- unitid
-
{"value"=>"29982", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"*T-Mss 2020-004", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b22309085", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1950-2018", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1950/2018"}
{"value"=>"1977-2000", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1977/2000"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Kyle Renick papers on the WPA Theatre"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"32 boxes, 6 tubes, 3 oversize folders", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"15.27 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"13 audio recordings", "unit"=>"audio_recordings"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Billy Rose Theatre Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"The Workshop of the Players Arts Foundation, Inc. (WPA) Theatre was an Off Off-Broadway theater that existed from 1971 to 2000. Kyle Renick served first as its Managing Director then, starting in 1982, as its Artistic Director. This collection consists of materials dedicated to the WPA Theatre and some personal papers from Renick. The WPA material includes production photographs, correspondence, administrative documents, awards, meeting minutes, and contracts. Renick's personal materials include his agendas from the 1980s, correspondence, clippings, photographs, non-theatrical research, and a caricature of him by Al Hirschfeld."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
{"value"=>"Mainly English, with some French, German, Swedish, Icelandic, Finnish, and Japanese."}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"WPA Theater", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Workshop of the Players Arts Foundation, Inc. (WPA) Theatre was an Off Off-Broadway theater that first opened in 1971 at 333 Bowery under the direction of Virginia Aquino, Dan Dietrich, and Harry Orzello. When that location closed in 1976 it then reopened in 1977 at 138 Fifth Avenue, with Howard Ashman (1950-1991) and R. Stuart White as Artistic Directors, and Kyle Renick (1948-2019) as Managing Director. Its first production in this new location, the New York revival of Edward Albee's <span class=\"title\">The Ballad of the Sad Cafe</span>, was a success and the theater became a mainstay in the New York City arts scene.</p> <p>Both the play <span class=\"title\">Steel Magnolias</span> and the musical <span class=\"title\">Little Shop of Horrors</span> had their world premieres at the WPA Theatre. Other premieres included: <span class=\"title\">Red Scare on Sunset</span>, <span class=\"title\">Jeffrey</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Lady in Question</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Freak: A Play About Edgar Cayce</span>, <span class=\"title\">Dinah Was</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Night Hank Williams Died</span>, <span class=\"title\">Key Exchange</span>, <span class=\"title\">Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater</span>, <span class=\"title\">Gorey Stories</span>, <span class=\"title\">Nuts</span>, <span class=\"title\">New York Rock</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Blood on the Dining Room Floor</span>.</p> <p>White died of complications from AIDS in 1983. Ashman left the theater in 1982 in order to work on other productions of <span class=\"title\">Little Shop of Horrors</span> and eventually the Walt Disney Company, where he wrote songs for <span class=\"title\">The Little Mermaid</span> (1989), <span class=\"title\">Beauty and the Beast</span> (1991), and <span class=\"title\">Aladdin</span> (1992). He died of complications from AIDS in 1991. When Ashman left WPA, Renick took over as the artistic director, a role he held until the theater closed in 2000. He supervised another move, this time to 519 West 23rd Street in 1985, where the theater remained until its closure. Renick continued to live in New York City until his death in late 2019.</p> <p>Overall, the WPA Theatre was honored with 15 commercial transfers to Broadway and Off-Broadway, 10 productions taped by Lincoln Center Library of the Performing Arts (LPA) for inclusion in its Theatre on Film and Tape Collection (TOFT), 4 original cast albums, and awards which included the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for the Best Musical of 1982-1983 to <span class=\"title\">Little Shop of Horrors</span>, as well as a Special 1983 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Achievement.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>This collection consists of materials related both the WPA Theatre and to its 1982-2000 Artistic Director Kyle Renick. Materials dedicated to the theater include production photographs (many by Carol Rosegg), programs, posters (many by David Edward Byrd), correspondence, administrative documents, awards, meeting minutes, and contracts. Special emphasis is placed on the WPA success <span class=\"title\">Little Shop of Horrors</span>. There is also a small number of audio recordings related to the theater and its productions, including audio recordings of Howard Ashman, and non-WPA programs for plays and musicals that premiered there. Materials relating to Renick include his 1980s agendas, correspondence, clippings, photographs, non-theatrical research, and a caricature of him by Al Hirschfeld.</p>"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection is arranged into the following sections: WPA Productions (with a sub-section dedicated to <span class=\"title\">Little Shop of Horrors</span>), WPA General, Renick's Personal Materials, Non-WPA Productions, and Sound Recordings. WPA Productions is arranged in the received, chronological order. All others are in alphabetical order.</p>"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by Robert Callely in 2019.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by <span class=\"name\">Stacey Ference</span> in <span class=\"date\">2020</span>.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Inquiries regarding audio and moving image materials in the collection may be directed to the Billy Rose Theatre Division (theatre@nypl.org). Audio and moving image materials may be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access.</p>"}
- date_start
-
1950
- keydate
-
1950
- date_end
-
2018
- date_inclusive_start
-
1950
- date_inclusive_end
-
2018
- date_bulk_start
-
1977
- date_bulk_end
-
2000
- extent_statement
-
15.27 linear feet (32 boxes, 6 tubes, 3 oversize folders). 13 audio recordings
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Kyle Renick papers on the WPA Theatre, *T-Mss 2020-004. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}