- unitid
-
{"value"=>"3045731", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1962-1992", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1962/1992"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Series II: Play Department"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Departmental History</p> <p>The Play Department was officially formed in 1976 under the direction of Gail Merrifield Papp. The department was created to formalize the analysis and development of scripts submitted to the NYSF and to monitor the theater trends and talent. The records reflect the changing role of the Play Department (also called Department of Play and Musical Development) as it evolved and articulated its role in the New York Shakespeare Festival from the former Scripts Department. The reading of scripts was done by playreaders who prepared analytical reports. Salaried staff also attended local performances Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway. There were also stringers attending performances in other states. These activities resulted in the preparation of a formal play report. The function of the play report (see Subseries 3: Playwrights) was to give a brief description of the play's plot and characters, to point out the strengths and weaknesses of its conception and performance, and finally to make recommendations for its development by the Festival. There is a great deal of correspondence between playwrights and composers to Joseph Papp regarding projects and personal news from many playwrights such as Liz Swados, Derek Walcott, David Hare, Thomas Babe, Viktor Rozov and Tina Howe.</p> <p>The Play Department initiated and conducted several special programs that encouraged the representation of diverse literary voices and sought out new ones. The Poets at the Public program, a regular series of staged reading of poetry, presented traditional and experimental work by leading poets here and abroad. The Playwriting in the Schools project cultivated new playwrights by introducing playwriting into high school curriculums. Of interest to students of musical theater history is the Play Department's Ten-Minute Musicals program, led by Wilford Leach and Gail Merrifield Papp. This project solicited ten-minute demonstrations of musical projects in order to develop full-scale productions. The records also provide insight into the Festival's broadcast and cable television programming ideas.</p> <p>The Play Department had four basic functions: 1. Identify, evaluate and develop scripts for production by New York Shakespeare Festival; 2. Monitor trends and developments in theater, dance, music, musical theater, cabaret, and performance art both in NYC and abroad; 3. Conduct research on production histories, copyright, and translations; and 4. Develop and schedule special programs.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The records of the Play Department (1962-1992) document the origins, establishment and activities of the department. The files contain annotated scripts and rewrites, correspondence, play reports, contracts, casting notes, press releases, press lists, production summaries, budget worksheets, personnel files, programming notes, subject files, and clippings. Photographs and oversized materials were removed and comprise separate series. The staff of the Play Department routed and prioritized hundreds of scripts sent to the Festival every month. Gail Merrifield Papp reported to Joseph Papp about promising projects and worked closely with playwrights or composers to develop productions. It is common to find scripts heavily annotated by both Joseph Papp and Gail Merrifield Papp.</p>"}
- date_start
-
1962
- keydate
-
1962
- date_end
-
1992
- date_inclusive_start
-
1962
- date_inclusive_end
-
1992