{"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Baccess_subjects%5D%5B%5D=Theater+--+Production+and+direction\u0026f%5Bdate_range%5D%5B%5D=1984","last":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Baccess_subjects%5D%5B%5D=Theater+--+Production+and+direction\u0026f%5Bdate_range%5D%5B%5D=1984\u0026page=1"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":null,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":1,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":4,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":true}},"data":[{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416","type":"collection","attributes":{"title":"Arena Stage records, 1949/2010","creator":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416#creator","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)","label":"Creator"}},"abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"The Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from its beginnings in 1950 to the present, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, handwritten correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records.","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416","ead_ssi":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416","_root_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416","_nest_parent_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/GMU/repositories_2_resources_416.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Arena Stage records","title_ssm":["Arena Stage records"],"title_tesim":["Arena Stage records"],"unitdate_ssm":["1949 - 2010"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1949 - 2010"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1949/2010"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Arena Stage records, 1949/2010"],"text":["Arena Stage records, 1949/2010","C0017","/repositories/2/resources/416","Theater -- Washington (D.C.)","Theater","Theater -- United States","Theater programs","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Video recordings","Sound recordings","Photographic prints","There are no access restrictions.","to this collection are expected.","The collection is arranged into five series, each of which is further divided into subseries:","Series\n      Series 1: Administrative records, 1949-2007 (Boxes 1-196)\n      Series 2: Production files, 1950-2010 (Boxes 197-588, 654-663)\n      Series 3: Photographs, 1950-1991 (Boxes 589-639)\n      Series 4: Oversize materials, 1949-late 2000s (Boxes 640-720)\n      Series 5: Audiovisual materials, 1970-2007 (Boxes 721-739)","Maslon, Lawrence, editor. \"The Arena Adventure: The First 40 Years.\" Washington, DC: Arena Stage, 1990.","From its opening on August 16, 1950, the Arena Stage has dedicated itself to being a space of imagination and innovation, a tool of \"civilization,\" and Washington, D.C.'s preeminent regional theater. Founded by Zelda Fichandler, with assistance from her husband Thomas C. Fichandler and partner Edward Mangum, the Arena Stage began as a for-profit theater under Arena Enterprises, Inc. The original Hippodrome Theatre, located on Ninth and New York N.W. in D.C., was revolutionary amongst regional theatres for its theatre-in-the-round construction and would provide the blueprint for all future Arena locations.","Arena began its long and successful life with Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer. Arena owed its early successes in the 1950s to its fluid play schedule organization and its willingness to put on works that were not commercial successes on Broadway. In November of 1956, after a year's hiatus, the company relocated to a temporary home at the Old Heurich Brewery, dubbed the Old Vat by company members. The move was facilitated in part by the commitment and drive of Board members J. Burke Knapp, Albert M. Berkowitz, Israel Convisser, Leslie Amouri, and Henry J. Danilowicz. However, financial issues would continue to trouble Arena Enterprises, Inc., eventually leading to its dissolution in 1959, and the creation of Arena's new, non-profit parent organization, the Washington Drama Society.","During the 1960s, Arena garnered international renown in its new space: the Arena Stage Theatre. The new building, located at Sixth Street and Maine Avenue SW, was the first playhouse built in Washington since 1895. Chicago architect Harry Weese designed the space to be as innovative as possible while still maintaining the theater-in-the-round layout. Now a non-profit theater, Arena drew much of its funding during this time from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and generous donations from both the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundations.","The Arena Stage began some of its most ambitious work during the 1960s including forming the Living Stage Theatre Company, further integrating its cast, and staging its most ambitious and acclaimed work to date: The Great White Hope. The Great White Hope included twenty five additional guest actors, including James Earl Jones, and was an enormous success, both critically and financially, for Arena. It was the first major resident theater production to be exported to Broadway. Fichandler also began to experiment with casting African American actors in traditionally white roles during the 1968 season after she published the paper \"Towards a Deepening Aesthetic.\" Fichandler experimented with non-traditional casting in plays like King Lear and The Threepenny Opera, but unfortunately these plays were met with critical confusion and disappointing ticket sales. Arena Stage was incredibly successful in the 1970s, garnering awards and critical approval, and international recognition. Not content with the current Arena Stage configuration, Fichandler and others worked diligently to acquire another stage facility that would collaborate, not compete, with the current Stage. Generosity on the part of David Lloyd Kreeger, and others, led to the construction of the new Kreeger Theater which opened on January 15, 1971.","In 1973 Arena would have the opportunity to take two of its plays, Our Town and Inherit the Wind to the U.S.S.R. This was the first ever trip to the Soviet Union undertaken by a resident theater group. The trip was a wild success with Russian audiences giving the cast a standing ovation following their performance of Inherit the Wind at the Moscow Art Theatre. In April 1976 the American Theatre Critics Association bestowed upon the Arena Stage a special Tony Award for resident theaters. The ATCA cited Arena's qualities as a \"trailblazer\" in theatrical arts and representative of other theaters that had followed its lead.","The early 1980s were a difficult time for theater, but, in spite of this, Arena continued to push the limits of conventional residential theater. The 1982 production of K2, for example, saw the construction of a sheer glacial face on the Kreeger stage according to the vision of set designer Ming Cho Lee. In 1986 twenty-three actors and a thirteen member production staff traveled to Jerusalem to perform Zelda's production of The Crucible at the Israel Festival.","1989 marked the end of an era as Zelda Fichandler announced that she would step down as Arena's producing director at the end of the 1990-1991 fortieth anniversary season. Douglas C. Wager would succeed her as artistic director. Amid financial difficulties and changing times for theaters everywhere, Arena's resident company of actors was disbanded by the late 1990s. Wager remained at the helm until 1998, when Molly Smith took over the position. Under Smith's leadership, Bing Thom architects completed another major renovation of Arena's existing buildings into the Mead Center for American Theater in 2010. Smith served as Arena's artistic director until 2023, when she retired and was succeeded by current Aristic Director, Hana Sharif.","Many now-famous actors took part in Arena Stage productions during the early part of their careers. Some of them include Robert Prosky, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Wiest, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Christopher Guest, Yeardley Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Ned Beatty, Jane Alexander, and Ron Perlman. Many other set designers, artists, costume designers, and technical workers owe their early success and experience to the Arena Stage.","The Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to film and audio reels, Betacam, or U-matic tapes contained in Series 5.2 and 5.3. