Scope and arrangement
The George C. Wolfe papers, dated 1915 to 2022 (bulk dates 1962-2022), cover the whole of Wolfe's artistic career, from his college-era work to 2023. The majority of the content in this collection is dedicated to theatrical and film productions that Wolfe wrote, directed, and/or produced. For Wolfe's major works, often the whole life-span of the production, from casting to awards, is covered. Production materials include correspondence, audition evaluations, scripts (often with Wolfe's notes and edits), professional and candid photographs, designs, programs, press and promotional items, notes, opening night gifts, awards and award ceremony materials, and audio and moving image recordings. Programs, posters, and photographs are often signed by cast members. Clapperboards and the canvas backings of director's chairs are often found in the materials from films.
Of Wolfe's productions, The Colored Museum; Jelly's Last Jam; Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk; and Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed are the most well-represented. Productions that were staged at the Public Theater during Wolfe's tenure, but that he did not direct or write, are also included. Productions that Wolfe appeared in or attended are represented by programs, posters, invitations, and promotional items. Materials related to unproduced productions include correspondence, research materials, scripts, and a recorded read-through of an unproduced musical.
Wolfe's roles at the Public Theater, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities are represented through correspondence, posters, notes, photographs, and press. Of note, the Public Theater materials include filmed footage from Wolfe's farewell party and recorded interviews he did with Merle Debuskey and Peggy Papp. Wolfe's gallery designs for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights are present, as are numerous items from White House events.
Wolfe received many awards and honors that were based on the whole of his career, not limited to one production. These physical awards are present, as are supporting items such as programs, press, and recordings. Wolfe also engaged in numerous speaking engagements, such as lectures, and was often invited to give remarks at events that honored others. Programs for these events, as well as recordings, can be found in the collection. Finally, a small amount of personal material is present.
Given Wolfe's high-profile work in American theater during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, his collection features numerous prominent theatrical figures. This is reflected in Wolfe's correspondence, which often takes the form of congratulations from directors, actors, and writers. Wolfe's frequent collaborators included choreographer Savion Glover; playwrights Thulani Davis, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Tony Kushner, and Suzan-Lori Parks; lighting designers Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer; set designer Robin Wagner; and actors Keith David, Danitra Vance, and Jeffrey Wright, all of whom are represented in the collection.
The George C. Wolfe papers are arranged in five series:
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1915-2022 [bulk 1970-2022]
Series I is the largest in the collection and contains the widest variety of materials. It spans the whole of Wolfe's career, from his earliest theatrical works that were written and performed while he was in college to the Netflix film Rustin (2023). The productions that Wolfe was creatively involved in are the most well-covered, and theatrical productions are more represented than films.
Theatrical productions are contained in subseries I.A., which in addition to Wolfe's work includes productions staged at the Public Theater while he was artistic director, but that he did not write or direct. Subseries I.B. contains all film and television productions that Wolfe directed, and subseries I.C. is dedicated to productions he either appeared in or attended. Finally, subseries I.D. is comprised of unrealized or unknown productions, for both the stage and the screen.
This series is heavy on correspondence relating to the individual productions and includes a wide range of well-known theatrical and film personalities. This includes, but is not limited to, Thulani Davis, Ann Duquesnay, Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, Margo Lion, Reggie Montgomery, Mike Nichols, Anna Deavere Smith, Danitra Vance, and Robin Wagner. The correspondence in this series showcases Wolfe's prominent role in modern American theater.
Also included in this series are casting and audition evaluations, professional and candid photographs, scripts (often with notes and edits), set and costume designs, notes, scores, press and publicity materials, programs, tickets, schedules, awards, moving image and audio recordings, opening night gifts, ID cards, mementos from film sets, focus group and marketing reports, and research materials. Oftentimes, the programs and posters were signed by the cast, and occasionally programs are interleaved with correspondence, tickets, and notes. Both physical awards, such as certificates and plaques, and items from awards ceremonies are present, mostly from the Tony Awards.
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1988-2016
Series II contains material relating to three of Wolfe's administrative roles: as artistic director of the Public Theater from 1993 until its 2004-2005 season, as artistic director of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and as a private member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
The Public Theater is represented by correspondence, budgets and financial documents, legal documents, notes, photographs, press, posters, and items for its fiftieth anniversary and Wolfe's farewell party. Correspondence includes congratulations on Wolfe's 1993 appointment and well-wishes after he announced his departure, as well as all correspondence that is not specific to one production. Benefits and memorials that were staged at the theater are included in this series, as are writings by Wolfe about the theater. Any material that concerns the history and general promotion of the Public Theater is housed in this series, including audio interviews that Wolfe conducted with Merle Debuskey, an early press agent for the Public Theater, and the ex-wife of Joseph Papp, Peggy Papp.
Wolfe's gallery research and designs for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights are a significant part of this series, as are materials from the museum's founding and groundbreaking. The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities is represented through correspondence among the committee members and White House Christmas cards sent to Wolfe, his ID for the 2009 presidential inauguration, napkins from the White House, programs, a photograph of First Lady Michelle Obama with the committee, and a photograph of Wolfe with Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
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1982-2019
Series III contains all awards and honors that Wolfe received that are career-based (not limited to one production). This includes lifetime achievement awards, honorary degrees, resolutions passed in his name in New York City and Kentucky, a fellowship established in his name, and filmed profiles of Wolfe and his career.
In addition to the aforementioned filmed material and physical awards and diplomas, this series comprises of programs and press for the awards, a poster signed by attendees to Wolfe's New Dramatists' luncheon tribute, and text from acceptance speeches. Wolfe's Theater Hall of Fame induction ceremony is the most well-covered, and includes correspondence, program, text from the introduction and Wolfe's acceptance speech, a full moving image recording of the ceremony, and Wolfe's medal.
There are also less-formal honorings, including calendars that feature Wolfe as a subject, a parody issue of Time magazine made to celebrate Wolfe, and an audio recording of a song by Stephen Sondheim about Wolfe.
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1982-2020
Series IV mainly consists of items relating to Wolfe's speaking engagements, including lectures, retrospectives, commencement addresses, and interviews. These are represented mostly through programs and promotional materials, occasionally accompanied by text and moving image or audio recordings. Part of these are events that were honoring others at which Wolfe spoke, including some memorials. An audio recording from the Central Park walking tour featuring Wolfe is included here, as are interviews and profiles of Wolfe, a photographic series he was a subject in, and a workshop he taught at. A dinner invitation to the White House and a pass to the 2008 Democratic National Convention are also housed here, as both pre-date his time on the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
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1962-2021
Series V contains Wolfe's personal materials. This includes personal correspondence with friends and family, memorials that Wolfe attended but did not speak at, Wolfe's schoolwork, sketches and photographs of Wolfe, a signed "get well" poster after Wolfe's kidney transplant, music written for Wolfe, audio recordings of psychic and tarot readings, and notes written by Wolfe. Wolfe is also a collector of the art of Glenn Ligon, and correspondence on a retrospective and Wolfe's loan of one of his pieces is found here.
It should be noted that there is often an overlap between Wolfe's friends and his professional contacts, but the correspondence here is not professional in nature and is mostly limited to birthday wishes and Christmas cards.