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Creator
Moore, Tom, 1943-
Call number
*T-Mss 1996-035
Physical description
30.5 lin. ft. (64 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Tom Moore Papers, *T-Mss 1996-035, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

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

The papers of Tom Moore, stage, television and film director, document his career through scripts, notes, programs, clippings, correspondence, opening night messages, school papers, designs and floor plans.

Biographical/historical information

Heustis Thomas Moore was born August 6, 1943 in Meridian, Mississippi and grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana. He earned a B.A from Purdue University in 1965 and an M.F.A. from Yale Drama School in 1968. Three years after graduating from Yale, Moore directed Grease, which ran for eight years and is one of the longest running shows in the history of Broadway.

Over the years Moore has directed new plays and the classics at major resident theaters around the country including the Mark Taper Forum, the Williamstown Theater Festival, the Arena Stage, the American Conservatory Theatre, the Guthrie Theatre, the Old Globe Theatre, and the American Repertory Theatre. His Broadway credits include Over Here!, Once in a Lifetime, Division Street, Moon Over Buffalo, the controversial production of Frankenstein, and the acclaimed production of 'night, Mother. He also directed the motion picture 'night, Mother. His film Journey, made under the auspices of the American Film Institute, won two international film awards.

In the 1980s Moore began directing series, pilots and films for television. Among them are Thirtysomething, The Wonder Years, L.A. Law, Cheers, Civil Wars, Mad About You, Cybill, Danielle Steel's Fine Things, Ally McBeal, Felicity, Lateline, E.R., Suddenly Susan, and Dharma and Greg.

Additional credits include teaching and directing at the State University of New York at Buffalo, at Brandeis University, and at the University of London and lecturing at the Seminar in American Studies in Salzburg, Austria. Earlier in his career he served as artistic director of the Peterborough Players in New Hampshire. Moore received Tony nominations for Over Here! and 'night, Mother and Emmy nominations for episodes of Mad About You, L.A. Law, and E.R.

Scope and arrangement

The papers, consisting primarily of annotated scripts and clippings, document the career of director Tom Moore from Purdue Summer Theatre to Broadway, regional theater, television, and film. Often included are Moore's research notes and first-day-of-rehearsal notes. Correspondence is largely opening night telegrams, cards, and congratulatory letters from casts and friends. Floor plans, set designs, and costume designs for many of Moore's productions are also part of the collection.

Among his personal papers are Tony and Emmy nominations, notes for speeches and lectures, and grade school and high school scripts. Purdue University and Yale Drama School materials include class papers, scripts, and progams for Moore's projects as well as other university productions.

The Tom Moore papers are arranged in four series:

  • Series I: Personal Papers
    1950-2001
    1 box

    This series includes information regarding Moore's Tony and Emmy nominations; his participation in Purdue University's Old Masters Program (1981); correspondence and Moore's remarks on receiving an honorary degree from Purdue (1995); notes for a speech about his life in the theater (1984); Salzburg Seminar lectures (1974); publicity photographs; grade school scripts; West Lafayette High School scripts and programs; and articles about him (1998-2001).

  • Series II: School Papers
    3 boxes

    The series includes Moore's theater experiences as an undergraduate at Purdue University and his years at Yale Drama School where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in directing.

  • Series III: Professional Work Files
    1966-2007
    58 boxes

    This series encompasses all aspects of Moore's professional career as stage, film and television director. It begins with his stage managing duties in the summers of 1966 and 1967.

  • Series IV: Designs and Plans
    1964-1999
    2 oversized boxes

    This series consists of floor plans, elevations, some set and costume designs (most are xeroxed copies) for many of Moore's productions. Copies of Robert Blackman's costume designs for Hotel Paradiso include fabric swatches. There is one original Blackman costume rendering for an unidentified production. The addenda is all set designs: drawings, photos and blueprints, for the Disney made-for-television movie, Geppetto.

Administrative information

Custodial history

Tom Moore donated his papers to the Billy Rose Theatre Division in 1996. Additional material was received in 1999, 2002, 2006 & 2007.

Source of acquisition

gift, Tom Moore, 1996-2006

Processing information

Processed by Susan McArthur, addenda by Elisabeth Elkind.

Separated material

  • 'night Mother: 1 VHS cassette
  • Geppetto: 1 VHS cassette
  • Geppetto: 5 CDs

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.

Access restrictions

Photocopying prohibited.