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Creator
Shanks, Ann Zane, 1927-
Call number
*T-Mss 2005-015
Physical description
1.5 linear feet (3.5 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation

Ann Shanks Papers, *T-Mss 2005-015. 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

Producer's files for two shows: Lillian and S. J. Perelman in Person.

Biographical/historical information

Producer and director for theater, film and television, Ann Shanks produced Lillian, a one-woman show about Lillian Hellman by William Luce starring Zoe Caldwell and directed and produced S. J. Perelman in Person, a one-man show written by her husband, Bob Shanks. She also directed and/or produced various TV movies of the week for CBS and NBC, produced and directed a PBS special on French impressionism and wrote, produced and directed various award-winning short films. Ann Shanks was also an author, photographer and photojournalist. Her photographs were published in magazines and exhibited in museums including the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, and she had a number of books published including Busted Lives: Dialogues with Kids in Jail, illustrated with her photographs.

Scope and arrangement

The collection consists of producer's files for two shows: Lillian, which opened at the Cleveland Playhouse in 1985, moved to the Kennedy Center and then opened on Brodway in January 1986 and S. J. Perelman in Person, which premiered in 1988. Most of the material is for Lillian and consists of producer's correspondence, contracts and notes; scripts; production materials; publicity including photos, programs and clippings; and financial materials consisting of budgets, bills, receipts and account summaries. Of particular interest are the letters by Lillian Hellman to Ann Shanks, and Hellman's autobiographical writings and transcripts of interviews with her. The series for Perelman is smaller and contains a stage manager's script, producer's correspondence, contracts, notes, production materials and publicity.

The Ann Shanks papers are arranged in two series:

  • Series I. Lillian
    1979-1989
    3 boxes

    Producer's files for Lillianwhich opened at the Cleveland Playhouse in October 1985 before moving to the Kennedy Center and then opening on Brodway in January 1986 contain correspondence, contracts, notes, scripts, publicity and finanacial materials. Includes letters by Lillian Hellman and Zoe Caldwell to Ann Shanks as well as playwright's research materials including autobiographical writings by Lillian Hellman and transcripts of interviews with her.

  • Series II. S. J. Perelman in Person
    197?-1996
    1 box (.25 linear feet

    The one-man play by Bob Shanks was directed by Ann Shanks and starred Lewis J. Stadlen as S. J. Perelman.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of Ann Shanks in August 2005.

Processing information

Processed by ; Machine-readable finding aid created by.

Processed by ; Machine-readable finding aid created by .

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.