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access.","Processed by Harvard Theatre Collection and George Mason University Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed by Greta Suiter, Kerry Mitchell, Elizabeth Beckman, Diane Stancil, and Nick Welsh. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in 2016. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in 2025.","The Special Collections Research Center holds the personal papers of several individuals involved with Arena Stage, including the Zelda Fichandler papers, the Thomas C. Fichandler papers, the Ken Kitch papers, as well as the Living Stage records.","The Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from 1949 to 2010, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records pertaining to the theater's finances, publicity, buildings, and programs.","Series 1: Administrative records (1949-2007) documents the creation, operation, and maintenance of Arena Stage and its various programs. It is further divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 1.1: Correspondence includes correspondence arranged alphabetically by the correspondent's last name or by organizational name. Some correspondence is further aggregated and then organized alphabetically, such as \"Play Correspondence\" or \"Audience Response.\" Of particular note are letters from President Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and King Kong star Fay Wray. Subseries 1.2: Programs, policies, and procedures, includes records of Arena's programs, such as the \"Arena Angels\" volunteer program and fellowship programs, policies, such as bylaws, diversity policies, and handbooks, and planning, including season planning and long-range plans. This subseries is broken up into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.3.1: Financial papers documents Arena's finances and includes stockholder documents from its beginnings as a for-profit theater, grant-related documentation after the theater transitioned to a non-profit in the late 1950s, and records of the theater's development office, some of which were kept by department director Elspeth Udvarhelyi. Sub-subseries 1.3.2: Personnel records includes information on staff at Arena Stage arranged alphabetically. Of particular interest are headshots and/or resumes of a number of well-known actors, including James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, Henry Winkler, Edward Hermann, Yeardley Smith, Jane Alexander, Swoosie Kurtz, Victor Garber, Ron Perlman, Annette Benning, Olympia Dukakis, John Lithgow, John Voigt, Sigourney Weaver, and Rosemary Harris. Sub-subseries 1.3.3: Casting information contains notes on casting for productions arranged alphabetically by play. Sub-subseries 1.3.4: Production contracts includes official agreements between Arena and others arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 1.4: Meeting minutes contains meeting minutes from Arena's Board of Trustees, staff, and other subgroups within the organization. Subseries 1.5: Communications and events, is also divided into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.5.1: Events documents special events held by Arena Stage, including anniversaries, galas, benefits, openings and press events. Sub-subseries 1.5.2: Communications and Marketing includes records produced by the Communications and Marketing departments, including meeting minutes, planning, research, and correspondence. Sub-subseries 1.5.3: Printed Material includes subscriber materials, mailings, brochures, reviews collected and arranged by play title, and programs organized chronologically. Sub-subseries 1.5.4: Theater Communications Group contains correspondence, reports, and other information generated from Arena's association with the Theater Communications Group, an organization of theaters around the United States. Subseries 1.6: Buildings and facilities includes information about and architectural plans for Arena's various buildings over the years, including the Hippodrome, the Old Vat, the 1960 permanent building, and the Kreeger Theater addition.","Series 2: Production Files (1950-2010) is comprised of records related to the artistic development and performance of Arena's plays. It is divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 2.1: Dramaturgical files documents literary, historical and background research done by Arena's literary department for various plays, including articles, research packets, actor's packets, and scripts. It is generally organized alphabetically by play. Subseries 2.2: Playwright subject files contains research on various playwrights, both living and dead, whose work has been performed at Arena. It is organized alphabetically by playwright's last name. Subseries 2.3: Production files includes scripts, blocking information, correspondence, and other material related to the production of Arena's plays. It is arranged alphabetically by play title. Subseries 2.4: Stage manager's reports includes daily reports by the stage manager of productions for the entire runs of many of Arena's plays from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. The reports include running times, incident reports, and other commentary on the audience and the performance. Subseries 2.5: Wrap files contains documents collected from throughout the runs of various productions, including reviews that reflect the wider response to the play. Subseries 2.6: Producing director's files contains documents from Arena's second Producing director after Zelda Fichandler, Doug Wager, who served from 1991-1998. It includes pre-production speeches given by Wager, as well as planning files.","Series 3: Photographs (1950-1991)is divided into 3 subseries. Subseries 3.1: Production photographs includes photos of scenes from Arena's productions arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 3.2: Production books includes production photos collected in books, many of which are by professional photographer George de Vincent. Subseries 3.3: Buildings, staff, and events includes photographs of Arena's buildings, staff and cast portraits, and event photographs, such as prints from Arena's 30th anniversary celebration and from Arena's Soviet Union and Israel tours. Subseries 3.4: Negatives and slides includes slides and negatives of Arena's staff and events, as well as some buildings, sets, and production-related images.","Series 4: Oversize (1949-late 2000s) is divided into 3 subseries and contains a variety of oversize material. Subseries 4.1: Braille programs contains programs in Braille for various Arena productions from the 1990s and early 2000s. Subseries 4.2: Miscellaneous artwork and programs includes posters from Arena productions and events, enlarged photos, costume sketches, and other oversized material, such as a large model of the Mead Center for American Theater. Subseries 4.3: Scrapbooks contains scrapbooks created for each of Arena's seasons up until 1988. It also includes scrapbooks for Arena's tour of the Soviet Union and of visitors to Arena.","Series 5: Audiovisual (1970-2007) contains several types of formats and is divided into 3 subseries. Series 5.1: Performances on VHS contains VHS tapes (a few of which have associated DVDs) of performances at Arena arranged alphabetically by play title. Series 5.2: Reel-to-reel contains production and event footage on reel-to-reel film. Series 5.3: Other audiovisual formats and VHS tapes contains footage of events and productions on audiocassette, Betacam, and U-matic tapes.","The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)","The Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from its beginnings in 1950 to the present, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, handwritten correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records.","R 5, C 1, S 2 - R 9, C 4, S 7 \n\n\nR29, C1, S2\n\nOS R 3, C 2, S 1 - C 3, S 7\nOS R 4, C 5, S 5 \nOS R 5, C 2, S 3\nOS R 5, C 5, S 4\nOS R 6, C 4, S 6 - S 7\nOS R 7, C 1, S 2\nMap Case 9.1, 11.5","George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)","Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Arena Stage records, 1949/2010"],"collection_ssim":["Arena Stage records, 1949/2010"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["C0017","/repositories/2/resources/416"],"unitid_tesim":["C0017","/repositories/2/resources/416"],"repository_ssm":["George Mason University"],"repository_ssim":["George Mason University"],"creator_ssm":["Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"creator_ssim":["Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"creators_ssim":["Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016","George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)"],"acqinfo_ssim":["Donated by Arena Stage in 2000-2024.","This collection has additional unprocessed accessions 2023.040-C and 2024.088-C, and therefore this finding aid may not be fully up to date. Please contact SCRC for more information."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Theater -- Washington (D.C.)","Theater","Theater -- United States","Theater programs","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Video recordings","Sound recordings","Photographic prints"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Theater -- Washington (D.C.)","Theater","Theater -- United States","Theater programs","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Video recordings","Sound recordings","Photographic prints"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["369.5 Linear Feet 739 boxes"],"extent_tesim":["369.5 Linear Feet 739 boxes"],"genreform_ssim":["Video recordings","Sound recordings","Photographic prints"],"date_range_isim":[1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no access restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no access restrictions."],"accruals_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eto this collection are expected.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accruals_heading_ssm":["Accruals"],"accruals_tesim":["to this collection are expected."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection is arranged into five series, each of which is further divided into subseries:\u003c/p\u003e    ","\u003clist type=\"ordered\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003eSeries\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 1: Administrative records, 1949-2007 (Boxes 1-196)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 2: Production files, 1950-2010 (Boxes 197-588, 654-663)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 3: Photographs, 1950-1991 (Boxes 589-639)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 4: Oversize materials, 1949-late 2000s (Boxes 640-720)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 5: Audiovisual materials, 1970-2007 (Boxes 721-739)\u003c/item\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e\n  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection is arranged into five series, each of which is further divided into subseries:","Series\n      Series 1: Administrative records, 1949-2007 (Boxes 1-196)\n      Series 2: Production files, 1950-2010 (Boxes 197-588, 654-663)\n      Series 3: Photographs, 1950-1991 (Boxes 589-639)\n      Series 4: Oversize materials, 1949-late 2000s (Boxes 640-720)\n      Series 5: Audiovisual materials, 1970-2007 (Boxes 721-739)"],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cextptr href=\"http://www.arenastage.org/plan-your-visit/the-mead-center/\" title=\"'Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.' Arena Stage. Accessed February 3, 2016.\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n            ","\u003cp\u003e Maslon, Lawrence, editor. \"The Arena Adventure: The First 40 Years.\" Washington, DC: Arena Stage, 1990.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e \u003cextptr href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/theater/features/arena51205.htm\" title=\"Richards, David. 'For Arena Stage, a Pioneering Selection.' Washington Post. December 5, 1997\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e \u003c/p\u003e  "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Maslon, Lawrence, editor. \"The Arena Adventure: The First 40 Years.\" Washington, DC: Arena Stage, 1990."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFrom its opening on August 16, 1950, the Arena Stage has dedicated itself to being a space of imagination and innovation, a tool of \"civilization,\" and Washington, D.C.'s preeminent regional theater. Founded by Zelda Fichandler, with assistance from her husband Thomas C. Fichandler and partner Edward Mangum, the Arena Stage began as a for-profit theater under Arena Enterprises, Inc. The original Hippodrome Theatre, located on Ninth and New York N.W. in D.C., was revolutionary amongst regional theatres for its theatre-in-the-round construction and would provide the blueprint for all future Arena locations.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eArena began its long and successful life with Oliver Goldsmith's \u003citalic\u003eShe Stoops to Conquer.\u003c/italic\u003e Arena owed its early successes in the 1950s to its fluid play schedule organization and its willingness to put on works that were not commercial successes on Broadway. In November of 1956, after a year's hiatus, the company relocated to a temporary home at the Old Heurich Brewery, dubbed the Old Vat by company members. The move was facilitated in part by the commitment and drive of Board members J. Burke Knapp, Albert M. Berkowitz, Israel Convisser, Leslie Amouri, and Henry J. Danilowicz. However, financial issues would continue to trouble Arena Enterprises, Inc., eventually leading to its dissolution in 1959, and the creation of Arena's new, non-profit parent organization, the Washington Drama Society.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the 1960s, Arena garnered international renown in its new space: the Arena Stage Theatre. The new building, located at Sixth Street and Maine Avenue SW, was the first playhouse built in Washington since 1895. Chicago architect Harry Weese designed the space to be as innovative as possible while still maintaining the theater-in-the-round layout. Now a non-profit theater, Arena drew much of its funding during this time from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and generous donations from both the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundations.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe Arena Stage began some of its most ambitious work during the 1960s including forming the Living Stage Theatre Company, further integrating its cast, and staging its most ambitious and acclaimed work to date: \u003citalic\u003eThe Great White Hope.\u003c/italic\u003e \u003citalic\u003eThe Great White Hope\u003c/italic\u003e included twenty five additional guest actors, including James Earl Jones, and was an enormous success, both critically and financially, for Arena. It was the first major resident theater production to be exported to Broadway. Fichandler also began to experiment with casting African American actors in traditionally white roles during the 1968 season after she published the paper \"Towards a Deepening Aesthetic.\" Fichandler experimented with non-traditional casting in plays like \u003citalic\u003eKing Lear\u003c/italic\u003e and \u003citalic\u003eThe Threepenny Opera\u003c/italic\u003e, but unfortunately these plays were met with critical confusion and disappointing ticket sales. Arena Stage was incredibly successful in the 1970s, garnering awards and critical approval, and international recognition. Not content with the current Arena Stage configuration, Fichandler and others worked diligently to acquire another stage facility that would collaborate, not compete, with the current Stage. Generosity on the part of David Lloyd Kreeger, and others, led to the construction of the new Kreeger Theater which opened on January 15, 1971.