Twentieth-Century British and American Theatre

A Critical Guide to Archives

Christopher Innes, Katherine Carlstrom, Scott Fraser

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• Topic: Literature
• eBook ISBN:
  9780429782121
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

First published in 1999, this volume aims to develop the field of theatre studies by promoting the study of performative elements and thus fostering their consideration in the critical interpretation of dramatic literature. The authors additionally suggest ways of approaching and evaluating the work of individual performers, as well as of directors, designers and producers. It is an archival guide which covers manuscript and ephemera, rather than published texts, and attempts to indicate the potential value of the documentary material listed.

This unique reference guide provides descriptions and evaluations of archive manuscript materials and ephemera relating to twentieth-century British and American theatre. Over 100 archives across Europe, North America and Britain were examined in the compilation of this volume. The documents include: unpublished playscripts; state and costume designs; directors' books; prompt books; lighting plots; stage photos; correspondence; theatre programmes. One hundred and seventy five entries are arranged alphabetically and cover playwrights, directors, designers and actors. By its nature, theatre is a collaborative enterprise, a facet which is recognised in the comprehensive cross-referencing of entries. The last twenty years has seen a shift in drama studies from text-based criticism to analysis of performance. The materials covered in this book have therefore become essential to future research in the field.

1 Abbott, George: 1887-1995

Director, playwright and actor, also producer

At the time of research for this survey Abbott was still alive, and it is probable that extensive personal papers and records of productions were still in his possession.

In view of the fact that Abbott’s career - spanning over seventy years from his first acting appearance in 1913, to his workshop production of a new musical in 1985 - has been longer than any other performer in twentieth-century American theatre, and covers a wide range of theatrical skills (as actor, co-author and director, as well as producer), the documentation currently available on his work is surprisingly minimal. However, the material does illustrate his directorial technique: his focus on timing in farcical action (Three Men on a Horse), and use of choreography (New Girl in Town).

LC(RC) Production-photos showing Abbott in: Skin of Our Teeth (1955 revival with H. HAYES and Mary Martin) - exagg., farcical acting. Publicity and few production-photos, Fiorello! (dir. & co-authored by Abbott, 1959) - simple setting, NY skyline on backcloth/brick wall, frequent set changes. Production and stage-photos, New Girl in Town (musical adapt, of E. O’NEILL’S Anna Christie, dir. & co-authored by Abbott, 1957) giving good sense of production: tableau poses, traditional dance choreography, simple representative scenes.

Scrapbooks for several Abbott productions, incl. Too Many Girls: some photos, mostly clippings.

Col Corresp. with ‘Spewack’ (1935-36) & others, incl. detail on Abbott’s experience, training actors for tours, plus business details - showing his pragmatic theatrical criteria (e.g. ‘Bernstein has done me the most beautiful sets for The Nightingale’; rejection of play Sweeney (1927) because ‘when the actors come to talk that dialogue, you will find that it doesn’t click as it should’).

MCNY Drawings & caricatures, Skin of our Teeth with H. HAYES.

CONGR(Ms) Scripts & ‘Production Bulletins’ with some production-photos, set-des. & publicity-materials for Federal Theatre Project productions of plays/musicals co-authored & dir./revived by Abbott, 1936: Broadway, Love ‘em and Leave ‘em, Coquette, Three Men on a Horse -giving overview of his approach as a director. Copyright texts of plays written by Abbott: Lured, Never Again, Pink McGee and Others.

G-Mason Oral History sound-recording (Mary Coyle Chase) commenting on collab. with Abbott & George Kaufman, changes in plays for Broadway production.

2 Achurch, Janet: 1864-1916

Actress and theatre manager

The available material provides a good overview of Achurch’s most significant performance, as Nora in the first English production of A Doll’s House (under her own management in the Novelty Theatre, 1899). It also allows analysis of her roles in plays by SHAW. Although primary biographical data is limited, the memoir (written for SHAW) by her husband, and her correspondence with SHAW gives a detailed perspective on her career and psychological problems.

BL Biographical t/s by Charrington detailing Achurch’s whole career, with detailed descr. of performance in A Doll’s House (1899). Letters by SHAW analysing acting problems in this production, & general evaluations of Achurch’s acting; extensive descriptions of Achurch’s performances in SHAW’S plays (Candida, Brassbound) - giving clear impression of Achurch’s acting style & approach, plus indirect indie, of A’s views on/interpret, of Ibsen - background on composition of Achurch’s play, Mrs. Daintree’s Daughter, plus personal details (Achurch’s relations with SHAW, Charrington, MANSFIELD; financial problems; morphine addiction).

(Lord Chamberlain’s coll.) only known text of Achurch’s play, Mrs. Daintree’s Daughter.

M&M Programmes of Achurch’s performances & some stage-photos -partic. for A Doll’s House (1899), also SHAW’S Candida & Captain Brassbound’s Conversion (1900). Some review-clippings.

NYU Corresp. with E. ROBINS, discuss Ibsen roles, possibilities for working together.

3 Adams, Maude: 1872-1953

Actress, also teacher and playwright

Documentation of Adams’ acting career is surprisingly sparse, with no detail on her performances before 1897. However, it is possible to get some sense of the stage-presence that made Adams one of the leading turn-of-the-century actresses in American theatre from the visual record of her major starring roles offered by photographs, combined with her own commentary. The material relating to her teaching career at Stephens College, Missouri (1937-50) also has relevance to her earlier stage roles, as well as illustrating views of acting and theatrical concepts in the first decades of the century, and indicating their continuing influence. In addition, considerable biographical detail is provided by her correspondence.

