- Creator
- Mooney, Michael
- Call number
- *T-Mss 2005-012
- Physical description
- 2 linear feet (2 boxes)
- Preferred Citation
- Michael Mooney papers and designs pertaining to the Little Players, a puppet theater, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library
- Repository
- Billy Rose Theatre Division
- Access to materials
- Request an in-person research appointment.
The Little Players, a puppet theater, was created and produced by Francis J. Peschka (Frank) and W. Gordon Murdock (Bill) who came to New York from Ohio in 1952 and started giving puppet shows in their living room on Central Park West. Jerome Robbins discovered them and got them funding so they could quit their day jobs and start doing puppet shows full-time. The Little Players' puppet productions, which delved into classical material and were aimed at adults rather than children, soon established a following among prominent actors and other entertainment professionals. In 1982 the men returned to Ohio with their theater. Michael Mooney, a songwriter and the donor, was a friend and supporter of the theater in New York. Consists of letters and Christmas cards to Mooney from Frank Peschka and Bill Murdock, programs, schedules, a few notes, photos, clippings and ephemera all pertaining to the Little Players and one set design and three costume designs with fabric swatches by Peschka. Peschka also illustrated many of the letters and cards.
Using the collection
Location
Billy Rose Theatre DivisionNew York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor