906. He began his performing career as "The Rover Reciter" in local talent shows, on radio, and in local stock theatre companies. In 1929, he acted in small roles with the Theatre Guild, from whose auspices emerged the Group Theatre in 1931. Odets' first successful play was the one-act play Waiting for Lefty, which received its first theatrical production by the Group Theatre in March 1935. In 1936, Odets began working in Hollywood as a screenwriter on The Silent Partnerfor the Group. His 1937 play Golden Boy, also written for the Group, became his biggest commercial success. His last Broadway hit was The Country Girl in 1950. His last finished play, The Flowering Peach, was a finalist for the 1954 Pulitzer Prize. Odets died in Los Angeles on August 14, 1963. The Clifford Odets papers contain diaries, scripts, screenplays, personal and professional notes, research materials, clippings, photographs, and scrapbooks. In addition, the collection contains other writings by Odets such as poetry, short stories, articles, and paintings. Lastly, the collection holds Margaret Brenman-Gibson's biographical notes on Clifford Odets and his father, Louis J. Odets, for her book Clifford Odets - American Playwright: The Years from 1906-1940. less

The Lorraine Hansberry Papers document Lorraine Hansberry's life as an award-winning playwright and activist, and chronicles her activities during the Civil Rights Movement. Virtually all of Hansberry's writings, autobiographical materials, journals, diaries, personal and professional correspondence are included here, as well as related materials generated by her late husband, Robert Nemiroff, and his third wife, Jewell Gresham-Nemiroff, as the executors of Hansberry's state. Significant correspondents include Daisy Bates, Louis Burnham, Julian Mayfield, Robert Nemiroff, and William Worthy. less