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Barrett, Wilson, 1848-1904. Playscripts and Promptbooks Collection, 1795-1978 (bulk 1870-1915).

Title: Playscripts and Promptbooks Collection, 1795-1978 (bulk 1870-1915).

The Playscripts and Promptbooks Collection contains promptbooks, stage managers' workbooks, preparation and rehearsal copies, and unused scripts for 100 dramas, comedies, musical comedies, and other dramatic works, many of which were staged in New York or London. The majority of the items in this collection are marked copies that appear to have been used in the production process. The collection is dominated by material associated with a handful of managers and producers. Two promptbooks marked in John Philip Kemble's hand record stagings at Covent Garden in 1805 and 1816. The office of the American producer Charles Frohman was the source of typescripts, mostly unmarked, for eighteen plays, many of which were produced at the Empire Theatre in New York or in London between 1901 and 1913. Also included are materials for stagings by Arthur Collins at Drury Lane, by the British theater manager Frank Hiam, and by Wilson Barrett, Annie E. F. Horniman, and R. H. Burnside. Other noteworthy material relates to playwrights and theaters. Arthur Wing Pinero is represented by a heavily revised copy of The Profligate; Lillian Hellman, by a souvenir promptbook for The Children's Hour; Dion Boucicault, by an incomplete holograph manuscript for Janet Pride; and Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton by a promptbook for Money. Other authors include Augustin Daly, W. Somerset Maugham, J. M. Barrie, Cecil Raleigh, Benjamin Webster, and Richard Rodgers. In addition to the John Philip Kemble and Arthur Collins promptbooks for Covent Garden and Drury Lane, the collection includes promptbooks for the Portsmouth and Adelphi Theatres.

ArchivalResource: 17 document boxes, 1 oversize box (7.39 linear feet).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/86168030 View

B. J. Simmons & Co. B. J. Simmons & Co. Costume Design Records, 1878-1969 (bulk 1900-1960).

Title: B. J. Simmons & Co. Costume Design Records, 1878-1969 (bulk 1900-1960).

The bulk of the B. J. Simmons & Co. Costume Design Records (the Costume Design Portfolios series) comprises 34,000 costume designs, dress plots, and related materials produced or collected by the firm between 1878 and 1969 (bulk 1910-1960). Over 1,100 theatrical productions and 116 films are represented, including works by Shakespeare, Shaw, and Gilbert and Sullivan; performances by John Gielgud (Hamlet, 1944) and Laurence Olivier (as Romeo, 1935); numerous Ivor Novello musicals; Oscar Asche's blockbuster production of the musical Chu Chin Chow (1916); original designs for Peter Pan (1904) and Ben-Hur (1902); and British films such as Olivier's Henry V and Things to Come. The costume designers Percy Anderson, Attilio Comelli, and Sers are particularly well represented. The Production Portfolios comprise 227 folio scrapbooks of souvenir programs, clipped reviews and articles from entertainment periodicals, and photographs showing illustrations of stage and film costumes, often with accompanying textual descriptions or reviews. Over 8,000 productions between 1880 and 1959 are represented, most from London or Paris. Although many productions were dressed by Simmons, other stagings are also documented, allowing researchers to compare several presentations of the same play. When published sources were not sufficient to meet the requirements of a particular theatrical production or commission, designers conducted research at libraries and museums. Over time, Simmons compiled a vast visual archive of tracings, clippings, photographs, postcards, and other ephemeral materials. The Geographic Costume Portfolios contain more than 10,000 items arranged in meticulous order by country (from Abyssinia to Yugoslavia) and time period. England and France are especially well represented. After the initial production and sale of costumes, Simmons often leased their garments to amateur dramatic societies and subsequent professional productions. The records for this part of their enterprise are found in the Business Records series, as are other documents concerning the management of a costume house.

ArchivalResource: 224 document boxes, 331 oversize boxes, 227 portfolios, 35 flat file drawers (400 linear feet).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/79415228 View

Collins, Arthur, 1864-1933. Autograph letter signed from Arthur Collins, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, to unidentified recipient [manuscript], 1903 August 25.

Title: Autograph letter signed from Arthur Collins, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, to unidentified recipient [manuscript], 1903 August 25.

ArchivalResource: 1 item.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/230423024 View

Collins, Arthur, 1864-1933,. Autograph letters signed from Arthur Collins to various people [manuscript], 1891-1894.

Title: Autograph letters signed from Arthur Collins to various people [manuscript], 1891-1894.

ArchivalResource: 7 items.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/233982946 View

Collins, Arthur, 1864-1933. Letter to Ada Rehan, n.d.

Title: Letter to Ada Rehan, n.d.

ArchivalResource: 1 item (1 l.)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63561896 View