Found 82 collections related to Actors

Gerome Ragni (1935-1991) was a stage actor and musical theater lyricist and librettist active from the 1950s through the 1980s, who achieved renown as one of the authors and original stars of the musical, Hair (1968). Born Jerome Bernard Ragni in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he attended suburban Scott Township High School, where he appeared in various school productions. In 1954, Ragni made his professional stage debut in a Washington D.C. production, Shadow and Substance. His acting career was put on hold when Ragni enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1955. Following his years in the Air Force, Ragni moved to New York and found work in the rapidly growing Off-Broadway theater community. In 1964, he met fellow actor James Rado, who would become a major figure in Ragni's personal and professional life. In 1965, Ragni and Rado began writing a rock musical that would depict contemporary life in New York's East Village, the hippie movement, the anti-Vietnam war protests, and the generation gap, symbolized in a central metaphor of long hair. In early 1967 they teamed up with Canadian composer, Galt MacDermot, who provided the music for their book and lyrics. Ragni and Rado's original intent with Hair was to introduce the uptown Broadway world to that other world downtown and they tried to interest mainstream musical theater producers, such as David Merrick and Hal Prince, but Joseph Papp, head of the Off-Broadway Public Theater, with whom Ragni had worked previously, was the only one interested in the project. Hair opened at the Public Theater on October 29, 1967, with Ragni in one of the lead roles, Berger. The Off-Broadway production was a critical and financial success and produced a cast album. Michael Butler, the heir to a Chicago fortune, decided to finance and produce the transfer of the show to Cheetah, a disco nightclub in the theater district in December of 1967 and eventually to Broadway. Ragni, Rado and McDermot made significant revisions to the show, writing several new songs and a largely new book. This new version of Hair opened on Broadway on April 19, 1968 to enthusiastic reviews and became phenomenally popular with audiences, running for 1,750 performances. A national tour and sit-down productions of the show played in other major US cities, as well as productions in dozens of other countries and in many different languages In 1979, Hair was made into a film directed by Milos Forman. Its hit songs, such as "Aquarius" and "Let the Sun Shine In" have been covered by many singers. After their success with Hair, Ragni and Rado played themselves in Lions Love (1969), a film by Agnes Varda about Hollywood celebrity. Ragni's next Broadway musical, another collaboration with Galt MacDermot, Dude (1973), was not successful critically or commercially. In the 1980s, the Hair trio of Ragni, Rado, and MacDermot reunited for another musical, YMCA (also titled Sun) which was not produced. The Gerome Ragni papers consist mainly of professional files pertaining to theater and film projects written by Gerome Ragni, or in which he appeared as an actor. There are items from productions Ragni acted in during school and later in New York, such as Hamlet (1964), Hang Down Your Head and Die (1964), The Knack (1964) and Viet Rock (1966) but the majority of the material in this collection pertains to the original Broadway production of Hair (1968). There is also some material on subsequent projects with which Ragni was involved, including the show, Dude (1973), and the film, Lions Love (1969). This collection also contains personal items, including correspondence with Ragni's family and friends and documents on his Air Force service. The strength of this collection is its extensive coverage of the many productions Hair in the United States and internationally, represented here with photographs, programs, posters and press materials. The collection includes material as early as 1952, when Ragni was in high school and as late as 1984. less

The Summer Theatre at Mount Holyoke was founded in 1970 by James T. Cavanaugh, a professor emeritus of Theater Arts at Mount Holyoke College. The Summer Theatre offered college students the opportunity to develop their acting and technical skills. The records, 1970-2001, document the history of the theater with scrapbooks, photographs, slides, theater programs, and artifacts. less

Fredric Martin (b. 1923) was active as a stage actor and producer between the 1940s and the 1960s. He was co-founder of the Down East Theatre Club. In 1958, he toured with Cyril Ritchard in productions of Visit to a Small Planet and La Perichole. The Fredric Martin papers date from the 1940s to 1974 and primarily contain photographs, programs, and clippings documenting Martin's career. Photographs include production photographs from La Perichole and The Pleasure of His Company (1958), as well as personal photographs of Martin and his colleagues. The collection contains material related to Cyril Ritchard, including signed photographs, clippings, and a six-page script for Violetta, with minor annotations by Ritchard. less

Harry Clark (1911-1956) was an actor best known for his work on stage in comedies and musicals. He also had a role on The Phil Silvers Show from 1955 to 1956. The Harry Clark papers (1937-1960) contain clippings, photographs, programs, congratulatory telegrams, and other materials documenting his career. The collection contains material concerning Broadway productions such as Call Me Mister (1946), Kiss Me, Kate (1948), Wish You Were Here (1952), and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1955); a Philadelphia production of That's the Ticket (1948); and the 1953 touring production of Pal Joey. Pal Joey materials include box office statements for the week of November 23rd. There are also photographs from Pins and Needles (1937), One Touch of Venus (1943), The Phil Silvers Show, and some movies that Clark appeared in. Most of the materials are held in brittle scrapbooks, some of which have been disassembled. Other materials in the collection include contracts, royalty statements, personal notes from colleagues such as Harold Rome, and personal photographs of Clark. A small number of letters and clippings date after Clark's death; these include newspaper obituaries and consolation notes addressed to his wife. less

