{"value"=>"<p>The largest and most substantive part of the series is the Performances subseries, 1953-1991 (5 lin. ft.). These records span Odetta's career from the early 1950s, and contain contracts; programs; posters; itineraries; reviews; fan mail; and other promotional material for performances nationally and internationally.</p> <p>The Contracts section offers a fairly comprehensive view of Odetta's performances beginning in the 1960s, and it illuminates her popularity in specific states and countries. These files contain contracts for national and international performances from 1960-1989. The file Belafonte Enterprises concerns Odetta's duet with Belafonte, <span class=\"title\">Hole in the Bucket</span> (1960), and her appearances on his television show, <span class=\"title\">Tonight with Belafonte</span>. (Scripts for her Emmy Award-winning appearance on <span class=\"title\">Tonight</span> are filed in the Other Works section.) Two of her management companies, Kazuko Hillyer International (1978-1989), and the William Morris Agency (1960-1961), are represented here, as well as files for managers Leonard Rosenfeld (1980-1986) and Douglas A. Yeager (1980-1984). Files for commissioned work, cancelled contracts, and miscellaneous contracts are also in this series.</p> <p>Augmenting the Contract section are the Performance and Reviews files. The Performance files, are comprised primarily of programs and fliers for national and international performances nationally and internationally beginning in the 1950s. The national performances primarily consist of solo concerts. The international files include information for concert tours in Australia, Austria, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Spain, and other countries in the late 1960s through the 1980s. The Reviews section begins in 1953 and ends in the 1990s, and contains newspaper and magazine reviews of Odetta's performances, the majority of which were overwhelmingly glowing.</p> <p>Odetta's talents as a singer and musician led to other performing opportunities in film and theater as well as employment as a teacher. The Other Works section contains scripts and files for several films and television appearances including <span class=\"title\">Sanctuary</span> (1961), and the television movie <span class=\"title\">The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman</span> (1974). There are a number of scripts for network shows and specials such as <span class=\"title\">Tonight With Belafonte</span> (1959-1960), <span class=\"title\">The Ford Show</span> (1960), and the PBS series <span class=\"title\">With Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee</span> (1980). There are also scripts that were sent to Odetta, some of which are undated. It is unclear whether these scripts evolved into productions, or if Odetta was involved.</p> <p>Two productions featuring Odetta in starring roles, <span class=\"title\">New Orleans</span> and <span class=\"title\">The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds</span>, are highlighted in this section. The file for <span class=\"title\">New Orleans</span> (1982), an opera written by Toni Morrison, includes a letter from Morrison, a program, and reviews of the play. The file for <span class=\"title\">The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds</span> (1977) written by Paul Zindel, contains a program and reviews. A small file labeled \"Public Radio\" (1974-1978) containing a memorandum and related materials about a black history program featuring Odetta and John Lee Hooker, produced by National Public Radio in 1978, also can be found here.</p> <p>Odetta's forays into teaching are represented in three sets of files, \"Arts for Transit\" (undated), Evergreen State College (1982), and Middlebury College (1988-1990). These files contain letters from the schools and students; student files; programs; notes; and related school information. There is also a file of student letters (1968), but no school is identified.</p> <p>The Correspondence section includes letters focusing on Odetta's professional life, information primarily about scheduling performances; legal matters; thank you cards from event hosts; fan mail; and a few copies of letters sent by Odettas.</p>"}