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Creator
Chesley, Robert, 1943-1990
Call number
*T-Mss 2010-112
Physical description
4.1 linear feet (11 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Robert Chesley papers, *T-Mss 2010-112. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

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

Robert Chesley (1943-1990) was a pioneering gay playwright who created homoerotic plays. The Robert Chesley papers date from 1978 to 2005 (bulk dates 1980s-1990s) and contain scripts, correspondence, clippings, publications, photographs, posters, and audio-visual recordings.

Biographical/historical information

Robert Chesley (1943-1990) was a pioneering gay playwright who created homoerotic plays. In the late 1970s, he moved to New York City, proclaimed his homosexuality, and pursued an openly gay approach to theater and writing. In 1980, his first one-act play Hell, I Love You was produced. His play Night Sweat (1984) was one of the first to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in a theatrical production. In 1986, Chesley's play Jerker or the Helping Hand was the center of a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) censorship attempt after excerpts aired on a radio broadcast. Chesley wrote numerous plays throughout his career, and a few of them were published in books. Dogs Plays and Private Theatricals: Morning, Noon, and Night were written during the final years of his life, but produced after his death of an AIDS-related illness in 1990.

Chesley was a member of The Dramatists Guild, Inc. Nicholas Deutsch, a longtime friend and director, was Chesley's literary executor.

Scope and arrangement

The Robert Chesley papers date from 1978 to 2005 (bulk dates 1980s-1990s) and contain scripts, correspondence, clippings, publications, photographs, posters, and audio-visual recordings.

The bulk of the collection consists of scripts for Chesley's original plays. His development process is documented through the manuscript drafts and subsequent typescripts for plays such as Jerker or the Helping Hand and Private Theatricals: Morning, Noon, and Night . There are production materials for several of the plays. There are other writings such as a typewritten draft of If a Man Will but Take Me by the Hand: A Porn Novel, and words and music for the Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts play in the Fuck the Holidays collection.

Jerker is the most prominent play in the collection. In addition to the scripts, there are sound cue recordings, correspondence, programs, and other supporting materials from numerous productions of the play. The majority of the correspondence is between the producers and Nicholas Deutsch, Chesley's literary executor. There is also a large amount of clippings about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) obscenity investigation into the 1980s radio broadcast of the play.

There are several interviews with Chesley in publications such as Taste of Latex and Stallion, where he discussed his work and lifestyle. His addresses such as "Erotic Liberation and Censorship: Prudery as a Tool of the Right," and his presentation at Epidemic, Center Stage (1987) provide context to his theatrical work, and communicates his prospective on gay culture and the HIV/AIDS crisis.

The photographs reveal aspects of Chesley's personal life such as his apartment, sexuality, and the Kaposi's sarcoma lesions during his battle with HIV/AIDS. There is some correspondence between Deutsch and Chesley about his plays, personal matters, and gay rights issues. The collection also reflects Chesley's plan to create a gay theater foundation, and his participation in the development of the 3-Dollar Bill Theater. Additionally, there are materials related to a memorial celebration of Chesley's life and work.

The majority of the materials in this collection are sexually explicit.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by subject or format.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Victor Bumbalo, 2010

Processing information

Compiled by Joyce Joseph, 2015

Compiled by Joyce Joseph, 2015.

Related Material

Robert Chesley scores, 1964-1976. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

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

The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Theatre Division at theatre@nypl.org.

Access restrictions

Some collections held by the Dance, Music, Recorded Sound, and Theatre Divisions at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. For general guidance about requesting offsite materials, please consult: https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/lpa/requesting-archival-materials Audiovisual materials will be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access. Sound and video recordings available by appointment only.