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1973 Arena would have the opportunity to take two of its plays, \u003citalic\u003eOur Town\u003c/italic\u003e and \u003citalic\u003eInherit the Wind\u003c/italic\u003e to the U.S.S.R. This was the first ever trip to the Soviet Union undertaken by a resident theater group. The trip was a wild success with Russian audiences giving the cast a standing ovation following their performance of \u003citalic\u003eInherit the Wind\u003c/italic\u003e at the Moscow Art Theatre. In April 1976 the American Theatre Critics Association bestowed upon the Arena Stage a special Tony Award for resident theaters. The ATCA cited Arena's qualities as a \"trailblazer\" in theatrical arts and representative of other theaters that had followed its lead.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe early 1980s were a difficult time for theater, but, in spite of this, Arena continued to push the limits of conventional residential theater. The 1982 production of \u003citalic\u003eK2\u003c/italic\u003e, for example, saw the construction of a sheer glacial face on the Kreeger stage according to the vision of set designer Ming Cho Lee. In 1986 twenty-three actors and a thirteen member production staff traveled to Jerusalem to perform Zelda's production of \u003citalic\u003eThe Crucible\u003c/italic\u003e at the Israel Festival.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e1989 marked the end of an era as Zelda Fichandler announced that she would step down as Arena's producing director at the end of the 1990-1991 fortieth anniversary season. Douglas C. Wager would succeed her as artistic director. Amid financial difficulties and changing times for theaters everywhere, Arena's resident company of actors was disbanded by the late 1990s. Wager remained at the helm until 1998, when Molly Smith took over the position. Under Smith's leadership, Bing Thom architects completed another major renovation of Arena's existing buildings into the Mead Center for American Theater in 2010. Smith served as Arena's artistic director until 2023, when she retired and was succeeded by current Aristic Director, Hana Sharif.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMany now-famous actors took part in Arena Stage productions during the early part of their careers. Some of them include Robert Prosky, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Wiest, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Christopher Guest, Yeardley Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Ned Beatty, Jane Alexander, and Ron Perlman. Many other set designers, artists, costume designers, and technical workers owe their early success and experience to the Arena Stage.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["From its opening on August 16, 1950, the Arena Stage has dedicated itself to being a space of imagination and innovation, a tool of \"civilization,\" and Washington, D.C.'s preeminent regional theater. Founded by Zelda Fichandler, with assistance from her husband Thomas C. Fichandler and partner Edward Mangum, the Arena Stage began as a for-profit theater under Arena Enterprises, Inc. The original Hippodrome Theatre, located on Ninth and New York N.W. in D.C., was revolutionary amongst regional theatres for its theatre-in-the-round construction and would provide the blueprint for all future Arena locations.","Arena began its long and successful life with Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer. Arena owed its early successes in the 1950s to its fluid play schedule organization and its willingness to put on works that were not commercial successes on Broadway. In November of 1956, after a year's hiatus, the company relocated to a temporary home at the Old Heurich Brewery, dubbed the Old Vat by company members. The move was facilitated in part by the commitment and drive of Board members J. Burke Knapp, Albert M. Berkowitz, Israel Convisser, Leslie Amouri, and Henry J. Danilowicz. However, financial issues would continue to trouble Arena Enterprises, Inc., eventually leading to its dissolution in 1959, and the creation of Arena's new, non-profit parent organization, the Washington Drama Society.","During the 1960s, Arena garnered international renown in its new space: the Arena Stage Theatre. The new building, located at Sixth Street and Maine Avenue SW, was the first playhouse built in Washington since 1895. Chicago architect Harry Weese designed the space to be as innovative as possible while still maintaining the theater-in-the-round layout. Now a non-profit theater, Arena drew much of its funding during this time from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and generous donations from both the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundations.","The Arena Stage began some of its most ambitious work during the 1960s including forming the Living Stage Theatre Company, further integrating its cast, and staging its most ambitious and acclaimed work to date: The Great White Hope. The Great White Hope included twenty five additional guest actors, including James Earl Jones, and was an enormous success, both critically and financially, for Arena. It was the first major resident theater production to be exported to Broadway. Fichandler also began to experiment with casting African American actors in traditionally white roles during the 1968 season after she published the paper \"Towards a Deepening Aesthetic.\" Fichandler experimented with non-traditional casting in plays like King Lear and The Threepenny Opera, but unfortunately these plays were met with critical confusion and disappointing ticket sales. Arena Stage was incredibly successful in the 1970s, garnering awards and critical approval, and international recognition. Not content with the current Arena Stage configuration, Fichandler and others worked diligently to acquire another stage facility that would collaborate, not compete, with the current Stage. Generosity on the part of David Lloyd Kreeger, and others, led to the construction of the new Kreeger Theater which opened on January 15, 1971.","In 1973 Arena would have the opportunity to take two of its plays, Our Town and Inherit the Wind to the U.S.S.R. This was the first ever trip to the Soviet Union undertaken by a resident theater group. The trip was a wild success with Russian audiences giving the cast a standing ovation following their performance of Inherit the Wind at the Moscow Art Theatre. In April 1976 the American Theatre Critics Association bestowed upon the Arena Stage a special Tony Award for resident theaters. The ATCA cited Arena's qualities as a \"trailblazer\" in theatrical arts and representative of other theaters that had followed its lead.","The early 1980s were a difficult time for theater, but, in spite of this, Arena continued to push the limits of conventional residential theater. The 1982 production of K2, for example, saw the construction of a sheer glacial face on the Kreeger stage according to the vision of set designer Ming Cho Lee. In 1986 twenty-three actors and a thirteen member production staff traveled to Jerusalem to perform Zelda's production of The Crucible at the Israel Festival.","1989 marked the end of an era as Zelda Fichandler announced that she would step down as Arena's producing director at the end of the 1990-1991 fortieth anniversary season. Douglas C. Wager would succeed her as artistic director. Amid financial difficulties and changing times for theaters everywhere, Arena's resident company of actors was disbanded by the late 1990s. Wager remained at the helm until 1998, when Molly Smith took over the position. Under Smith's leadership, Bing Thom architects completed another major renovation of Arena's existing buildings into the Mead Center for American Theater in 2010. Smith served as Arena's artistic director until 2023, when she retired and was succeeded by current Aristic Director, Hana Sharif.","Many now-famous actors took part in Arena Stage productions during the early part of their careers. Some of them include Robert Prosky, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Wiest, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Christopher Guest, Yeardley Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Ned Beatty, Jane Alexander, and Ron Perlman. Many other set designers, artists, costume designers, and technical workers owe their early success and experience to the Arena Stage."],"phystech_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to film and audio reels, Betacam, or U-matic tapes contained in Series 5.2 and 5.3. