- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"simple", "value"=>"16 lf. (32 boxes)"}
- unitid
-
{"value"=>"*T-Mss 1975-004", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"21502", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1967-1978", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1967/1978"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1967
- date_inclusive_end
-
1978
- keydate
-
1967
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Margaret E. Lynn Army Music and Theatre Collection"}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"The <span class=\"corpname\">New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. <span class=\"subarea\">Billy Rose Theatre Division.</span></span> <div class=\"address\"> <span class=\"addressline\">New York, New York</span></div>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"In 1962, she helped found and then for two decades directed the Army Music and Theater Program, which <span class=\"title\">The Washington Post</span> in 1976 called \"the largest producing organization of music and theater in the world.\" At that time, it staged more than 25,000 performances annually with a global audience of more than 2.5 million people. The collection consists primarily of photographs, clippings, and programs, as well as scrapbooks, posters, and a small amount of correspondence, documenting the plays, contests, and travelling shows of the United States Army's Entertainment Services Unit."}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p>Margaret E. Lynn Army Music and Theatre Collection, *T-Mss 1975-004, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</p>"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Miss Lynn was named Margaret Eleanor Linskie at her birth in Dallas on April 24, 1921, and she originally intended to be a concert pianist. She studied at Northwestern University and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1942. She earned a master's degree in speech and drama from Catholic University.</p> <p>In 1945, she was one of the first civilian \"actress technicians\" employed by the United States government to work with troops overseas after World War II. She conceived and directed shows during the Korean War, bringing entertainment to United Nations units, sometimes under artillery fire. When she returned to Washington in 1955, she continued working for the Department of the Army, creating and directing a show called \"Rolling Along,\" which toured the world from 1955 to 1961.</p> <p>In 1962, she helped push for a new organization to promote and support theatrical and musical productions at Army bases. The result, the Army Music and Theater Program, was a continuation of more informal efforts dating to the Revolutionary War.</p> <p>As the director of the Entertainment Services Unit for the United States Army, Miss Lynn's role was to muster talent from privates to colonels, pay royalties to writers and production companies, and provide guidance to aspiring dramatic troupes from Germany to Korea. She supervised a far-flung network of 200 full-time civilian directors in performing arts centers at military bases. Besides having soldiers entertaining soldiers, she encouraged the participation of their family members and civilians from nearby towns. She set up scholarships and competitions to discover and encourage talented soldiers and officers. She pushed successfully to convert unused Army movie houses into spaces for live theater.</p> <p>In 1982, she formed her own production company, Creative Consultants, which worked with Disney and other entertainment companies. She was executive director of the American Theater Association from 1982 to 1986.</p> <p>Margaret E. Lynn, who directed the Army's extensive, worldwide theatrical program that encouraged participation by soldiers, officers and their dependents, died on June 11, 2002 at a hospital in Fairfax, Va. She was 81.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection consists primarily of photographs, clippings, and programs, as well as scrapbooks, posters, and a small amount of correspondence, documenting the plays, contests, and travelling shows of the United States Army's Entertainment Services Unit. Materials are from bases in the United States, Germany, Korea, and Japan, and span the late 1940s to the 1970s. Many of these shows are popular stage musicals such as <span class=\"title\">The Fantasticks</span>,<span class=\"title\"> The Pajama Game</span>,<span class=\"title\"> Guys and Dolls</span>; also represented are non-musical plays such as <span class=\"title\">The Odd Couple</span> and <span class=\"title\">Inherit the Wind</span>. Of special note are a collection of post World War II scrapbooks from bases in Germany, dating back to 1949, documenting plays and musical productions there.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Margaret E. Lynn Army Music and Theatre Collection is arranged in eight series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21502#c307970'>Series I. Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>n.d.</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains a small amount of correspondence and memos from the Entertainment Unit. There are also a few miscellaneous publications.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21502#c307975'>Series II. Productions</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1967-1978</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains clippings, programs and photographs from Entertainment Services productions in the United States and abroad. The records span from the late 1960s through the mid 1970s.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21502#c308155'>Series III. Army Showmobile</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1955-1973</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series consists of 2 scrapbooks of material on the Army Showmobile, an entertainment program.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21502#c308158'>Series IV. Contests</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1957-1971</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains scrapbooks and materials related to talent contests held by the Entertainment Unit. Included are the Army Entertainment Contests for 1958-1959, Tournament of Plays for 1957-1962 as well as some others.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21502#c308168'>Series V. Instruction Guides</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>n.d.</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series includes pamphlets distributed by the Army Entertainment Unit detailing how to put on various types of shows and entertainments. Pamphlets included are for hospital entertainments, soldier's shows and generic production guides.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21502#c308174'>Series VI. Bound Materials</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>n.d.</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains programs and an instruction guide bound together by the library at an earlier date. There are a variety of programs both from productions in the United States and overseas. Overseas entertainment programs are primarily from Germany and Korea.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21502#c308179'>Series VII. Oversized Scrapbooks</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1949-1978</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains scrapbooks created by the various bases and entertainment units for plays and musical productions throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Of special note are a collection of post World War II scrapbooks from German bases.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21502#c308198'>Series VIII. Posters</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>n.d.</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains miscellaneous posters, flyers and window cards which were used to promote the Army Entertainment Unit productions.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<ul> <li>Series I: Papers</li> <li>Series II: Productions <ul> <li>Sub-series 1 - United States locations</li> <li>Sub-series 2 - Overseas locations</li></ul></li> <li>Series III: Army Showmobile</li> <li>Series IV: Contests</li> <li>Series V: Instruction Guides</li> <li>Series VI: Bound Materials</li> <li>Series VII: Oversized Materials</li> <li>Series VIII: Posters</li></ul>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection was donated to the Billy Rose Theatre Division starting in 1975. There appears to have been a number of installments as materials were sent from various Army locations.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Photocopying prohibited.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"United States. Army", "type"=>"corpname"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Mary Ellen Rogan; machine-readable finding aid created by Thea Constantine.</p>"}
- date_start
-
1967
- date_end
-
1978