Mount Holyoke College Theatre Arts Department Records, 1920s-1997
General International Standard for Archival Description
Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections
Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Rachel Gugler, revised by J. King. 2005-04-28
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Mount Holyoke College Theatre Arts Department Records
Mount Holyoke College Theatre Arts Department
Scope and Contents of the Collection The Theatere Arts Department Records are comprised of minutes, newsletters, subject files, programs, publicity images, and photographs. The material dates from the 1920s-1997 and documents the administrative and teaching activities of the Department. The programs, publicity images, and photographs document the Department's productions.
Theatre Arts Department
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Mount Holyoke College
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series
Minutes
Creation of Minutes
Time of Creation of Minutes
This series contains minutes, newsletters, subject files, programs, publicity images, and photographs. The material dates from the 1920s-1997 and documents administrative and teaching activities of the Department. The minutes chronicle decision-making processes within the Department between the years 1980-1996. Topics discussed include plays and courses to be offered, budgetary concerns, awards to students, and the use of the Laboratory Theatre. An example of the specificity of the minutes as they relate to theatre production is the inclusion of a "prop list" for "Uncommon Women and Others" that moves the reader/viewer through the play by the use of simple props. The minutes document community involvement of the Department with issues such as disarmament and high school workshops. Another subject discussed in the minutes is the Five College Third World Theatre Series. In the 1990s the Five College Theatre Committee of Cultural Diversity replaced the Third World Theatre Committee and focused on organizing a multicultural play every year.
Minutes Spring 1980-1982/83
Minutes 1983/84-1985/86
Minutes 1986-1987
Minutes 1987/88-1988/89
Minutes 1989/90-1990/91
Minutes 1991/92-1992/93
Minutes 1994/95-1995/96
Christmas Newsletters 1989-1997
The "Christmas Newsletters" include letters from faculty and students as well as from numerous alumnae during the years 1989-1990, 1993, and 1996-97. These documents evolved from a Christmas card sent out by the Department asking alumnae to write in about their lives. Writers discuss what is happening in their lives such as birth and marriage announcements, jobs, and any work they are doing in the theatre. Alumnae sometimes include photographs and they often discuss the places where they currently live. Minutes, programs, and photographs are arranged in reverse chronological order, retaining the filing practice used by the Department.
Christmas Newsletters 1989-1990
Christmas Newsletters 1993
Christmas Newsletters 1996-1997
Subject Files 1972-1987
The two subject files contain correspondence from 1983 and 1985 regarding money given to the Department from the Billy Rose Foundation and document the "16 Show Cycle," which describes the method used by the Department to choose plays over a four-year period between 1972-1987.
16 Show Cycle 1972-1987
Billy Rose Foundation 1983,1985
Programs prior to 1966-1997
The programs date from 1924-1997 with gaps in the 1920s-1950s. Some of the programs include a listing of directors, cast members, and those involved in production. Various programs also include directors' notes, summaries, quotations, and dramaturgic notes.
Programs 1992/93-1996/97
Programs 1987/88-1991/92
Programs 1983/84-1986/87
Programs 1977/78/79-1982/83
Programs 1972/73-1976/77
Programs 1966/67-1971/72
Programs 1969-1976
Programs prior to 1966
Programs miscellaneous
Publicity Images n.d.-1990
The publicity images include mainly negatives of productions but also include some photographs. They date from 1980-1982 and from 1986-1990.
Publicity Images Apr 1989-Oct 1990
Publicity Images Feb 1988-Mar 1989
Publicity Images Nov 1986-Dec 1987
Publicity Images July 1986-Nov 1986
Publicity Images Aug 1982-Dec 1982
Publicity Images Mar 1980-Apr 1982
Publicity Images n.d
Photographs circa 1920s-1990
The photographs date from 1973-1984 and are labeled. They are black and white and are eight by ten inches and five by seven inches. A 1968 Ring Round the Moon production contains six color photographs. The photographs depict primarily Mount Holyoke students whose movement interacts with set design to create performances and show details of costume design.
Photographs Apr 1989-May 1990
Photographs Oct-Dec 1989
Photographs Apr 1988-Dec 1988
Photographs Apr/May 1987-Mar 1988
Photographs Nov 1986-Mar 1987
Photographs Mar 1986-Oct 1986
Photographs Oct 1985-Dec 1985
Photographs Mar 1985-May 1985
Photographs Dec 1984
Photographs Apr/May 1984
Photographs Mar 1984
Photographs Oct/Dec 1983
Photographs Apr/May 1983
Photographs Apr/Jan 1983
Photographs Apr/May/Nov/Dec 1982
Photographs Mar 1982, Oct/Nov/Dec 1981
Photographs Mar/Apr/May 1981
Photographs Oct/Dec 1980
Photographs Apr 1980
Photographs Jan/Mar 1980
Photographs Jan/Mar/Oct 1979
Photographs 1979
Photographs Nov 1978
Photographs Apr/May 1978
Photographs Jan/Feb/Mar 1978
Photographs Feb/Mar/May 1977
Photographs May/Oct/Dec 1976
Photographs Mar 1976
Photographs Oct/Dec 1975
Photographs Feb/Mar/May/Nov 1975; Mar 1977
Photographs Oct/Dec 1974; crew photos
Photographs Dec 1973; Jan/Feb/Mar/May 1974
Photographs May 1973-Dec 1973
Photographs Oct 1972-Apr 1973
Photographs Feb 1972-May 1972
Photographs Mar 1971-Dec 1971
Photographs Mar 1970-Feb 1971
Photographs Oct 1968-Feb 1970
Photographs Apr 1963-Apr 1968
Photographs Apr 1951-1961
Photographs miscellaneous