Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance records Guide to the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance records UA 59

Guide to the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance records UA 59


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Special Collections Research Center

William & Mary Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
400 Landrum Dr
Williamsburg, Virginia
Business Number: 757-221-3090
spcoll@wm.edu
URL: https://libraries.wm.edu/libraries-spaces/special-collections

Finding Aid Authors: Special Collections Staff.

Repository
Special Collections Research Center
Identification
UA 59
Title
Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance Records 1920-ongoing
Quantity
30.50 Linear Feet
Creator
Dept. of Theatre, Speech, and Dance
Creator
Catron, Louis E.
Creator
Hunt, Althea, 1890-1971
Creator
Scammon, Howard, 1911-1999
Creator
Sherman, Roger
Language
English

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Use:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access:

The collection is open to all researchers. Some portions of the collection are not completely arranged, described, and rehoused. Release forms for oral histories in Series 11 are available with the transcriptions or the donor file. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation:

Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance records, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Acquisition Information:

Acc. 2005.005, acquired 07/21/2005; Acc. 2000.006, acquired 05/14/1992; Acc. 1980.021, acquired 03/04/1980; Acc. 1984.012, acquired 02/20/1956; Acc. 1986.001, acquired 10/18/1983; Acc. 1991.011, acquired 03/08/1991; Acc. 1989.091, acquired 06/22/1989 and was transferred to the University Archives Audiovisual Collection in 2008; Acc. 1982.036, acquired 06/10/1982; Acc. 1996.028, acquired 12/16/1996; Acc. 2008.162 received on 5/10/2001 from Ann Elizabeth Armstrong; Acc. 1985.028, acquired 05/10/1985; Acc. 1983.076, acquired 11/02/1983; Acc. 1982.063, acquired 10/15/1982; Acc. 1983.036, acquired 08/31/1983; Acc. 1987.021, acquired 03/27/1987; Acc. 1990.062, acquired 09/03/1990; Acc. 2007.079 recieved on 12/5/2007 from Christopher Robins of the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance; Acc. 2008.011 received on 1/29/2008 from Christopher Robbins of the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance; Acc. 2008.127 was received on 11/14/2008 from Christopher Robbins of the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance, and was separated from this collection on 6/22/2009 and was added to the University Archives Poster Collection (UA 12); Acc. 2008.162 was accessioned as part of the backlog and was received prior to 2007. Acquisition information for material received after 7/13/2009 is available by consulting a Special Collections Research Center staff member. Acc. 2016.170 was received in 2016 by delivery to Special Collections.

Processing Information:

Acc. 2008.162 accessioned from the backlog on 12/12/2008 by Amy C. Schindler, University Archivist. Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, and Nathaniel Baako, SCRC Staff,  began arranging and describing the collection in June 2009. Emily Eklund, SCRC Staff, arranged and described accession 2005.005 in September 2009-April 2010. Acc. 2011.291 accessioned and minimally processed by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in May 2011.

Accruals:

Future accruals are expected.

Historical Note:

William and Mary boasts one of the oldest and most reputable theatre programs in the United States. The discipline of dance was formally established at William and Mary in 1941 by Professor Grace Felker through the Modern Dance Club and its subset of advanced students known as Orchesis. In 2000, Professors Roby and Sherman retired, and that fall, the Dance Program moved to the Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance where it continues to flourish.

Scope and Contents

The records of the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance at the College of William and Mary holds material from the early 20th century to the present. The collection includes departmental administrative records, programs, scripts and playbooks, photographs, posters, as well as material from the Virginia Shakespeare Festival and the Grassroots Theatre Oral History Project.

Arrangement of Materials:

This collection is currently being arranged and described. Please consult a staff member for assistance.

This collection is arranged into six series: Series 1: Administrative Records; Series 2: Theatre Programs; Series 3: Virginia Shakespeare Festival; Series 4: Scripts and Playbooks; Series 5: Grassroots Theatre Oral History Project; Series 6: Photographs; Series 7: Dance Program.

