Scope and arrangement
The Schomburg Programs and Playbills collection consists of thousands of programs, playbills, and other ephemera, spanning the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries, documenting Black theatrical, musical, and dance performances, as well as events put on by Black academic, community, religious, and political organizations.
The collection spans the globe, including programs for events based in the US, Mexico, Uruguay, Europe, and Africa. Venues in New York City, and specifically Harlem–including the Apollo Theater, the Cotton Club, and the Harlem YMCA–are especially well represented.
The programs and playbills document performances by many legendary Black singers and musicians, including Marian Anderson, Josephine Baker, Harry Belafonte, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nina Simone, as well as famous Black dancers and choreographers, including Alvin Ailey, Katherine Dunham, Arthur Mitchell, and Eleo Pomare. The collection also includes programs for plays written by Black playwrights, such as Lorraine Hansberry and Ntozake Shange, or with a predominantly Black cast, such as The Wiz. Many notable actors are featured in the collection, including Paul Robeson, James Earl Jones, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis.
The collection also contains programs for commencements, conferences, and homecoming celebrations at HBCUs across the country; worship services and concerts held at Black churches; conventions of Black professional associations; and meetings of political organizations such as the National Urban League and NAACP. There is also extensive documentation of lectures, exhibitions, and other events put on by the Schomburg Center.
The Schomburg Programs and Playbills collection is arranged in three series: