Abelson, Hope. Papers, 1952-2006.
32 cubic ft. (32 boxes)
Papers of Hope Abelson, whose half-century career included producing plays on Broadway, supporting and nurturing Chicago theaters both large and small, helping to establish the League of Chicago Theatres, forming a United States support group for
Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and funding an artist-in-residence program at Northwestern University. Includes correspondence, production notes, scripts, royalty notices, tribute books, scrapbooks, recorded interviews, photographs, posters, awards, and artifacts. Also includes photographs, brochures, and other souvenirs from Abelson's extensive international travel.
Subjects: Theater; Women
Call Number: Midwest MS Abelson
Collection Stack Location: 3a 26 1-2
Finding Aids:
None. Collection available by appointment only.
Allied Arts Corp. (Chicago, Ill.). Records, 1930-1970.
25 cubic ft.
Clippings, artist correspondence, box office records, concert programs, and photographs of the Allied Arts Corporation. Known as Zelzer Management until 1948, Allied Arts Corporation was run by Harry and Sarah Zelzer and was responsible for bringing many important musicians, dancers and other performing artists to Chicago.
Subjects: Arts; Dance; Music; Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS Allied Arts
Collection Stack Location: 3a 57 3-6
Finding Aids:
None. Collection available by appointment only.
American Circus Collection, 1891-1939.
4.3 cubic ft.
Late 19th and early 20th century circus- and theater-related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia, collected by Chicago architect Irving Kane Pond (1857-1939).
Subjects: Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS AmCircus
Collection Stack Location: 3a 36 1; 4 22 1
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Online Catalog.
Inventory: Online.
Arts Club of Chicago. Records, 1892-1995.
92.5 cubic ft.
Incorporated in 1916, the Arts Club was developed with objectives of maintaining a clubhouse in Chicago that provided galleries and exhibition facilities to foster high standards of art and develop the arts community. Records include clippings, correspondence, exhibition flyers, photographs, and other miscellaneous material relating to the Arts Club of Chicago.
Subjects: Arts; Clubs and Organizations; Music; Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS Arts Club (formerly Ar)
Collection Stack Location: 3a 36 6-12
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Online Catalog.
Inventory: Online.
Auditorium Theater (Chicago, Ill.). Programs, 1889-1936.
9 cubic ft.
Theater programs for productions at Chicago's Auditorium Theater. Envisioned as a world-class theater and opera house by Chicago impresario Ferdinand Peck, the Auditorium opened in 1889 on the corner of Congress and Michigan Avenue. After 1910, an increasing number of programs are missing from this collection. A microfilm copy is also available.
Subjects: Theater
Call Number: Case +V 18896 .053 (or Microfilm 122)
Collection Stack Location: 4 19 3
Finding Aids:
Summary: Modern Manuscript Collections Notebooks.
Barnes, Bessie. Papers, 1918-1992.
3 cubic ft. (7 boxes)
Photographs, newspaper reviews and miscellaneous personal items relating to Bessie Barnes, producer of nightclub theatrical reviews in Chicago and Milwaukee in the 1920's and 1930's.
Subjects: Dance; Theater; Women
Call Number: Dance MS Barnes
Collection Stack Location: 3a 46 2
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Online Catalog.
Inventory: Online.
Bennett, James O'Donnell, 1870-1940. Papers, 1896-1936.
0.2 cubic ft.
Letters written to James O'Donnell Bennett while he was a journalist for the Chicago Record-Herald and the Chicago Tribune, primarily in his capacity as literary critic.
Subjects: Journalism; Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS Bennett
Collection Stack Location: 3a 37 12
Finding Aids:
Inventory: Online.
Cassidy, Claudia. Papers, ca. 1880-1996, bulk 1930-1985.
16 cubic ft. (42 boxes)
Articles and reviews, correspondence, broadcast scripts, photographs, and clippings of the Chicago Tribune performing arts critic from 1942 to 1965. Cassidy wrote her influential "On the Aisle" column for the Tribune, then wrote freelance criticism and
hosted a weekly program of arts criticism for WFMT, helping to shape the course of music, theater, and dance in Chicago.
Subjects: Dance; Journalism; Music; Theater; Women
Call Number: Midwest MS Cassidy
Collection Stack Location: 3a 38 1-2
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Online Catalog.
Inventory: Online.
Conolly, Thomas. Papers, 1890-1920.
3 cubic ft.
