Found 50 collections related to Dramatists

Robert Patrick was a founding father of the off-off Broadway scene; it's most produced and most prolific playwright. He was also a contributor to the growth of gay theater. Patrick is now best known for his play Kennedy's Children . The Robert Patrick Papers include production materials, photographs, scripts and other writings. less

Microfilm copy of the papers of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright-director, George S. Kaufman, consisting primarily of correspondence, scripts, and biographical scrapbooks. The correspondence contains letters from Fred Allen, Winthrop Ames, George Arliss, Eleanor Belmont, Walter Damrosch, Joseph E. Davies, Robert H. Davis, Theodore Dreiser, James A. Farley, Arthur Hopkins, Otto Kahn, Groucho and Harpo Marx, Adolphe Menjou, William Saroyan, Alfred E. Smith, Henry L. Stimson, John Steinbeck, Booth Tarkington, Oswald Garrison Villard, William Allen White, Alexander Woollcott, and others. There are scripts (some annotated) for seventeen produced and unproduced titles for stage, screen, and television including THE BUTTER AND EGG MAN (1925), THE LATE GEORGE APLEY (1944), THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1939), and several other plays on which Kaufman collaborated with Marc Connelly, Ruth Goodman Goetz, Leueen MacGrath, Morrie Ryskind, Howard Teichmann, and other playwrights. less

The Lawrence Langner Papers include scripts by Langner and others, and speeches, articles and miscellaneous writings by Langner. The collection contains over 30 scripts by Langner, and several adaptations by him. Many of the scripts are annotated, and a few include related material including programs, light plots, and prompt books. Langner's writings and speeches include memorial addresses for Ferenc Molnar and Joan McCracken, seminars on playwriting, and works on the future of the theater, morals in mass media, and some material relating to his interest in inventions and patent law. less

The John Van Druten papers consist of diaries, correspondence, writings, scrapbooks and ephemera documenting his life and career. The papers span the years 1901-1957 and give excellent insight into Van Druten's creative processes. Missing from the collection are scripts of his most well-known works. There are however, scripts for some plays including AWAKENING, CHANCE ACQUAINTAINCE, DANCING IN THE CHECKERED SHADE, THE RETURN HALF and SOLITAIRE. The papers also include many other literary forms: essays, parodies and poetry all written by Van Druten. less

Playwright, novelist and editor of Life (1922-1924), Louis Evan Shipman's most sucessful play was probably D'ARCY OF THE GUARDS (1901). Other titles include THE CRISIS, THE CROSSING, ON PAROLE, THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH, FOOLS ERRANT, and POOR RICHARD. Shipman was born in Brooklyn, NY, educated at Brooklyn Polytechnic and Columbia and Harvard Universities, lived for a number of years in New Hampshire and spent his last years in France. The collection is almost entirely letters by Shipman to his lawyers, George C. Hazelton, Jr. and John H. Hazelton, regarding his claim against Mr. Braden, the manager, at least for a time, of Shipman's play ON PAROLE and later letters accompanying his payments to his lawyers. Also includes one letter by the lawyers to Shipman and one personal letter by Shipman to a friend. less

Richard Mansfield, actor, was born in Berlin in 1854. He began his career on the London stage but by 1882 he had migrated to the United States and was appearing in the New York theater. Mansfield was instrumental in introducing the works of George Bernard Shaw to the American stage. In his last theatrical performance he played the title role of PEER GYNT in the first English language production of that play. Transcribed letters, carbon copies, from George Bernard Shaw to Richard Mansfield and/or his wife, Beatrice Cameron, concerning Mr. Shaw's plays. less

The Bronson Howard Papers consist primarily of correspondence, but also include financial and legal documents. Bronson Howard corresponded with a wide circle of family, friends and professional associates. The family correspondence documents Mr. Howard's personal life, family business and social interactions. Correspondence with associates, including actors, managers and writers, gives information about Mr. Howard's activities and theater of the period. A number of letters discuss the Civil War. less

As a literary agent, Bertha Case worked with a variety of authors, playwrights, and performers, including María Irene Fornés, Anthony Quinn, and Ira Wallach. Case also served as the literary representative of the estates of German playwright Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill. This collection primarily documents Case's career through correspondence with clients, publishers, and producers; the collection also contains contracts, press clippings, performance programs, and photographs. less

