- unitid
-
{"value"=>"*T-Mss 2012-014", "type"=>"local_call"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1938-1960", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1938/1960"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1938
- date_inclusive_end
-
1960
- keydate
-
1938
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Playwrights' Company records"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"17.84 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"54 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library. <span class=\"subarea\">Billy Rose Theatre Division</span></span> <div class=\"address\"><span class=\"addressline\">New York, New York</span></div>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"The Playwrights' Company was a New York City based theater production company that operated from 1938 until 1960. This collection contains material created by the company's publicity department, such as company history files, play files, photographs, posters, and scrapbooks for many of the company's plays."}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p>Playwrights' Company records, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Playwrights' Company", "type"=>"corpname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Playwrights' Company, also known as the Playwrights' Production Company, was a New York City theater company formed by a group of playwrights to produce and promote their plays. Founding contributors included Maxwell Anderson, S.N. Behrman, Sidney Howard, Elmer Rice, and Robert Sherwood. Robert W. Anderson, Roger L. Stevens, and Kurt Weil later became contributing members. William Fields was the company's press representative and John R. Wharton provided legal and financial advice.</p> <p>In the early years, the company only produced plays written by its members. By the 1950s, however, the bulk of the productions were by outside playwrights. Many of the shows ran on Broadway and the most successful of these had regional and national tours. Of the Playwright Company's 68 productions, some of the most notable include <span class=\"title\">Abe Lincoln of Illinois</span> (1938), <span class=\"title\">There Shall Be No Night</span> (1940), <span class=\"title\">The Patriots</span> (1943), <span class=\"title\">Miss Liberty</span> (1949) <span class=\"title\">Tea and Sympathy</span> (1953), and <span class=\"title\">The Gazebo</span> (1958). The Company disbanded in 1960.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>This collection is primarily composed of material created by the Playwrights' Company's publicity department, such as company history files, play files, photographs, posters, and scrapbooks for many of the company's plays. Also present are some letters and contracts relating to the management of the company.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Playwrights' Company records are arranged in five series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18681#c748241'>Series I: Company Files</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains publicity material related to the company, as well as a small number of contracts and communications with the company. Press material includes articles about the company, press announcements commemorating the company's 10th, 15th, and 20th anniversaries, photographs of the company's founding members, lists of affiliated cast members and contributors, and political speeches and statements given by members concerning the Nazi atrocities before and during World War II and racial segregation in theaters. Among the letters are items to and from Walter Alford and Charles L. Swift, among others.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18681#c748253'>Series II: Play Files</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>These files consist of publicity materials created for most of the shows that the company produced. Included in the files are cast and contributor biographies; biographical questionnaires filled out by the actor; cast lists; drafts of press releases; rehearsal, opening, and closing announcements; printed fliers and notices; programs; and clippings. Occasionally these files also contain material documenting the management of the play, such as communications with actors' agents, receipts for printing and photography orders, and hotel lists for touring shows.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18681#c748313'>Series III: Photographs</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains photograph files kept by the Playwrights' Company's publicity department and is organized by individuals and productions. The Individuals Files consist of publicity shots of actors, playwrights, and other theater contributors, as well as several half-tone metal printing plates used for creating promotional material. Some of the Individuals Files include images from Playwright Company plays. The Productions Files document plays produced by the company.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18681#c748726'>Series IV: Posters</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains posters of many of the productions represented in the collection. The General section has various sizes of posters from small fliers to 14 by 22 inch posters on card stock, which were mostly printed by Artcraft Litho. and Printing Company, Inc. Also present are several 3 by 7 foot posters for The Ballet Theatre, <span class=\"title\">Lost in the Stars</span>, <span class=\"title\">A Quiet Place</span>, and <span class=\"title\">The Ponder Heart</span>.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18681#c748736'>Series V: Scrapbooks</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series is comprised of three types of scrapbooks: general scrapbooks documenting the company's activities, actor scrapbooks for prominent affiliated performers, and production scrapbooks for many of their most successful plays. The books contain various types of clippings from newspapers and magazines, including play reviews; actor, director, and producer interviews; and advertisements and announcements. The volumes also contain programs and flyers, and occasionally photographs, letters, and press statements.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Playwrights' Company records are organized in the following series:</p> <ul class=\"list\"> <li>Series I: Company Files, 1938-1960</li> <li>Series II: Play Files, 1938-1960</li> <li>Series III: Photographs, 1941-1960</li> <li>Series IV: Posters, 1938-1960</li> <li>Series V: Scrapbooks, 1938-1960</li></ul>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by the Playwrights' Company, 1961</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>The records arrived in no discernible order. Play files were arranged alphabetically. Photograph files were organized by person or production and ordered alphabetically. Eleven of the scrapbooks were disbound and boxed.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p>Compiled by Philip Heslip.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"archref\">Playwrights' Company records. Wisconsin Historical Society Archives..</span> <span class=\"archref\">Playwrights' Producing Company records, 1930s-1960. Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.</span> <span class=\"archref\">S. N. Behrman papers, 1912-1987. Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.</span>"}
- extent_statement
-
17.84 linear feet (54 boxes)
- date_start
-
1938
- date_end
-
1960