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Creator
Stahl, Irwin
Call number
*T-Mss 1990-017
Physical description
10.71 linear feet (16 boxes, 6 volumes, 1 oversized folder)
Preferred Citation

Irwin Stahl theater files, *T-Mss 1990-017. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

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

Irwin Stahl was a theatrical director, playwright, actor, and educator. The Irwin Stahl theater files date from 1893 to 1988 and contain scripts, sheet music, programs, clippings, sketches, notes, photographs, and scrapbooks.

Biographical/historical information

Irwin Stahl was a theatrical director, playwright, actor, and educator. He received three degrees in theater, fine arts, and education from Syracuse University.

Stahl directed many stock and off-Broadway musicals such as West Side Story (1960) and Plain and Fancy (1962), and dramas such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1951).

He wrote original plays and musicals, such as Out of Focus, The Crisis, An Ancient Statue, and The Red Rose and the Briar, which he later directed at Syracuse Civic Theatre. His short plays were directed and produced by Gian Carlo Menotti for the Spoleto Festival; and other plays were showcased at the Actors Studio and Talent '61.

Stahl taught courses at the American Theatre Wing, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and the Actors Studio. During his tenure at the Actors Studio he observed and wrote extensively about the techniques of actor and director Lee Strasberg.

Scope and arrangement

The Irwin Stahl theater files date from 1893 to 1988 (bulk dates 1950s-1960s) and contain scripts, sheet music, programs, clippings, sketches, notes, photographs, and scrapbooks.

The bulk of the collection consists of scripts for various plays, the majority of which were not written by Stahl. Some of the scripts are excerpted from Theater Arts and other magazines. The scripts are sometimes annotated and served as prompt books for theatrical productions, such as the scripts for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1951), Plain and Fancy (1962), and West Side Story (1960).

Stahl’s original manuscripts, plays, musicals, and adaptations include The Ecclesiazusae, Out of Focus, The Crisis, An Ancient Statue and The Red Rose and the Briar. The latter play has various drafts of the script, sheet music, notes, correspondence, and clippings regarding the production. Stahl also wrote the lyrics for Whatever the Season and Marry Your Own Kind, both of which are represented in the collection through sheet music.

The collection holds five volumes of Stahl’s notes from 1962 through 1970, taken during Lee Strasberg’s technique sessions at the Actors Studio. There are correspondence and chapter drafts that demonstrate the desire to turn those notes into a "Journals from Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio" publication. Other Actors Studio materials include teaching notes for Stahl’s classes, Director’s Unit correspondence, and newsletters with scene schedules.

The programs, clippings of reviews, photographs, and scrapbooks document numerous theatrical productions throughout Stahl’s career. The programs convey the various roles that Stahl played in theater, such as an actor in Androcles and the Lion (1946), stage manager for George Washington Slept Here (1948), director for Plain and Fancy (1962), and choreographer for Bye Bye Birdie (1968). The sketches and production notes demonstrate his versatility such as the the set designs for Thunder Rock (1950s), and the costume designs for Twelfth Night (1950s). The copies of biographies and resumes record his milestones. The correspondence pertains to the development of plays, and administration matters such as payment arrangements.

Additionally, Stahl collected a scrapbook of programs that recounts an array of theatrical productions dating back to 1893.

Arrangement

The collection is organized alphabetically by subject or file type.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Irwin Stahl, 1989.

Processing information

Compiled by Joyce Joseph, 2015

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.