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Creator
Vaughan, Gladys
Call number
*T-Mss 2014-143
Physical description
2 linear feet (5 boxes, 1 oversized folder)
Preferred Citation

Gladys Vaughan papers, *T-Mss 2014-143. 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

Gladys Vaughan (1924-1988) was an American theater director and the first woman to direct a play for the New York Shakespeare Festival. The collection dates from 1931 to 1988 and contains production files, professional files, programs, clippings, scores, and a small amount of biographical materials.

Biographical/historical information

Gladys Vaughan (1924-1988) was an American theater director and the first woman to direct a play for the New York Shakespeare Festival. She graduated from Kansas State Teachers College in 1944 and earned an M.A. in drama from Stanford University in 1948. From 1955 to 1960, Vaughan assisted directors Joseph Papp, Gerald Freeman, and Stuart Vaughan at the New York Shakespeare Festival. She made her directorial debut with Richard II in 1961 at the Wollman Memorial Skating Rink in Central Park. She co-directed King Lear and The Merchant of Venice with Joseph Papp the following year.

Vaughan's other works include Macbeth, The Winter's Tale, Coriolanus, Uncle Vanya, and Woyzeck. Her production of Othello with James Earl Jones was staged in repertory with Eric Bentley and Martin Esslin's adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's Baal at the Martinique Theatre in 1965. In addition to directing, Vaughan taught Shakespearean acting at the Circle-in-the-Square Theatre School and Workshop and the New York Shakespeare Festival.

Scope and arrangement

The Gladys Vaughan papers date from 1931 to 1988 and contain production files, professional files, programs, clippings, scores, and a small amount of biographical materials.

Production files are arranged alphabetically by title and document Vaughan's theatrical direction between 1961 and 1972. The degree to which each production is represented varies. Files may contain scripts, prompt books, notes, prop and costume plots, set designs, sound recordings, programs, and reviews. Titles include Baal, Macbeth, Othello, Richard II, The Winter's Tale, Uncle Vanya, and Woyzeck. Files for Liola, Drums in the Night, Henry V, and A Moon for the Misbegotten do not contain scripts. Sound recordings of music by composer David Amram are present in the production files for Henry V and Richard II. Woyzeck, Othello, and Baal are the best-represented plays in the collection. Researchers should also consult clippings and programs files for further documentation of Vaughan's productions

Professional files contain correspondence, photographs, and and other materials relating to Vaughan's work in and outside of theatrical direction, such as teaching Shakespearean acting at the Circle in the Square Theatre School and Workshop, and her attendance at conferences and events. Correspondence is professional in nature and consists of incoming letters from colleagues, such as Joseph Papp, Jo McDonald, Gordon Davidson, and Toby Cole. The letters discuss project proposals, professional associations, and plays directed by Vaughan. Letters from Eric Bentley, Martin Esslin, Fred Jordan, and Paul A. Bernstein review Vaughan's 1965 production of Baal. Congratulatory letters and telegrams sent to Vaughan during the 1964-1965 production of Othello at the Martinique Theatre are also present. Programs and clippings document Vaughan's work from the 1940s to the 1970s, with particular focus on her New York Shakespeare Festival productions. Plays documented through the clippings and programs that are not represented elsewhere in the collection include The Merchant of Venice, Thunder in the Index, and Blood Knot.

Biographical materials consist of resumes, certificates, and school essays and notes completed by Vaughan. Scores, most likely printed in the 1930s and 1940s, are lightly annotated. They primarily consist of popular musical arrangements for vocals and piano, with some violin.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by format with Production Files further arranged alphabetically by title.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of Dorothy Senerchia.

Processing information

Compiled by Robyn Hjermstad, 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.

Access restrictions

Inquiries regarding audio material in the collection may be directed to the Billy Rose Theatre Division (theatre@nypl.org). Audio material will be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access.