The Mona Mitchell Theater Program Collection dates from 1925-1991, and documents theatrical productions especially in New York City throughout those years, particularly the 1930s. Alphabetized by production title, the collection consists mainly of theater programs, but also includes newspaper clippings relevant to a particular production. Any clippings relevant to a particular show are filed with that production's program. The collection includes programs from A Streetcar Named Desire starring Jessica Tandy and Marlon Brando, and numerous other performances by noted actors and actresses including Laurence Olivier, Katherine Hepburn, Bob Hope, Orson Wells, Humphrey Bogart, Lillian Gish, Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye, Paul Newman and Walter Matthau, among others. The majority of the programs in this collection are from New York theaters, but programs from London, Heidelberg, Paris, Washington DC, Oregon, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego are also included. Most programs are The Playbill or Playbill programs. Theater programs are usually booklets that outline a performance and provide general background information about a production. They can also include photos of the production, a cast list, biographies of actors and production staff, the name of the production's theater, background information about the show, and advertisements. The term "playbill" is sometimes used interchangeably with "theater program." Program companies, including Playbill, usually pay theaters for the rights to produce a production's program. The Playbill focused on Broadway and off-Broadway theaters through most of the twentieth century. In the 1990s Playbill expanded into dance, opera, symphony, and other performing arts.