This collection documents the creation of the film The Ten Year Lunch. Slesin acquired significant materials from numerous sources about the core group of the Round Table including Marc Connelly, Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott, Harold Ross, Robert Benchley, Ruth Gordon, and Edna Ferber, as well as satellite figures. Types of materials in this collection include photographs (both originals and copies), personal correspondence and ephemera, telegrams, sound recordings, a script, theatre programs, posters, and bound volumes. Includes the work of notable photographers such as James Abbe, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Nickolas Muray, and Carl Van Vechten. Slesin's production notebook includes a descriptive listing of 702 items that she consulted during her research, most of which are in this final collection. The final script for the film is accompanied by a promotional poster illustrated with a drawing by Al Hirschfeld of the Round Table members. less

Charles Ludlam, actor, director, and playwright, was born April 12, 1943. He began his career in 1966 with the PlayHouse of the Ridiculous, both as a performer and playwright. Artistic differences caused Ludlam to leave and form his own company, The Ridiculous Theatrical Company, which achieved international recognition. Ludlam's three most successful plays were BLUEBEARD, STAGE BLOOD, and CAMILLE. Although the company attracted grant funding, it was always on the edge of the avant-garde and finances were uncertain. The company made its final tour with Ludlam in the first months of 1980 and then disbanded. Ludlam died on May 28, 1987. The collection consists of diaries, notebooks, scripts, set and costume designs, clippings, transcripts of interviews, and manuscript pages from a published collection of Ludlam's plays. This material was collected as research material for The Complete Plays of Charles Ludlam. The material provides valuable insight into every stage of Ludlam's playwriting process from the development of an idea to its realization on stage. Since Ludlam relied so heavily on improvisation, the information contained in the notebooks and plot outlines in this collection cannot be found anywhere else. less

Playwright Christine Darmor (pen name for Faunchette Weir), was born in France but came to the United States as the wife of World War I pilot, John B. Weir, and lived and wrote in New York City. Collection consists of four letters to Darmor and one clipping, all concerning her play, PEACE EVERYONE. The letters document the work of her agents at the Leland Hayward, Inc. agency. less

Playwright Mary Drayton, born in Hope, Arkansas, turned to writing after a car accident ended her acting career. Her plays DEBUT (1956) and PLAYROOM (1965) were produced on Broadway. She also wrote SALT OF THE EARTH, BUILD ME A BRIDGE, DUCKS IN A ROW, and a novel, ALL OUR SECRETS. The collection concerns the world premiere of DUCKS IN A ROW, performed at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pa. in 1981 as THREE LINKS OF CHAIN. It is primarily letters by Drayton to the play's director, Rod [Roderick] Bladel, discussing casting, script changes, the Allentown production, and efforts to get the play produced elsewhere. The collection also contains pre-rehearsal notes, sheet music, and programs. less

Anthony Holland (1928-1988) was an actor and playwright best known for his comic performances in theater, film, and television. He was a founding member of the Second City satirical improvisation comedy troupe in Chicago. This collection documents his personal and professional life from 1956 to 1988. less

Carlotta Monterey O'Neill was married to the playwright Eugene O'Neill. The notebook contains handwritten transcriptions by Carlotta O'Neill of letters and inscriptions to her from her husband, Eugene O'Neill, and photographs, mostly portraits of Eugene and Carlotta O'Neill. The notebook was probably prepared in 1954 after the death of Eugene O'Neill. less

Primarily documenting the career of playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, this collection consists of correspondence, material relating to production of his works, draft and development material for unproduced works and other writings, office papers, vital records, financial and legal records, photographs, and research material. less

Frederick Paulding was an American actor, writer, and lecturer who spoke on theater and literature. His papers (1882-1929) contain his writings, including his scripts, drama reviews, lectures, and notes; excerpts of scripts and poetry he used in recitals; and copies of articles and publicity materials about his work as a lecturer. Paulding's scripts are handwritten drafts, and mostly date to the 1880s. Some script fragments are present less

