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Creator
Wasserman, Dale
Call number
*T-Mss 1996-027
Physical description
15.96 linear feet (38 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Dale Wasserman papers, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Dale Wasserman (1914-2008) was an American playwright, television writer and screenwriter, working from the 1950s-the 1990s. He is best known for his play, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1963) and his book for the musical Man of La Mancha (1966). The Dale Wasserman papers document his entire writing career with scripts, correspondence, notes, programs, clippings, research materials and photographs from his productions.

Biographical/historical information

Dale Wasserman (1914-2008) was an American playwright, television-writer and screenwriter, working from the 1950s to the 1990s. He is best known for his play, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1963) and his book for the musical Man of La Mancha (1966).

Wasserman was born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. After the early death of his parents he was raised in an orphanage. In his youth, he traveled around the United States on freight trains, living on the hobo circuit. He also started working in show business from the age of nineteen. His early forays into theater include work as a lighting designer, director and producer. In the 1940s he worked for the Katherine Dunham Dance Company as a director and stage manager in Haiti and in New York.

Around 1955 he began his writing career, writing scripts for such television series as Ponds Theater, Armstrong Circle Theater, The Alcoa Hour and Kraft Television Theatre. His work for the Dupont Show of the Month included the award winning television plays The Lincoln Murder Case and I, Don Quixote, on which he based his book for the award-winning, acclaimed and wildly popular musical Man of La Mancha, which had a score by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion.

Besides Man of La Mancha, Wasserman's most notable stage project was his adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest into a hit play. Other stage projects of Wasserman's which were not produced in New York include, An Enchanted Land, Western Star, A Walk in the Sky, J.F.K., Shakespeare and the Indians and a revamp of John La Touche's original book for Beggar's Holiday. Many of these projects were mounted in regional or London productions.

Wasserman's motion pictures include The Vikings, Cleopatra, Quick Before it Melts and A Walk with Love and Death.

In 2003 Wasserman published a memoir on his experiences as the writer of Man of La Mancha, called The Impossible Musical.

Wasserman's first marriage to actress Ramsay Ames ended in divorce in 1980. He was married to Martha Nelly Garza from 1984 until his death in 2008.

Scope and arrangement

The Dale Wasserman papers document his entire writing career. They contain production materials on the film, theatre and television projects he worked on. These materials include scripts, correspondence, notes, programs, contracts and negotiations, legal disputes, clippings, reviews, posters, research materials and photographs.

Wasserman's two most successful works, Man of La Mancha and One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest are covered in the most detail, with multiple script drafts and materials on various regional productions. Both plays have been translated into and performed in dozens of languages. These foreign language productions are represented here with scripts, programs and other production materials.

There are also script drafts, correspondence, notes and research materials for later projects which were never produced, or produced outside of New York. Also included are materials documenting other aspects of Wasserman's career, including files on the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, research Wasserman conducted on an unknown project about Japan and research, drafts and correspondence pertaining to a non-fiction article Wasserman wrote on hobo culture.

This collection does not include personal material.

Arrangement

The Wasserman papers have been arranged from five separate accessions into order by production title. Original folders have been maintained where they existed. Loose materials have been foldered.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Dale Wasserman in 1996, 2002, 2005 and 2008.

Processing information

Compiled by Diana Bertolini.

Related Material

Dale Wasserman collection [sound recordings]. Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, The New York Public Library.

Using the collection

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.