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"phystech_heading_ssm":["Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements"],"phystech_tesim":["The Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to film and audio reels, Betacam, or U-matic tapes contained in Series 5.2 and 5.3. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eArena Stage records, C0017, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["Arena Stage records, C0017, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eProcessed by Harvard Theatre Collection and George Mason University Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed by Greta Suiter, Kerry Mitchell, Elizabeth Beckman, Diane Stancil, and Nick Welsh. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in 2016. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in 2025.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["Processed by Harvard Theatre Collection and George Mason University Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed by Greta Suiter, Kerry Mitchell, Elizabeth Beckman, Diane Stancil, and Nick Welsh. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in 2016. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in 2025."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Special Collections Research Center holds the personal papers of several individuals involved with Arena Stage, including the Zelda Fichandler papers, the Thomas C. Fichandler papers, the Ken Kitch papers, as well as the Living Stage records.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The Special Collections Research Center holds the personal papers of several individuals involved with Arena Stage, including the Zelda Fichandler papers, the Thomas C. Fichandler papers, the Ken Kitch papers, as well as the Living Stage records."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from 1949 to 2010, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records pertaining to the theater's finances, publicity, buildings, and programs.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1: Administrative records (1949-2007) documents the creation, operation, and maintenance of Arena Stage and its various programs. It is further divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 1.1: Correspondence includes correspondence arranged alphabetically by the correspondent's last name or by organizational name. Some correspondence is further aggregated and then organized alphabetically, such as \"Play Correspondence\" or \"Audience Response.\" Of particular note are letters from President Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and King Kong star Fay Wray. Subseries 1.2: Programs, policies, and procedures, includes records of Arena's programs, such as the \"Arena Angels\" volunteer program and fellowship programs, policies, such as bylaws, diversity policies, and handbooks, and planning, including season planning and long-range plans. This subseries is broken up into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.3.1: Financial papers documents Arena's finances and includes stockholder documents from its beginnings as a for-profit theater, grant-related documentation after the theater transitioned to a non-profit in the late 1950s, and records of the theater's development office, some of which were kept by department director Elspeth Udvarhelyi. Sub-subseries 1.3.2: Personnel records includes information on staff at Arena Stage arranged alphabetically. Of particular interest are headshots and/or resumes of a number of well-known actors, including James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, Henry Winkler, Edward Hermann, Yeardley Smith, Jane Alexander, Swoosie Kurtz, Victor Garber, Ron Perlman, Annette Benning, Olympia Dukakis, John Lithgow, John Voigt, Sigourney Weaver, and Rosemary Harris. Sub-subseries 1.3.3: Casting information contains notes on casting for productions arranged alphabetically by play. Sub-subseries 1.3.4: Production contracts includes official agreements between Arena and others arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 1.4: Meeting minutes contains meeting minutes from Arena's Board of Trustees, staff, and other subgroups within the organization. Subseries 1.5: Communications and events, is also divided into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.5.1: Events documents special events held by Arena Stage, including anniversaries, galas, benefits, openings and press events. Sub-subseries 1.5.2: Communications and Marketing includes records produced by the Communications and Marketing departments, including meeting minutes, planning, research, and correspondence. Sub-subseries 1.5.3: Printed Material includes subscriber materials, mailings, brochures, reviews collected and arranged by play title, and programs organized chronologically. Sub-subseries 1.5.4: Theater Communications Group contains correspondence, reports, and other information generated from Arena's association with the Theater Communications Group, an organization of theaters around the United States. Subseries 1.6: Buildings and facilities includes information about and architectural plans for Arena's various buildings over the years, including the Hippodrome, the Old Vat, the 1960 permanent building, and the Kreeger Theater addition.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2: Production Files (1950-2010) is comprised of records related to the artistic development and performance of Arena's plays. It is divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 2.1: Dramaturgical files documents literary, historical and background research done by Arena's literary department for various plays, including articles, research packets, actor's packets, and scripts. It is generally organized alphabetically by play. Subseries 2.2: Playwright subject files contains research on various playwrights, both living and dead, whose work has been performed at Arena. It is organized alphabetically by playwright's last name. Subseries 2.3: Production files includes scripts, blocking information, correspondence, and other material related to the production of Arena's plays. It is arranged alphabetically by play title. Subseries 2.4: Stage manager's reports includes daily reports by the stage manager of productions for the entire runs of many of Arena's plays from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. The reports include running times, incident reports, and other commentary on the audience and the performance. Subseries 2.5: Wrap files contains documents collected from throughout the runs of various productions, including reviews that reflect the wider response to the play. Subseries 2.6: Producing director's files contains documents from Arena's second Producing director after Zelda Fichandler, Doug Wager, who served from 1991-1998. It includes pre-production speeches given by Wager, as well as planning files.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3: Photographs (1950-1991)is divided into 3 subseries. Subseries 3.1: Production photographs includes photos of scenes from Arena's productions arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 3.2: Production books includes production photos collected in books, many of which are by professional photographer George de Vincent. Subseries 3.3: Buildings, staff, and events includes photographs of Arena's buildings, staff and cast portraits, and event photographs, such as prints from Arena's 30th anniversary celebration and from Arena's Soviet Union and Israel tours. Subseries 3.4: Negatives and slides includes slides and negatives of Arena's staff and events, as well as some buildings, sets, and production-related images.