Henry A. Rendle (d. 1873) was a playwright. The Henry A. Rendle papers primarily consist of materials on his play, Chesney Wold, adapted from Bleak House. The papers include a letter from the actor Fanny Janauschek to Rendle, dated 1873, in which she discusses her travels and playing in Chesney Wold; and letters from Janauschek's husband, Frederick J. Pillot, to Henry Rendle's wife, Mary Rendle, offering condolences on the death of her husband and notifying her of royalty payments for Chesney Wold. There are also clippings about the play. The collection contains copyright records for other plays by Rendle: Little Amy (1871), If (1872), and Fame (1872), and a copy of the deed for Henry Rendle's burial plot. A photograph, dating to about the 1860s, depicts a member of the family who was an actor. less

Laurence Eyre (1881-1959) was a playwright whose work was produced on Broadway. The Laurence Eyre scripts date from 1911 to about 1950. The collection includes both produced and unproduced works. All of the scripts are typed, with the exception of Eyre's original manuscript draft of The Shakespeare Play: A Drama in Rhythmic Prose. The collection includes sides for Mis' Nelly of N'Orleans, some of which have handwritten changes. Most of the scripts are unmarked. A few of the scripts include costume and set designs. less

Marian Winters (1920-1978) was born Marian Weinstein on April 20th in New York City. She began acting as early as 1936 in a Carnegie Hall production of Motherly Love, and debuted on Broadway as an understudy for Frances Dee in Blithe Spirit (1945). Around this time she married Jerome H. "Jay" Smolin, an executive at NBC, to whom she remained married until her death. In 1952, Winters won a Tony award for her performance as Natalia Landauer in I Am A Camera, and her acting career continued on the stage and screen through the 1970s. She also wrote and published her own plays. Of particular note are A is for All (1968) and All is Bright (optioned 1968, performed 1970). In 1967, Winters won an Emmy for her television adaptation of Animal Keepers, one of the three one-act plays comprising A is for All. In 1976, she was meant to play Mama Kolowitz in So Long, 174th St., but her part was cut before the musical opened. Between 1977 and 1978 she collaborated with Albert Hague on the new musical A New World, which received a partially staged reading in May of 1977, but the partnership fell through in 1978 when Hague and Winters failed to reach mutually acceptable terms of collaboration. Her last role was Helga ten Dorp in Ira Levin’s 1978 production of Deathtrap. She died of cancer in New York City on November 3rd, 1978. The materials in this collection focus on Winters' stage career, to the exclusion of her roles in television. There is a special emphasis on the productions Winters created herself, the bulk of material supporting those plays she wrote or performed in. These include scripts in multiple drafts (some annotated, some used in performance) clippings, promotional material, programs, recordings, sheet music, books (some annotated), photographs, contracts, and correspondence. The collection also includes a number of portraits, three recordings of unknown contents, and seven large scrapbooks containing a variety of materials that trace the steps in Winters' theatrical career. The collection also contains some materials relevant to Winters' non-theatrical life, most notably a series on the creation of the book Catwise. less

Lula Vollmer (d. 1955) was an American folk dramatist. The collection dates from 1847 to 1972 and documents her writing career through dramatic and literary manuscripts, correspondence, contracts, and other materials relating to the publication and production of her work. less

Chester Erskine (1905-1986) was a director, writer, and producer for theater, film, and television. He was active from the late 1920s through the 1980s. In his early career, he wrote under the pseudonym Paul Leslie. The Chester Erskine papers (1870-1991, bulk 1930-1987) consist largely of scripts, outlines, and film treatments written by Erskine. Not all scripts were produced; some are annotated. Programs, clippings, contracts, and other materials are present for some productions. Productions represented in the collection include Double Murder, Satyr (a script for the original 1930 play and a later screenplay), The Seven Who Resisted, and The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn. A photocopy of an annotated script for Harlem (1929) is present. The collection also contains biographical material and articles about Erskine; his notes and poetry; letters to Erskine; and photographs of him and show business colleagues, including two small photographs of Spencer Tracy. One cabinet card, depicting Edwin Booth and dating to about 1870, is also present. Letters date from 1952 to 1991 and discuss Erskine's scripts as well as personal subjects. Correspondents include Robert Whitehead, Garson Kanin, Robert Parrish and his wife Kathie, Arlene Francis, Irwin Shaw, and Vivien Leigh. Some letters are addressed to Erskine's wife, Sally Erskine. less