Scope and arrangement
The William Woodman papers document Woodman's career from 1957 to 1992. The bulk of the collection consists of Woodman's director files, containing annotated scripts and scores and other production materials from shows that Woodman directed. The collection also contains materials related to the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre and Academy (ASFTA).
ASFTA files date primarily from 1957 to 1961, at which time Woodman was working with ASFTA as an assistant stage manager. ASFTA materials include photographs, programs, promotional material, clippings, letters and notes from colleagues, Woodman's contracts, contact lists, rehearsal schedules, scene breakdowns, and ground plans. The photographs are mostly promotional, and include images of actors such as Katharine Hepburn and Earle Hyman. Programs date from 1955 to 1960. Several photographs from a 1914 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream are also present. The files also include a copy of Woodman's MFA thesis, The Third Stratford: A History of the American Shakespeare Festival, 1950-1958.
Director files contain Woodman's annotated scripts and scores for plays and operas. The annotations include sound and light cues, blocking diagrams, and stage directions. Scripts and scores are sometimes accompanied by other production materials such as director's notes, cast and crew lists, rehearsal and performance schedules, photographs, and copies of costume designs, set designs, and ground plans. A small number of clippings and promotional materials are also present. All of the materials are from theater productions, with the exception of a script and related materials for a 1982 television production of Long Day's Journey Into Night.
The collection also contains scripts for two productions that Woodman did not direct: ‘Tis Pity She's a Whore, with handwritten alterations to the text, and You Never Know, as adapted by Paul Lazarus.
Woodman was an assistant stage manager for "A Little Birthday Party for Around the World in 80 Days," a 1957 event hosted by producer Michael Todd. Papers for the event consist of clippings, a cast list, a program, and an instruction sheet for extras.
The collection also contains one to two production photographs from each of the following: Capriccio (1968), Dear Daddy (1981), A Moon for the Misbegotten (1989), and from various Goodman Theatre productions between 1973 and 1978.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in four categories: American Shakespeare Festival Theatre and Academy, Director Files, Other Productions, and Photographs.