CONGR(Ms) Notes & drafts of speeches/lectures/broadcast scripts reperformances (partic. in J.M. BARRlE’s Peter Pan, 1905), on speaking verse (& speech exercises, & pamplet on ‘Speech’) - giving overview of Adams’ theatrical concepts. Stage-photos & some production-photos from several productions - documenting approach to acting & focus on vocal expression, also indie, stage-presence. Draft for autobiography (published 1926) - adding unpublished details descr. rehearsal methods, relationship with C. FROHMAN.

Play-script by Adams, ‘Life of Christ’ (n.d.) - quasi-Biblical prose, integrating passages from Townley plays. Proposals by Adams for radio programmes (The American Dream’, ‘America is a Stage’).

LC (RC) Lecture notes & materials for acting-classes taught by Adams: gaining ‘experiences’ with nature, concept of nature from trees by the highway to how a man ‘naturally behaves towards the women he loves’ (Introduction to Pupils); addressing students re allegory in theatre, playing male roles (commentary on Peter Pan), etc. - illus. theatrical aims & concepts, approach to plays. Also some minor scripts written by Adams (for classes) showing much reworking, from notes to drafts to typescripts, page-long emendations and deletions (productions for Stephens College) - tho’ not dramatically signif. providing clear example of her working method as playwright.

Corresp. mostly to Adams, compliments on work and biography; from her - political letters (e.g. anti-union ‘they go on asking for more and more wages’, anti-Truman) & numerous letters requesting rights to books for theatrical development [many almost illegible], in partic. for Kipling, Stevenson, R. MANSFIELD, E. Pauline Johnson - indie, theatrical focus.

Notebooks [cryptic], defining concepts/people: e.g. ‘Government’, Genghis Khan’, God’ - source of ideas for plays.

HRC Several studio- and stage-photos for Peter Pan (1901) - illus. Adams’ characterization (very boyish, perpetual frown, short-cropped hair, stands chest out & feet apart, energetic and confident). Numerous stage-photos of Adams in J. M. BARRIE’S What Every Woman Knows (1908): realistic setting -demonst. acting ability (growing during performance from youthful girl with love-struck expression to mature, controlled woman).

UCh Souvenir programmes (magazine size) of several productions featuring Adams, partic. as Lady Babbie in The Little Minister (1899), a part rewritten for her by J. M. BARRIE (1897): sketches of Adams in several scenes, handpainted cover with her image & one stage-photo. UAiglon (1900) programme with many more stage-photos of her in male role.

CONGR(PP) Stage and publicity photos of Adams in several roles: as Rosalind in The Jesters, in J. M. BARRLE’S Legend of Leonora (1914) and many unidentified plays.

NYPL Extensive corresp. with D. FROHMAN - providing insights into Adams’ social activities, her roles and views on other performers. Corresp. by C. FROHMAN re her early acting career

Stan Programmes, clippings in scrapbooks of New York performances.

H-Bo Stage-photos for Peter Pan (1906): Adams on pirate ship, very masculine and powerful, in other photos more boyish, fully naturalistic setting; corresp. with Players Club, and other actors/writers e.g. Clyde Fitch.

Col Cartoons.

MCNY Promptbook & production photos docum. Adams performance in Peter Pan.

4 Akins, Zoé: 1886-1958

Playwright and screenwriter

Although no personal material is available outside the correspondence with Theresa Helburn, and little production information on her plays survives, the material documents Akins’ development as a writer who occupied a central position on the Broadway stage during the 1920s and early 1930s. It also provides insights into the operations of the Theatre Guild, and their conflict over socialist plays versus commercial successes - which pivoted around Akins’ work.

In addition, the material illustrates the growing interplay with Hollywood during the 1930s (for comparison see R. GORDON, C. ODETS and P. STURGES).

Yale Promptscript for Plans for Tomorrow (Theatre Guild, 1943), with extensive corresp. discussing rewrites & political content, casting of I. CLAIRE in title-role, letters to directors & producers [giving insights into Akins’ thematic & theatrical concepts, plus detailed record of rehearsals] & from L. LANGNER - indie, way Akins’ play served as catalyst for disagreements in Theatre Guild (‘It is with great anguish that I agree to your doing the Zoe Akins play ... we should do this sort of thing as little as possible because I see no surer way of breaking up the Guild’).

Extremely extensive & detailed corresp. with T. HELBURN (Theatre Guild) - displaying v. honest & productive working rel. - discussing projected plays & suitability for Guild programme: partic. Mother Darling (‘a comedy with a possible tragedy lurking under it... a serious study of temperament ... with acid humour’), plus commentary on Starvation of Red River (1939), rejection of The Human Element (1934); T. BANKHEAD’s performance in I Am Different (‘unwilling to play the part in anything but an old-fashioned manner’) & rewriting of play (1939); admiration for Peggy Wood & desire to engage for roles; rewrites for The Texas Nightingale (first title, Greatness: A Comedy, 1921) - indie, dramatic aims (e.g. ‘can’t be bothered with writing for the subway. Not that I exclude the subway, but I would like to draw people out of book-lined rooms instead of from under stones, at least once more ) - also discussion of acceptance/refusal for many plays up to late 1950s.

UCLA Over 15 playscripts, incl. verse drama (The Magical City, 1916), mix of verse/classical myth & contemp. prose realism (Phaeton), modern tragedy (Declasse, 1919, Attic in Paris) social comedy (Careers, Plans for Tomorrow) - with notes & revisions - illus. switch from experimental to Broadway play-writing. Synopses for various uncomplet...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Acknowledgements
• Key to archives
• A–Z directory
• Index to Works