- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"10.18 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"10 boxes + 1 oversized folder", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- unitid
-
{"value"=>"*T-Mss 1995-010", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"21621", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1963-1994", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1963/1994"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Ron Vawter papers"}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The 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"=>"The Ron Vawter Papers the document the life and career of the actor Ron Vawter (1948-1994), reflecting his career in motion pictures, television and the theater, especially his work with The Wooster Group. The papers include production materials, scripts, photographs, slides, publicity material, personal papers and correspondence. The papers span the period of 1963-1994, with bulk dates being 1981-1994."}
- prefercite
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{"value"=>"<p>Ron Vawter Papers, *T-Mss 1995-010, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</p>"}
- origination
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{"value"=>"Vawter, Ron", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Ron Vawter was a seminal figure in the experimental theater scene in New York City from the 1970s to his death, from complications due to AIDS, in 1994. He was a major contributor, first as an administrator, then as an actor and writer, with The Wooster Group, one of the premier experimental theater companies in the United States. His route to an acting career, however, was a circuitous one.</p> <p> He was born in 1948 in Latham, NY and grew up in Albany, where he graduated from Siena College in 1971. Mr. Vawter was raised in a military family: his father was a colonel in the Green Berets and his mother was a WAVE in World War II. His first name comes from a military acronym that his mother would teletype to navy pilots, RON or \"Remain Over-Night\". At the age of 17 he was given enlistment papers as a birthday present and joined the Special Forces, or Green Berets. He seemed destined to continue the military tradition in his family, but he soon became disaffected with the Green Berets and decided to become a chaplain in the Special Forces and spent four years training in a seminary, aspiring to become a Franciscan. He soon became dissatisfied, however, with the irreconcilable differences in the interpretation of Christianity that St. Francis lived by and the interpretation that the Catholic Church lived by and left the seminary.</p> <p>In 1972 he was assigned as a recruiting officer to the recruiting center at Centre Street in New York City. Mr. Vawter was living in Soho at the time and his way home often took him past a former auto garage that had been converted into a performance space. The space had been renamed the Performing Garage and it was home to the Performance Group. The Performance Group was founded in 1967 by Richard Schechner, who remained the director of the company throughout its existence. It was a ground-breaking experimental theater group, whose members included Elizabeth LeCompte, Spalding Gray and Joan McIntosh, that flourished from the late 1960s into the mid 1970s. Its innovative productions included <span class=\"title\">Dionysus in 69</span>,<span class=\"title\"> Commune</span> and <span class=\"title\">Mother Courage and her Children</span>. Mr. Vawter eventually became intrigued by the sounds emanating from the former garage and started attending the production (<span class=\"title\">The Tooth of Crime</span> by Sam Shepard), seeing it 30-40 times over the course of a few months. Soon afterwards, at the invitation of the company, he started working for them. He first worked as an administrator, but as the company's focus and techniques changed he gradually worked his way into becoming a performer.</p> <p>In the mid 1970s Richard Schechner was slowly forced out of the Performance Group and Elizabeth LeCompte and Spalding Gray, along with a core of actors, transformed themselves into The Wooster Group, with LeCompte becoming the director. The first pieces produced by the Group became known as the trilogy <span class=\"title\">Three Places in Rhode Island</span>: <span class=\"title\"> Sakonnet Point</span>, <span class=\"title\">Rumstick Road</span>, <span class=\"title\"> Nayatt School</span> and <span class=\"title\">Point Judith (An Epilog)</span>. These were autobiographical pieces centered around the life of Spalding Gray which Miss LeCompte presented in a highly theatrical manner that challenged the audience. They were very focused, brash, loud and yet also deeply evocative and highly provocative productions. Along with material by Mr. Gray, Miss LeCompte wove into the productions deconstructed texts of well-known classic plays, often speeding the text up or breaking its linear quality until they resembled more of a ritual than a \"well-produced play\". The aesthetic of the group also began to reflect more of an emphasis on non-performers, with the performers not so much acting as revealing. Mr. Vawter's lack of experience came into play here as he worked his way up to becoming a defining figure with the group. Along with Mr. Vawter and Miss LeCompte, the core members included Jim Clayburgh, Willem Dafoe, Peyton Smith and Kate Valk (Mr. Gray left in the mid 1980s to pursue a solo career as a writer and monologist). At the same time that he was leaving his military and seminary life behind and entering the spiritual world of the theater he also became openly gay. These changes would later figure in his work.