Herbert Andrews collection

1933-1973 [bulk 1937-1954]

The collection dates from 1933 to 1973 and holds set designs, photographs, and programs for theater, dance, and television productions.

The majority of the collection consists of set designs created by Andrews between the late 1930s and the early 1950s for Broadway productions, such as My Heart's in Highlands, Swingin' the Dream, and Porgy and Bess, as well as productions staged at the Roxy Theatre in New York City, the NBC Television Center Theatre in Radio City Music Hall, and the Maplewood Theatre in Maplewood, New Jersey. The designs, mounted on mats, incorporate different visual media, such as sketches, drawings, paintings, conceptual designs, and production stills. Several of the mats juxtapose the original design with photographs of the production in its full realization. Some designs, such as that for The Martha Raye Show, contain movable painted layers representing backdrops. Other television productions represented through the designs include Macbeth (Kraft Television Theatre), The Ray Bolger Show, and The Perry Como Show. Roxy Theatre production designs date from the 1940s and are minimally labeled, usually with only the date or one performer's name, such as Arthur Knorr or Ilana Masey. Also present are designs that Andrews created for productions by Ruth Page and Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, such as Billy Sunday and Baseball Ballet.

Photographs and programs document productions staged at the Ivoryton Playhouse, the Maplewood Theatre, and the Deertrees Theatre. Photographs consist of production stills, photographs of stage sets and theaters, and a personal photograph album. Production stills depict plays that were designed by Andrews during the 1941 summer season at the Maplewood Theater, such as Native Son with Canada Lee, A Kiss for Cinderella with Luise Rainer, and Twelfth Night starring Helen Hayes and Maurice Evans. Photographs of the Deertrees Theatre depict the stage settings, Bela Blau standing outside of the theater, and Joe E. Brown in Elmer the Great. Photographs dating from 1937 to 1938 show stage settings and the Milton Stiefel's company at the Ivoryton Playhouse. The personal photograph album dates from the 1960s to 1973.