Autographs, bookplates, clippings, letters, photographs, and correspondence of Thomas Conolly, employee of the Auditorium Theater for 52 years and celebrated collector. Conolly moved to Chicago from his native England in 1889. The collection includes autographs of many famous theatrical and political figures (especially British), and correspondence from Ellen Terry and Julia Marlowe, among others. Plays, librettos, pamphlets and photographs collected by Conolly are cataloged separately.
Subjects: Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS Connolly
Collection Stack Location: 3a 38 4
Finding Aids:
None. Collection available by appointment only.
Articles: Newberry Library Bulletin, no. 4 (July 1946), p. 3-10.
Craig, Edward Gordon, 1872-1966. Letters, 1936-1945.
0.5 cubic ft.
Letters from English actor, theatre director-designer and theorist Craig to printer Guido Morris, written from 1936-1945. They are accompanied by numerous enclosures, drawings, drafts, etc.
Subjects: Printing and Book Arts; Theater
Call Number: Wing Modern MS Cr
Collection Stack Location: 3a 52 5
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Manuscript Card Catalog.
Summary: Modern Manuscript Collections Notebooks.
Catalog cards: Manuscript Card Catalog.
Doane, Julia W. Memorabilia, 1876-1911.
0.3 cubic ft.
An autograph album from 1876 and a scrapbook from 1911 compiled by Julia Doane, a Chicagoan with connections to the theatrical and musical communities. Both items feature actors and other theatrical figures of the late 19th century.
Subjects: Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS Doane
Collection Stack Location: 3a 23 2
Finding Aids:
None. Collection available by appointment only.
Gerstenberg, Alice. Papers, 1903-1971.
3.5 cubic ft.
Correspondence, works and miscellaneous material reflecting Gerstenberg's activities in Chicago's social and cultural life in the first half of the 20th century, in particular her involvement with local theater. She was one of the original members of Maurice Browne's Chicago Little Theatre, founded in 1912.
Subjects: Theater; Women
Call Number: Midwest MS Gerstenberg (formerly Ge)
Collection Stack Location: 3a 39 7
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Online Catalog.
Inventory: Online.
Goodman, Kenneth Sawyer, 1883-1918. Papers, 1910-1919.
19 cubic ft.
Works in manuscript and print, programs, clippings, photographs, artifacts and memorabilia of Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, Chicago playwright, poet, and leader of the "little theater" movement in the early 20th century. The Goodman Theatre was built in his memory, after his early death. The collection also includes material from other members of his family (including journals and photographs).
Subjects: Family; Theater; Women
Call Number: Midwest MS Goodman
Collection Stack Location: 3a 39 3-4
Finding Aids:
None. Collection available by appointment only.
Haugh, Dolores. Riverview Amusement Park Collection, 1904-1975
3 cubic ft. (3 boxes)
Riverview Park archival records, including correspondence, accounts, publicity materials, concession contracts, minutes and reports, photographs, scrapbooks, clippings, and advertising materials, salvaged by Dolores Haugh from the abandoned park office one week before it burned down. Reports, minutes, correspondence, and other documents date mainly from the early years of the park. Advertising materials, clippings, and photographs are mainly from the last decades of park operation. There is information about rides and concessions, including the famous "Bobs," events like the Riverview Ramble and Mayor William Hale Thompson's 1920s outings for school children, staff members, and the general operation of the park. Also materials gathered by Haugh for her newspaper articles in the Arlington "Day" and her book, Riverview Amusement Park
(2004).
Subjects: Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS Riverview
Collection Stack Location: 3A 23 1
Finding Aids:
Preliminary Inventory: Modern Manuscript Collections Notebooks.
Head, Cloyd S. Papers, 1895-1968.
4 cubic ft.
Writings and correspondence, souvenirs and miscellany of Cloyd S. Head, Chicago playwright, theatrical director, business manager of the Goodman Theatre and husband of the poet Eunice Tietjens.
Subjects: Literature; Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS Head
Collection Stack Location: 3a 24 16
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Online Catalog.
Inventory: Online.
Hecht, Ben, 1893-1964. Papers, 1879-1983.
94 cubic ft.
Chicago Daily Record and Chicago Daily News journalist, and active participant in the Chicago Literary Renaissance. Hecht continued his career in New York and California as a journalist, novelist, and playwright, and was a prolific Hollywood screenwriter and Jewish activist. His papers consist of correspondence, works, subject files, legal and financial materials, photographs, scrapbooks, sound recordings, film, video, artifacts, and miscellaneous ephemera documenting his life and literary output, as well as the lives and careers of his wife Rose, and his actress daughter Jenny.
Subjects: Journalism; Literature; Theater; Women
Call Number: Midwest MS Hecht (formerly He)
Collection Stack Location: 3a 39 1; 3a 40 1-5; 3a 59 13-14
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Online Catalog.