George Furth (1932-2008) was an American playwright, librettist and actor, most famous for writing the books for two Stephen Sondheim musicals, Company and Merrily We Roll Along. The George Furth papers contain professional and personal papers, created or collected by Furth as a playwright and actor. less

C.K. Alexander (1923-1980) was an Egyptian actor, director, and composer. The C.K. Alexander papers date from 1943 to 1980 and document Alexander's acting career in the United States, and to some extent, his work as a director. The collection holds photograph albums and scrapbooks, scripts, and professional files. less

The Harry Mountford and Lottie Briscoe papers (1871-1950) document the careers and personal lives of performer, writer, and labor rights advocate Harry Mountford and his wife Lottie Briscoe, an early film and stage actress. The bulk of the collection concerns Mountford’s union activity with the White Rats, Variety Artistes’ Federation, and Associated Actors and Artistes of America. The collection contains meeting minutes, union publications and handouts, press clippings, scripts, booking contracts, personal correspondence and keepsakes, theater ephemera, and photographic materials. less

John Randolph (1915-2004) was an American stage, television, and film actor. The John Randolph papers, dating from 1921 to 1998, reflect Randolph’s theater acting career, and to some extent, his work for television and film. The collection holds scripts, scrapbooks, clippings, correspondence, programs, and photographs. Scripts make up the bulk of the collection. less

Charles Busch (1954- ) is a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, actor, and drag performer best known for his Tony-nominated Broadway production, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife. The Charles Busch papers date from 1967 to 2015 (bulk dates 1984-2014) and consists of correspondence, screenplays, scripts, and writings from Busch's career as a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and performer. less

The Robert Benney research materials include photographs, clippings, posters, playbills, and ephemera relating to his career as a portraitist of stage and screen personalities. The bulk of the material spans 1926 to 1947, and consists of photographs, and clippings of Benney's work depicting New York stage performers in their roles. Many photographs and clippings depict entire stage scenes, and, in addition to stage actors, there are photographs and clippings of musicians, dancers, comics, and radio personalities, and a small number of items relating to films of the period. less

The Schindler papers consist of correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, pencil drawings, programmes, production schedules, and other material related to the career of Ewald Schindler. The collection includes extensive correspondence between Schindler and Liljan Espenak as well as photographic material, covering both Schindler's life and many of his dramatic roles. less

J. Edward Bromberg, actor, director, and producer, was part of the Civic Repertory Theatre, the Group Theatre, and the Actors' Laboratory Theatre as well as a leading character actor in motion pictures. His papers contain scripts, correspondence, playbills, press releases, and clippings that document his career. less

James Barton (1890-1962) was an American actor, singer, dancer and comedian in vaudeville, theatre, film and television. The James Barton papers document the career and personal life of James Barton through production files, scripts, sheet music, photographs, scrapbooks, contracts, publicity materials, correspondence, and personal ephemera. less

Elliott John Nugent, actor, playwright, producer, and director, was born on September 20, 1896, in Dover, Ohio, the son of John Charles Nugent and Grace Mary Fertig. Nugent's most notable work is the Broadway play, THE MALE ANIMAL (1941) co-written with James Thurber. His screenwriting creits include: WHISTLING IN THE DARK, THE MALE ANIMAL and SHE'S WORKING HER WAY THROUGH COLLEGE. His film credits include a lead role in THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE, as well as co-producer of THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH. Nugent died on August 9, 1980. The Elliott Nugent papers consist of clippings, photographs, programmes, correspondence, and manuscripts documenting his career as an actor playwright, producer and director, for the years 1916 to 1965. less

The John Gielgud correspondence consists of letters, postcards and Christmas cards sent by Gielgud to Katharine Cornell, Guthrie McClintic, and Nancy Hamilton between the years 1958 and 1982. The letters and cards are handwritten, with closings that frequently convey the well-wishes of both Gielgud and his long-time companion Martin. The collection also contains seven photographs - six of Gielgud and one of Martin's Pekingese named Caesar. less

John Gielgud, actor, was born 14 April 1904 in London, England. Since his first theatrical appearance in 1921 he has had a distinguished career on stage, in films and on television. John Gielgud died in 2000. The John Gielgud letters to Howard Turner consist of notes and letters sent by Gielgud between the years 1946 and 1994. The letters are handwritten, with references to his work on the stage, screen and television. less