Related Material

William and Mary Theatre Records (UA 67); Althea Hunt Papers (UA 6.028); Howard Scammon Drama Prize Winners Collection (UA 52); University Archives Audiovisual, Photograph, Artifact, Subject, Bound Volume and Poster Collections.

Information about related materials is available at http://guides.swem.wm.edu/wm

Separated Material

Two audio cassette tapes of the Howard Scammon Roast and two unidentified VHS videotapes were removed from Acc. 2005.005 on 6/10/2009 and were made part of the University Archives Audiovisual Collection (UA 58); posters from productions by the department were pulled from this collection on 6/22/2009 and were added to the University Archives Poster Collection (UA 13). Posters from 2016.170 were separated for flattening and can be found in the designated area in Pav. B.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Physical Characteristics or Technical Requirements:

The following series are stored offsite: 7,8, 12-17. Please consult staff for assistance.

Access to the original audiotape recordings in Series 5 may be limited due to the condition of the original recordings. Consult a staff member in advance of visiting the SCRC to use the collection to discuss the use of these items.

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

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Container List

id57523
Series 1: Administrative Records
1920-[ongoing]
Scope and Contents

This series contains administrative records for the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance from the 1920s to the 1990s. Acc. 2000.006: Department of Theatre and Speech Records, 1974-1981. Includes records of the Chair; Roger Sherman's records regarding fundraising; budget requests and justification forms; materials about the publication of The William and Mary Theatre: 50 Years; a file on the history of theatre at William and Mary; information about the Althea Hunt Theatre Fund.

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id57524
Series 2: Theatre Programs
1920s-[ongoing]
Scope and Contents

This series consists of programs from various plays that were produced by the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance. See also the records of the William & Mary Theatre.

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id57525
Series 3: Virginia Shakespeare Festival
1978-[ongoing]
Scope and Contents

This series consists of correspondence, programs, news releases, and other material from the Virginia Shakespeare Festival held each year at Phi Beta Kappa Hall. The series is arranged chronologically.

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id57526
Series 4: Scripts and Playbooks
circa 1956-1989
Scope and Contents

This series consists of books and scripts of plays both performed by and written by students in the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance. The series is divided into two subseries: Student Scripts and Playbooks, and Theatre Production Playbooks.

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id57529
Series 5: Grassroots Theatre Oral History Project
1995-1999
Scope and Contents

This series consists of correspondence, transcripts, audiotapes, photographs, notes, and articles about the Grassroots Theatre Oral History Project by students in the Department of Theatre Speech and Dance from 1995 to 1999. The project conducted oral histories from various members of the Williamsburg, Virginia community and created theatre performances using those stories. The Grassroots Theatre conducted Story Circles, small groups of people who would sit in a circle and tell stories or remembrances. The performances documented in this series include "Walk Together Children," a play about Williamsburg during the Civil Rights Era in the 1950s and 1960s; "Community Ties," a play about the Kingspoint, Mooretown Road, and Brook Haven neighborhoods; and, a project to document 20th Century history of Williamsburg through story circles with retired school teachers, church historians, the African-American community, and others. Not all of the oral histories in this series have written transcripts and access to the original recordings may be limited due to the condition of the original recordings. The transcripts in this series are arranged chronologically according to when they were conducted.

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id57532
Series 6: Theatre Production Photographs
1928-2000
Scope and Contents

This series consists of photographs from various productions produced by the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance as well as other photographs related to the department. Acc. 1995.27: Slides (not yet inventoried here). Acc. 2008.166: This accession includes photographs of students and scripts for unidentified plays.

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id147637
Series 7: Dance Programs
circa 1979-[ongoing]
Scope and Contents

Acc. 2012.148: This accession contains posters, programs, and postcards for dance performances including An Evening of Dance, Orchesis, and Dance Minors, circa 1970s-2011.

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Series 8: Oversize Material
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Accession 2020.040: Theater posters and advertisements
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Accession 2022.182: Seasons 2020 and 2021
Scope and Contents

Promotion materials from the Theater, Speech and Dance department. Items includes a banner documenting a live zoom conversation.

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Accession 2022.211: Reception photographs
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