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 4: Oversize (1949-late 2000s) is divided into 3 subseries and contains a variety of oversize material. Subseries 4.1: Braille programs contains programs in Braille for various Arena productions from the 1990s and early 2000s. Subseries 4.2: Miscellaneous artwork and programs includes posters from Arena productions and events, enlarged photos, costume sketches, and other oversized material, such as a large model of the Mead Center for American Theater. Subseries 4.3: Scrapbooks contains scrapbooks created for each of Arena's seasons up until 1988. It also includes scrapbooks for Arena's tour of the Soviet Union and of visitors to Arena.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 5: Audiovisual (1970-2007) contains several types of formats and is divided into 3 subseries. Series 5.1: Performances on VHS contains VHS tapes (a few of which have associated DVDs) of performances at Arena arranged alphabetically by play title. Series 5.2: Reel-to-reel contains production and event footage on reel-to-reel film. Series 5.3: Other audiovisual formats and VHS tapes contains footage of events and productions on audiocassette, Betacam, and U-matic tapes. \u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from 1949 to 2010, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records pertaining to the theater's finances, publicity, buildings, and programs.","Series 1: Administrative records (1949-2007) documents the creation, operation, and maintenance of Arena Stage and its various programs. It is further divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 1.1: Correspondence includes correspondence arranged alphabetically by the correspondent's last name or by organizational name. Some correspondence is further aggregated and then organized alphabetically, such as \"Play Correspondence\" or \"Audience Response.\" Of particular note are letters from President Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and King Kong star Fay Wray. Subseries 1.2: Programs, policies, and procedures, includes records of Arena's programs, such as the \"Arena Angels\" volunteer program and fellowship programs, policies, such as bylaws, diversity policies, and handbooks, and planning, including season planning and long-range plans. This subseries is broken up into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.3.1: Financial papers documents Arena's finances and includes stockholder documents from its beginnings as a for-profit theater, grant-related documentation after the theater transitioned to a non-profit in the late 1950s, and records of the theater's development office, some of which were kept by department director Elspeth Udvarhelyi. Sub-subseries 1.3.2: Personnel records includes information on staff at Arena Stage arranged alphabetically. Of particular interest are headshots and/or resumes of a number of well-known actors, including James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, Henry Winkler, Edward Hermann, Yeardley Smith, Jane Alexander, Swoosie Kurtz, Victor Garber, Ron Perlman, Annette Benning, Olympia Dukakis, John Lithgow, John Voigt, Sigourney Weaver, and Rosemary Harris. Sub-subseries 1.3.3: Casting information contains notes on casting for productions arranged alphabetically by play. Sub-subseries 1.3.4: Production contracts includes official agreements between Arena and others arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 1.4: Meeting minutes contains meeting minutes from Arena's Board of Trustees, staff, and other subgroups within the organization. Subseries 1.5: Communications and events, is also divided into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.5.1: Events documents special events held by Arena Stage, including anniversaries, galas, benefits, openings and press events. Sub-subseries 1.5.2: Communications and Marketing includes records produced by the Communications and Marketing departments, including meeting minutes, planning, research, and correspondence. Sub-subseries 1.5.3: Printed Material includes subscriber materials, mailings, brochures, reviews collected and arranged by play title, and programs organized chronologically. Sub-subseries 1.5.4: Theater Communications Group contains correspondence, reports, and other information generated from Arena's association with the Theater Communications Group, an organization of theaters around the United States. Subseries 1.6: Buildings and facilities includes information about and architectural plans for Arena's various buildings over the years, including the Hippodrome, the Old Vat, the 1960 permanent building, and the Kreeger Theater addition.","Series 2: Production Files (1950-2010) is comprised of records related to the artistic development and performance of Arena's plays. It is divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 2.1: Dramaturgical files documents literary, historical and background research done by Arena's literary department for various plays, including articles, research packets, actor's packets, and scripts. It is generally organized alphabetically by play. Subseries 2.2: Playwright subject files contains research on various playwrights, both living and dead, whose work has been performed at Arena. It is organized alphabetically by playwright's last name. Subseries 2.3: Production files includes scripts, blocking information, correspondence, and other material related to the production of Arena's plays. It is arranged alphabetically by play title. Subseries 2.4: Stage manager's reports includes daily reports by the stage manager of productions for the entire runs of many of Arena's plays from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. The reports include running times, incident reports, and other commentary on the audience and the performance. Subseries 2.5: Wrap files contains documents collected from throughout the runs of various productions, including reviews that reflect the wider response to the play. Subseries 2.6: Producing director's files contains documents from Arena's second Producing director after Zelda Fichandler, Doug Wager, who served from 1991-1998. It includes pre-production speeches given by Wager, as well as planning files.","Series 3: Photographs (1950-1991)is divided into 3 subseries. Subseries 3.1: Production photographs includes photos of scenes from Arena's productions arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 3.2: Production books includes production photos collected in books, many of which are by professional photographer George de Vincent. Subseries 3.3: Buildings, staff, and events includes photographs of Arena's buildings, staff and cast portraits, and event photographs, such as prints from Arena's 30th anniversary celebration and from Arena's Soviet Union and Israel tours. Subseries 3.4: Negatives and slides includes slides and negatives of Arena's staff and events, as well as some buildings, sets, and production-related images.","Series 4: Oversize (1949-late 2000s) is divided into 3 subseries and contains a variety of oversize material. Subseries 4.1: Braille programs contains programs in Braille for various Arena productions from the 1990s and early 2000s. Subseries 4.2: Miscellaneous artwork and programs includes posters from Arena productions and events, enlarged photos, costume sketches, and other oversized material, such as a large model of the Mead Center for American Theater. Subseries 4.3: Scrapbooks contains scrapbooks created for each of Arena's seasons up until 1988. It also includes scrapbooks for Arena's tour of the Soviet Union and of visitors to Arena.","Series 5: Audiovisual (1970-2007) contains several types of formats and is divided into 3 subseries. Series 5.1: Performances on VHS contains VHS tapes (a few of which have associated DVDs) of performances at Arena arranged alphabetically by play title. Series 5.2: Reel-to-reel contains production and event footage on reel-to-reel film. Series 5.3: Other audiovisual formats and VHS tapes contains footage of events and productions on audiocassette, Betacam, and U-matic tapes."