Drama League of America Records, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.
Collection consists of correspondence, financial records, reports, memoranda, and materials on special projects. Correspondence is to and from officials of the Drama League. Other records concern celebrations of drama, contests, and conferences. There are some records relating to the Church and Drama League.
The Drama League of America (DLA) was founded in Chicago in 1910 in order to stimulate interest in drama and to support “worthy” plays. In 1915, the DLA began to establish chapters around the country, and by 1926 there were 37 such local centers. The League was re-organized in 1925, and an executive secretary was hired to run the organization. The following year the Church and Drama Association (CDA) was founded to promote drama as a social force and educational influence. In 1929 the DLA, CDA, and the American Theatre Association affiliated to form the Church and Drama League. However, the merger was never officially carried out, and the church group ceased to function in 1931.
Over one half of the collection consists of correspondence to and from officials of the DLA; most is arranged alphabetically, but some is arranged by topic or is unsorted. There are also memos, reports, financial documents, form letters, and material on National Drama Week, Shakespeare Day, a playwriting contest, and DLA conferences. There are some records relating to the Church and Drama League.
Gift of Mrs. H.H.B. Meyer,
Processed by Robert Sink; machine readable finding aid created by APEX data services and revised by Chatham Ewing.
Collection has received only very preliminary processing.