Use Restrictions

Copyright is not retained by George Mason University Special Collections Research Center. There are no restrictions on personal use. In other cases, users should seek out the copyright holder for permission to use.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Martin Cohen theater collection, C0335, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Randolph Lytton in 2019.

Processing Information

Processing completed by Kelsey Kim in March 2022. Arrangement decisions were made in conjunction with Elizabeth Beckman. The collection was surveyed and arranged by format, including alphabetizing of the playbills based upon their extent. EAD markup by Elizabeth Beckman in March 2022.

Additional processing and finding aid updates completed by Amanda Brent in May 2022.

Biographical Note

Martin B. Cohen was born in Albany, New York, the son of David and Betty Cohen. He began his career as a teacher at Giffen Elementary School and Hackett Middle School in Albany, New York. He later obtained a master's degree from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from George Washington University. Following his graduate education, Cohen became a professor of American history at George Mason University. He taught at George Mason University for 35 years. Cohen enjoyed travel and theather and was engaged as a lecturer and collector of the arts. Cohen passed away at the age of 81 on March 24, 2019. He is interred in the Beth Emeth Cemetery in Loudonville, New York.

Scope and Content

This collection contains primarily collectible material from various stage performances and motion picture filmmaking. Stage performance includes playbills and programs from the performances Cohen attended, often including ticket stubs from the performance, and other programs related to different venues in the Washington, D.C. area. There are numerous film posters of various sizes used to advertise upcoming films, and pressbooks to accompany film marketing. There are pages and books of sheet music from a variety of films and musicals. There are some personal papers as well, including a term paper written by Cohen, theater magazines, comic books, photographs, and a record album scrapbook. Among the artifacts included in this collection are a number of projectors and cameras for film, animation films cells, and toys.

Arrangement

Arranged into five series based on format.

Related Material

The George Mason University Special Collections Research Center holdings include other collections pertaining to theatre and film, including the Motion picture press kit collection, the Robert Prosky papers, the Cynthia Garn film production collection, and the Charles Rodrigues playbill collection.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Film posters
• Musical Theater
• Plays.
• Theater.