Guide to the Broadway souvenir theatre programs collection C0182 Broadway souvenir theatre programs collection

Guide to the Broadway souvenir theatre programs collection C0182

Broadway souvenir theatre programs collection


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George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center

Fenwick Library, MS2FL
4400 University Dr.
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Business Number: 703-993-2220
Fax Number: 703-993-8911
speccoll@gmu.edu
URL: https://scrc.gmu.edu

Tom Duncan, Amanda Menjivar

Repository
George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Identification
C0182
Title
Broadway souvenir theatre programs collection 1942-1997
Quantity
2.75 Linear Feet, 6 boxes
Location
R43, C5, S1 - S7
Language
English .
Abstract
This collection contains theatre souvenir programs from Broadway productions between the years 1942 and 1997. The programs include descriptions of the production, along with information on the respective creators, performers, directors, choreographers, and producers. It contains many programs from original Broadway show runs, and features many famous actors, singers, and dancers who performed in Broadway shows.

Administrative Information

Use Restrictions

The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Broadway souvenir theatre programs collection, C0182, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.

Acquisition Information

The donor is unknown.

Processing Information

Processed by Special Collections Research Center staff. EAD markup completed by Tom Duncan in 2010. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in April 2020.

Historical Information

The Theater District of New York City, known as Broadway after the main thoroughfare where over forty theatres make their home, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. First known as the Great White Way due to its dazzling use of lights on marquees, Broadway is synonymous with the best live theatre has to offer. The Golden Age of Broadway occurred between 1943 and 1959, when the theatre-scene exploded with the advent of a new form of musical, popularized by the legendary duo Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein III in "Oklahoma!" What followed were some of the most popular, successful, and enduring musicals in American history. In addition to Rodgers and Hammerstein, composers and lyricists like Leonard Bernstein, Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, Stephen Sondheim, Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter found great success during these years with a variety of shows and collaboration with one another. Though new plays and musicals continued to churn out during the 1960s and 1970s, Broadway suffered a creative and financial slump during this time, only to be revitalized in the mid to late 1980s by the likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber, producer Cameron Mackintosh, and Stephen Sondheim.

Scope and Content

This collection contains theatre souvenir programs from Broadway productions between the years 1942 and 1997. The programs include descriptions of the production, along with information on the respective creators, performers, directors, choreographers, and producers. Instead of the traditional free playbill which is handed out upon entrance of the theatre, souvenir programs tend to be purchased at show concession stands, and are of higher quality, have color photography, and are intended to last as a souvenir of the theatrical experience. This collection contains many programs from original Broadway show runs, revivals, and features many famous actors, singers, and dancers who performed in Broadway shows. It also contains a few film souvenir programs.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by production title.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center holds other playbill and theatre-related collections.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Bibliography

"Broadway History." Spotlight on Broadway. https://www.spotlightonbroadway.com/broadway-history. Accessed April 17, 2020.

"The Golden Age of Broadway." Digital Public Library of America. https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-golden-age-of-broadway. Accessed April 17, 2020.

"Timeline - 100 Years of Musical Theater - 1943-1959: Golden Age." PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/timelines/1943-1959/. Accessed April 17, 2020.

Significant Places Associated With the Collection

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Container List

Broadway Souvenir Theatre Programs
1942-1997
Scope and Contents note
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