Scope and arrangement
The Edmund Cambridge papers reflect the professional activities of this actor, director, and stage manager, primarily from the 1970s through 2000, in Los Angeles. There is nothing related to his career prior to 1957, although his acting career began much earlier in New York City.
The Professional papers series contains the major portion of this collection and consists of production material, such as annotated scripts, reviews, correspondence, and material related to the many plays he directed, acted in, or for which he served as the production stage manager or stage manager. The theaters or theater groups for which there are files include the Cambridge Players, Kilpatrick-Cambridge Theater Arts School, Los Angeles Theatre Center (originally known as the Los Angeles Actors' Theater), Negro Ensemble Company, Oasis Dramatic Ensemble Company, the Philadelphia Drama Guild, and the Playward Bus Theatre West Company in Repertory. This section of the series contains Cambridge's production files for his work with the plays Eden and Nevis Mountain Dew for various theater companies. His television career is represented by production files for The Jefffersons and 227.
The series Organizations and publications, 1966-2000, contains files related to Cambridge's service to his profession. These include the California Arts Council where he was a panelist (1984-1989), and his participation in a conference related to non-traditional casting for the California Theatre Council (1988). The Scripts series, 1929-1998 (bulk 1970s-1990s), consists of numerous scripts that do not seem to have been produced.
The Edmund Cambridge papers are arranged in four series:
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1979-2000
This series includes biographical information, a small group of correspondence, financial records, and mailing lists.
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1957-2000
The first part of this series is organized by the role he held, and then is further divided alphabetically by name of the theater group or theater where the production was performed. This section of the series contains Cambridge's production files for his work on various plays.
Following this section, folders have been arranged alphabetically by the title of the production. This was done for plays a) where a specific theater was not identified; b) is not one with which Cambridge was regularly associated; c) if the same play had been performed in more than one theater, such as Black Nativity; or d) if a production had been performed in more than one medium, e.g., Cambridge directed the play 227 at the Crossroads Theatre, then later directed episodes for television.
In those instances where Cambridge both acted in and directed a production, the files have been kept together in the Director's files. For example, the files concerning his acting role in the television series The Jeffersons are followed by folders related to the stage production of The Jeffersons Movin' On Up Tour, which he directed.
After the Director's section, the production files have been arranged alphabetically by the other roles in which Cambridge served: actor, production stage manager, and undetermined role. This portion of the Professional papers series contains files for Cambridge's work as production stage manager for the national tour of Eubie and two staged productions of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. The final portion of this series relates to Cambridge's long association with the Negro Ensemble Company. His various roles as actor and director for productions of Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, Eden, and Nevis Mountain Dew can be understood by examining these files.
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1966-2000
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1929-1998
Most of these scripts were mailed to Cambridge for consideration for production or advice. The vast majority of the scripts are playscripts, but there are a small number of screenplays. The few teleplays and telescripts follow the playscripts and are arranged alphabetically by title of television series.