</p> <p>In the 1980s The Wooster Group produced a number of landmark productions that defined its approach as well as generating a fair amount of controversy. Mr. Vawter made his mark in each of these productions including<span class=\"title\"> Route 1 & 9</span>; <span class=\"title\"> LSD (Just the High Points)</span>; <span class=\"title\">North Atlantic</span>, by Jim Strahs and <span class=\"title\"> Frank Dell's the Temptation of Saint Anthony</span>. In addition to his work with The Wooster Group, Mr. Vawter made an impression working with other directors such as Richard Schechner in his production of Jean Genet's <span class=\"title\">The Balcony</span>. He was known for his honesty, willingness to take risks, intensity and complete commitment to the work at hand. As the company's work progressed throughout the 1980s, Mr. Vawter became a kind of spiritual father to many in the downtown scene in New York, owing to his deep sense of spirituality and engrossing performances within the Group and in outside productions. He was given an OBIE Award in 1985 for \"Sustained Achievement in Acting\", the Prof. Joseph A. Buff Award for Career Achievement from Siena College in 1986 and a New York \"Bessie\" Award for Acting in 1988.</p> <p>In 1986, he suffered a brain seizure and was near death as he slipped into a coma. In an effort \"to bring him back\", members of the group read to him texts of pieces that he had performed in. Mr. Vawter eventually recovered and the episode reinforced his sense that the theater was his calling, but in 1989 he was diagnosed as HIV-positive, which eventually developed into AIDS. As a person with AIDS, Mr. Vawter initially tried to keep his illness a secret, out of fear of not getting work in television and films, but when Jonathan Demme cast him in the motion picture <span class=\"title\">Philadelphia</span>, the first Hollywood film to deal with the AIDS crisis, he openly admitted his illness.</p> <p>In the late 1980s and early 1990s Mr. Vawter, partly out of concern to be able to pay for his treatments, sought out and landed roles in motion pictures and television. Some of these roles included the Therapist in <span class=\"title\">Sex, Lies and Videotape</span>, Jamie Latrobe in <span class=\"title\">Fat Man and Little Boy</span>, FBI Special Agent Paul Krendler in <span class=\"title\">Silence of the Lambs</span> and Bob Seidman in <span class=\"title\">Philadelphia</span>. He also made appearances on the television program <span class=\"title\">Miami Vice</span> and appeared in ads for IBM. In 1992 and 1993 he appeared in his one-man show <span class=\"title\">Roy Cohn/Jack Smith</span> with a script by Gary Indiana and Jack Smith, directed by Greg Mehrten. Many consider this production to be his best work, one that was colored by his illness.</p> <p>In a 1993 interview Mr. Vawter, although quite ill at the time and no longer able to tour with The Wooster Group, admitted that he had work booked up through 1995. In 1994 he was appearing in a production based on the Greek myth of Philoctetes, conceived by Jan Ritsema, using texts from André Gide, Heiner Müller and John Jesurun. The work, entitled <span class=\"title\">Philoktetes - Variations</span>, deals with a man rejected by others because of a diseased wound. In the midst of performing the play in the Netherlands, Mr. Vawter had to be hospitalized and wishing to return to New York, he was flown out of the country. In mid-flight, he died of a heart attack on April 16, 1994 at the age of 45.</p>"}
- scopecontent
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{"value"=>"<p>The Ron Vawter Papers primarily reflect Mr. Vawter's work as an actor with The Wooster Group and other productions, both on the stage and on the screen. There are very few personal papers. There is, however, a rich amount of production material, especially for his one-man show, <span class=\"title\">Roy Cohn/Jack Smith</span> and a number of Wooster Group productions. This material includes scripts, publicity material, research material, photographs, tech notes, a light plot, programs and clippings. The majority of the production material covers the production <span class=\"title\">Roy Cohn/Jack Smith</span>. Material from this show includes a number of technical papers such as prop notes, hook-up sheets, sound cue sheets, lighting cue sheets, a lighting concept sheet, general tech sheets, miscellaneous lighting notes and slides. The Wooster Group material features mostly scripts, some with acting and blocking notes written by Mr. Vawter. The scripts include ones written for The Wooster Group, such as <span class=\"title\">North Atlantic</span> by Jim Strahs and <span class=\"title\">Miss Universal Happiness</span> and <span class=\"title\">Symphony of Rats</span> by Richard Foreman as well as original material. There are also programs, publicity material, production photographs, some related material (a doctoral dissertation on <span class=\"title\">Frank Dell's The Temptation of St. Anthony</span>) and clippings that document the work of The Wooster Group. A few miscellaneous items have also been included in the Productions Series.</p> <p> The personal papers and correspondence are minimal, with two of the six letters being notes of sympathy to Greg Mehrten, Mr. Vawter's partner. Series IV, Scripts, reflect projects that were either proposed to Mr. Vawter and never completed or have no further evidence of being produced, such as programs, publicity material, etc. Series V, Ephemera, contains material not related to any of his productions that Mr. Vawter either collected or was given to him, or to Greg Mehrten. Series VI and VII, Photographs and Slides, respectively, contain items either not related to any productions or are unidentified. These include photographs of individuals and slides of a somewhat abstract nature. Any production related photographs have been incorporated into the appropriate production.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Ron Vawter papers are arranged in eight series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21621#c315197'>Series I: Personal Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1980-1994</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>9 folders</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p> The personal papers consist of a resume from the early 1990s, a program from a 1986 Siena College reunion, (where Mr. Vawter was honored with an award), transcripts from two interviews including one of Laura San Giacomo conducted by Mr. Vawter, one of an interview with Mr. Vawter and Frank Vercruyssen, a published interview of Mr. Vawter (conducted by Richard Schechner) and clippings, including obituaries.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21621#c315207'>Series II: Correspondence</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1986- 1994</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 folder</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series consists of three postcards and six letters, including letters of condolence to Greg Mehrten.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21621#c315209'>Series III: Productions</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1967-1994</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1.89 linear feet (5 boxes + 9 folders)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The bulk of the Ron Vawter Papers are contained in this series. Materials include scripts, programs, publicity materials, tech sheets, production photographs, research material, a director's notebook, cue sheets, prop list, hook-up sheets, correspondence and clippings. Since Mr. Vawter occasionally performed outside The Wooster Group while he was a member, there is some overlap in the years covered.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21621#c315337'>Series IV - Scripts</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1989-1993</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>10 folders</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series consists of all scripts that were either given to Mr. Vawter for possible consideration or contain no further evidence that they were ever produced. Many of the scripts are undated, one is an unidentified script by Jeff Weiss; some contain notes or cover letters addressed to Mr. Vawter.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21621#c315347'>Series V - Ephemera</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1963-1994</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>7 folders</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Material in this series includes programs from a 1963 production of <span class=\"title\">Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf</span>, the 1992 OBIE Awards, and Airport Music (1994). Also included is an agenda paper for a Dance/USA National Roundtable, a book proposal for <span class=\"title\">The Brad Davis Story</span>, a film program for a memorial service, interviews with the filmmaker Daniel Schmid as well as a filmography, a fragment of a poem by an unknown author and a published poem by Stefan Brecht.