Inventory: Online.
Lardner, Ring, 1885-1933. Papers, 1885-1982.
6.5 cubic ft.
American journalist and humorist author of short stories, plays, and song lyrics, who began his career as a sports reporter and wrote for a number of Chicago newspapers. Lardner's papers include courtship correspondence, letters (1907-1910) from Lardner to his Niles, Mich., friend, Wilma A. Johnson, and letters to the Lardner children and Abbott family members. Also correspondence from magazine editors and friends, copies of published short stories; typescripts of plays, song lyrics, and unpublished musical comedies, photographs, and newsclippings.
Subjects: Literature; Journalism; Music; Theater; Women
Call Number: Midwest MS Lardner (formerly Lar)
Collection Stack Location: 3a 40 12-13
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Online Catalog.
Inventory: Online.
Lederer, William L. Papers, 1959-2006.
3.5 cubic ft. (4 boxes)
Chicago playwright and nephew of Studs Cunningham, upon whom James T. Farrell based the main character of his Studs Lonigan trilogy. Included are Lederer's original plays, screenplays, novel, novella, and poetry. Also eight letters from James T. Farrell to Lederer, 1972-1973, and one letters from Marshall Brooks, 2004.
Subjects: Literature; Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS Lederer
Collection Stack Location: 3a 41 12
Finding Aids:
None. Collection available by appointment only.
Mihopoulos, Effie. Papers, ca. 1975-ongoing.
20 cubic ft.
Chicago-based poet, critic, and cultural commentator. Along with publishing her own literary journal, Salome, Mihopoulos has conducted oral histories with prominent dancers and performers. Her papers consist of her own writings in addition to musical, theatrical, and dance programs, publicity, and photographs.
Subjects: Dance; Theater; Women
Call Number: Midwest MS Mihopoulos
Collection Stack Location: 3a 49 8
Finding Aids:
None. Collection available by appointment only.
Stevens, Ashton. Papers, ca. 1850-1952, bulk 1920-1940.
37 cubic ft.
Correspondence, works, memorabilia and photographs of Ashton Stevens, "the dean of American drama critics." Stevens worked for the Hearst newspapers in San Francisco and New York and then for Chicago's Herald, Examiner, American, and Herald-American. Correspondents include Dr. Maurice Bernstein (Orson Welles' guardian), Gene Fowler, Gene Market, the Lunts, Jack Norwith, Abel Green, and others. The collection also includes a copy of the shooting script for Citizen Kane; playbills; materials on the banjo; and clippings.
Subjects: Journalism, Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS Stevens
Collection Stack Location: 3a 42 4-6
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Online Catalog.
Inventory: Online.
Stevens, Kay Ashton. Papers, 1905-1978.
53 cubic ft.
Works, radio scripts, audio interviews, correspondence, clippings, artifacts and memorabilia of Kay Ashton-Stevens, Chicago stage, radio, and television performer and wife of Chicago Tribune drama critic Ashton Stevens. Kay Ashton-Stevens performed on stage in the 1920s and '30s as Katherine Krug, and later hosted the radio interview show "Hands Across the Table."
Subjects: Theater; Women
Call Number: Midwest MS StevensK
Collection Stack Location: 3a 55 11-12
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Online Catalog.
Inventory: Online.
Theater programs, ca. 1755-present, bulk 1870-present.
25 cubic ft.
Programs, playbills, and scrapbooks for theatrical productions, including music recitals, opera, some motion pictures, and other spectacles in addition to drama. Programs from Chicago, New York City, and England make up a large portion of the collection, but there are examples from theaters across the United States and Europe.
Subjects: Music; Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS Theater
Collection Stack Location: 3 35 2-4
Finding Aids:
None. Collection available by appointment only.
Westervelt, Louise St. John. Collection of theatrical and musical photographs,
1869-1930, bulk 1870-1891.
0.5 cubic ft.
Collection of photographs, mainly cabinet photographs but also a few cartes de visite and gelatin prints, of international musical and theatrical performers of the nineteenth century, all dated before 1900 with the exception of a photograph of the dancer Ruth
Page taken in 1930. Also includes photographs of Sarah Bernhardt, Edwin Booth, Lilli Lehmann, Anton Rubinstein and Theodore Thomas.
Subjects: Music; Photographs; Theater
Call Number: Midwest MS Westervelt
Collection Stack Location: 3a 44 2
Finding Aids:
Collection-level catalog record: Online Catalog.
Inventory: Online.