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21621#c315355'>Series VI - Photographs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1985-1994</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>10 folders</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series includes photographs of individuals, mostly from The Wooster Group, as well as photographs of Mr. Vawter, including an 8 x 10 head-shot by Richard Avedon. There are also a few photos of paintings of Mr. Vawter. Several photographs are undated. All oversized photos are a sub-series of Series VIII - Oversized Materials.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21621#c315367'>Series VII - Slides</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>2 folders</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The slides in this series are all unidentified, and undated . One folder contains images of the same object from various angles and in varying shades of light and darkness, which may be related to <span class=\"title\">Roy Cohn/Jack Smith</span>. There are also images of buildings and architectural features taken in what appears to be a European city, possibly Amsterdam, where<span class=\"title\"> Roy Cohn/Jack Smith</span>was produced.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21621#c315370'>Series VIII - Oversized Materials</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1989-1994</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>4.54 linear feet (2 oversize boxes + 1 oversize folder</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p> Besides the photographs, material in this series includes two posters and two copies of light plots for <span class=\"title\">Roy Cohn/Jack Smith</span> designed by Clay Shirky. The light plots are shelved separately in the Rose Building map cases. Please consult a librarian for access; advance notice will be required.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection is organized into eight series and six sub-series. They are:</p> <p> <ul> <li>Series I - Personal Papers</li> <li>Series II - Correspondence</li> <li>Series III - Productions <ul> <li>Sub-series 1: Other Productions</li> <li>Sub-series 2: The Wooster Group</li> <li>Sub-series 3: Miscellaneous Production Materials</li></ul></li> <li>Series IV - Scripts</li> <li>Series V - Ephemera</li> <li>Series VI - Photographs</li> <li>Series VII - Slides</li> <li>Series VIII - Oversized Materials <ul> <li>Sub-series 1 - Oversized Photographs</li> <li>Sub-series 2 - Posters</li> <li>Sub-series 3 - Light Plots</li></ul></li></ul></p>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
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{"value"=>"<p>The Ron Vawter Papers were donated to the Billy Rose Theatre Division by Gregory F. Mehrten in 1995.</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
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{"value"=>"<p>Audiovisual materials separated from archival collections are cataloged individually and can be found in the Library catalog. Search CATNYP, The New York Public Library catalog.</p> <div class=\"note\"> <p>The bulk of the material separated from the Ron Vawter Papers consists of a number of videotapes and films that were separated out to the Theatre on Film and Tape (TOFT) division of the Billy Rose Theatre Division. This includes about forty-two tapes and ten films, in both 8mm and 16mm formats. The range of material covered in the tapes and films includes show tapes and interviews. In addition to the videotapes and films, seventy-six audio cassette tapes were separated out to the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archive of Recorded Sound. These tapes represent a large range of materials including research material, production tapes and performance tapes. Please consult the respective division for more information.</p></div>"}
{"value"=>"<div class=\"note\"> <p>A few posters have also been separated out. A poster for the tenth anniversary of the Stephen Petronio Dance Company was given to the Dance Division; a poster for the motion picture <span class=\"title\">The Loveless</span>, featuring Willem Dafoe, has been put into the general poster collection of the Billy Rose Theatre Division and a Keith Haring <span class=\"title\">Ignorance = Fear Silence = Death Fight AIDS ACT UP</span> poster from 1989 has been sent to the Manuscripts Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library.</p></div>"}
- accessrestrict
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{"value"=>"<p>Photocopying prohibited.</p>"}
- userestrict
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{"value"=>"<p>For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.</p>"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1963
- date_inclusive_end
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1994
- keydate
-
1963
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- processinfo
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{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Mark C. Maniak; Machine-readable finding aid created by Mark C. Maniak.</p>"}
- extent_statement
-
10.18 linear feet (10 boxes + 1 oversized folder)
- date_start
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1963
- date_end
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1994