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract id=\"aspace_ec96c412f915842d3012676b73803163\" label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from its beginnings in 1950 to the present, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, handwritten correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from its beginnings in 1950 to the present, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, handwritten correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_22f8958322c3fdee6366a384bb686980\"\u003e\nR 5, C 1, S 2 - R 9, C 4, S 7 \n\n\nR29, C1, S2\n\nOS R 3, C 2, S 1 - C 3, S 7\nOS R 4, C 5, S 5 \nOS R 5, C 2, S 3\nOS R 5, C 5, S 4\nOS R 6, C 4, S 6 - S 7\nOS R 7, C 1, S 2\nMap Case 9.1, 11.5\u003c/physloc\u003e\n    "],"physloc_tesim":["R 5, C 1, S 2 - R 9, C 4, S 7 \n\n\nR29, C1, S2\n\nOS R 3, C 2, S 1 - C 3, S 7\nOS R 4, C 5, S 5 \nOS R 5, C 2, S 3\nOS R 5, C 5, S 4\nOS R 6, C 4, S 6 - S 7\nOS R 7, C 1, S 2\nMap Case 9.1, 11.5"],"corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"persname_ssim":["Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016"],"names_coll_ssim":["Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016"],"names_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)","Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":8332,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:20:46.971Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416","ead_ssi":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416","_root_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416","_nest_parent_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/GMU/repositories_2_resources_416.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Arena Stage records","title_ssm":["Arena Stage records"],"title_tesim":["Arena Stage records"],"unitdate_ssm":["1949 - 2010"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1949 - 2010"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1949/2010"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Arena Stage records, 1949/2010"],"text":["Arena Stage records, 1949/2010","C0017","/repositories/2/resources/416","Theater -- Washington (D.C.)","Theater","Theater -- United States","Theater programs","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Video recordings","Sound recordings","Photographic prints","There are no access restrictions.","to this collection are expected.","The collection is arranged into five series, each of which is further divided into subseries:","Series\n      Series 1: Administrative records, 1949-2007 (Boxes 1-196)\n      Series 2: Production files, 1950-2010 (Boxes 197-588, 654-663)\n      Series 3: Photographs, 1950-1991 (Boxes 589-639)\n      Series 4: Oversize materials, 1949-late 2000s (Boxes 640-720)\n      Series 5: Audiovisual materials, 1970-2007 (Boxes 721-739)","Maslon, Lawrence, editor. \"The Arena Adventure: The First 40 Years.\" Washington, DC: Arena Stage, 1990.","From its opening on August 16, 1950, the Arena Stage has dedicated itself to being a space of imagination and innovation, a tool of \"civilization,\" and Washington, D.C.'s preeminent regional theater. Founded by Zelda Fichandler, with assistance from her husband Thomas C. Fichandler and partner Edward Mangum, the Arena Stage began as a for-profit theater under Arena Enterprises, Inc. The original Hippodrome Theatre, located on Ninth and New York N.W. in D.C., was revolutionary amongst regional theatres for its theatre-in-the-round construction and would provide the blueprint for all future Arena locations.","Arena began its long and successful life with Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer. Arena owed its early successes in the 1950s to its fluid play schedule organization and its willingness to put on works that were not commercial successes on Broadway. In November of 1956, after a year's hiatus, the company relocated to a temporary home at the Old Heurich Brewery, dubbed the Old Vat by company members. The move was facilitated in part by the commitment and drive of Board members J. Burke Knapp, Albert M. Berkowitz, Israel Convisser, Leslie Amouri, and Henry J. Danilowicz. However, financial issues would continue to trouble Arena Enterprises, Inc., eventually leading to its dissolution in 1959, and the creation of Arena's new, non-profit parent organization, the Washington Drama Society.","During the 1960s, Arena garnered international renown in its new space: the Arena Stage Theatre. The new building, located at Sixth Street and Maine Avenue SW, was the first playhouse built in Washington since 1895. Chicago architect Harry Weese designed the space to be as innovative as possible while still maintaining the theater-in-the-round layout. Now a non-profit theater, Arena drew much of its funding during this time from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and generous donations from both the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundations.","The Arena Stage began some of its most ambitious work during the 1960s including forming the Living Stage Theatre Company, further integrating its cast, and staging its most ambitious and acclaimed work to date: The Great White Hope. The Great White Hope included twenty five additional guest actors, including James Earl Jones, and was an enormous success, both critically and financially, for Arena. It was the first major resident theater production to be exported to Broadway. Fichandler also began to experiment with casting African American actors in traditionally white roles during the 1968 season after she published the paper \"Towards a Deepening Aesthetic.\" Fichandler experimented with non-traditional casting in plays like King Lear and The Threepenny Opera, but unfortunately these plays were met with critical confusion and disappointing ticket sales. Arena Stage was incredibly successful in the 1970s, garnering awards and critical approval, and international recognition. Not content with the current Arena Stage configuration, Fichandler and others worked diligently to acquire another stage facility that would collaborate, not compete, with the current Stage. Generosity on the part of David Lloyd Kreeger, and others, led to the construction of the new Kreeger Theater which opened on January 15, 1971.","In 1973 Arena would have the opportunity to take two of its plays, Our Town and Inherit the Wind to the U.S.S.R. This was the first ever trip to the Soviet Union undertaken by a resident theater group. The trip was a wild success with Russian audiences giving the cast a standing ovation following their performance of Inherit the Wind at the Moscow Art Theatre. In April 1976 the American Theatre Critics Association bestowed upon the Arena Stage a special Tony Award for resident theaters. The ATCA cited Arena's qualities as a \"trailblazer\" in theatrical arts and representative of other theaters that had followed its lead.","The early 1980s were a difficult time for theater, but, in spite of this, Arena continued to push the limits of conventional residential theater. The 1982 production of K2, for example, saw the construction of a sheer glacial face on the Kreeger stage according to the vision of set designer Ming Cho Lee. In 1986 twenty-three actors and a thirteen member production staff traveled to Jerusalem to perform Zelda's production of The Crucible at the Israel Festival.","1989 marked the end of an era as Zelda Fichandler announced that she would step down as Arena's producing director at the end of the 1990-1991 fortieth anniversary season. Douglas C. Wager would succeed her as artistic director. Amid financial difficulties and changing times for theaters everywhere, Arena's resident company of actors was disbanded by the late 1990s. Wager remained at the helm until 1998, when Molly Smith took over the position. Under Smith's leadership, Bing Thom architects completed another major renovation of Arena's existing buildings into the Mead Center for American Theater in 2010. Smith served as Arena's artistic director until 2023, when she retired and was succeeded by current Aristic Director, Hana Sharif.","Many now-famous actors took part in Arena Stage productions during the early part of their careers. Some of them include Robert Prosky, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Wiest, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Christopher Guest, Yeardley Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Ned Beatty, Jane Alexander, and Ron Perlman. Many other set designers, artists, costume designers, and technical workers owe their early success and experience to the Arena Stage.","The Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to film and audio reels, Betacam, or U-matic tapes contained in Series 5.2 and 5.3. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access.","Processed by Harvard Theatre Collection and George Mason University Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed by Greta Suiter, Kerry Mitchell, Elizabeth Beckman, Diane Stancil, and Nick Welsh. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in 2016. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in 2025.","The Special Collections Research Center holds the personal papers of several individuals involved with Arena Stage, including the Zelda Fichandler papers, the Thomas C. Fichandler papers, the Ken Kitch papers, as well as the Living Stage records.","The Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from 1949 to 2010, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records pertaining to the theater's finances, publicity, buildings, and programs.","Series 1: Administrative records (1949-2007) documents the creation, operation, and maintenance of Arena Stage and its various programs. It is further divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 1.1: Correspondence includes correspondence arranged alphabetically by the correspondent's last name or by organizational name. Some correspondence is further aggregated and then organized alphabetically, such as \"Play Correspondence\" or \"Audience Response.\" Of particular note are letters from President Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and King Kong star Fay Wray. Subseries 1.2: Programs, policies, and procedures, includes records of Arena's programs, such as the \"Arena Angels\" volunteer program and fellowship programs, policies, such as bylaws, diversity policies, and handbooks, and planning, including season planning and long-range plans. This subseries is broken up into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.3.1: Financial papers documents Arena's finances and includes stockholder documents from its beginnings as a for-profit theater, grant-related documentation after the theater transitioned to a non-profit in the late 1950s, and records of the theater's development office, some of which were kept by department director Elspeth Udvarhelyi. Sub-subseries 1.3.2: Personnel records includes information on staff at Arena Stage arranged alphabetically. Of particular interest are headshots and/or resumes of a number of well-known actors, including James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, Henry Winkler, Edward Hermann, Yeardley Smith, Jane Alexander, Swoosie Kurtz, Victor Garber, Ron Perlman, Annette Benning, Olympia Dukakis, John Lithgow, John Voigt, Sigourney Weaver, and Rosemary Harris. Sub-subseries 1.3.3: Casting information contains notes on casting for productions arranged alphabetically by play. Sub-subseries 1.3.4: Production contracts includes official agreements between Arena and others arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 1.4: Meeting minutes contains meeting minutes from Arena's Board of Trustees, staff, and other subgroups within the organization. Subseries 1.5: Communications and events, is also divided into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.5.1: Events documents special events held by Arena Stage, including anniversaries, galas, benefits, openings and press events. Sub-subseries 1.5.2: Communications and Marketing includes records produced by the Communications and Marketing departments, including meeting minutes, planning, research, and correspondence. Sub-subseries 1.5.3: Printed Material includes subscriber materials, mailings, brochures, reviews collected and arranged by play title, and programs organized chronologically. Sub-subseries 1.5.4: Theater Communications Group contains correspondence, reports, and other information generated from Arena's association with the Theater Communications Group, an organization of theaters around the United States. Subseries 1.6: Buildings and facilities includes information about and architectural plans for Arena's various buildings over the years, including the Hippodrome, the Old Vat, the 1960 permanent building, and the Kreeger Theater addition.","Series 2: Production Files (1950-2010) is comprised of records related to the artistic development and performance of Arena's plays. It is divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 2.1: Dramaturgical files documents literary, historical and background research done by Arena's literary department for various plays, including articles, research packets, actor's packets, and scripts. It is generally organized alphabetically by play. Subseries 2.2: Playwright subject files contains research on various playwrights, both living and dead, whose work has been performed at Arena. It is organized alphabetically by playwright's last name. Subseries 2.3: Production files includes scripts, blocking information, correspondence, and other material related to the production of Arena's plays. It is arranged alphabetically by play title. Subseries 2.4: Stage manager's reports includes daily reports by the stage manager of productions for the entire runs of many of Arena's plays from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. The reports include running times, incident reports, and other commentary on the audience and the performance. Subseries 2.5: Wrap files contains documents collected from throughout the runs of various productions, including reviews that reflect the wider response to the play. Subseries 2.6: Producing director's files contains documents from Arena's second Producing director after Zelda Fichandler, Doug Wager, who served from 1991-1998. It includes pre-production speeches given by Wager, as well as planning files.","Series 3: Photographs (1950-1991)is divided into 3 subseries. Subseries 3.1: Production photographs includes photos of scenes from Arena's productions arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 3.2: Production books includes production photos collected in books, many of which are by professional photographer George de Vincent. Subseries 3.3: Buildings, staff, and events includes photographs of Arena's buildings, staff and cast portraits, and event photographs, such as prints from Arena's 30th anniversary celebration and from Arena's Soviet Union and Israel tours. Subseries 3.4: Negatives and slides includes slides and negatives of Arena's staff and events, as well as some buildings, sets, and production-related images.","Series 4: Oversize (1949-late 2000s) is divided into 3 subseries and contains a variety of oversize material. Subseries 4.1: Braille programs contains programs in Braille for various Arena productions from the 1990s and early 2000s. Subseries 4.2: Miscellaneous artwork and programs includes posters from Arena productions and events, enlarged photos, costume sketches, and other oversized material, such as a large model of the Mead Center for American Theater. Subseries 4.3: Scrapbooks contains scrapbooks created for each of Arena's seasons up until 1988. It also includes scrapbooks for Arena's tour of the Soviet Union and of visitors to Arena.","Series 5: Audiovisual (1970-2007) contains several types of formats and is divided into 3 subseries. Series 5.1: Performances on VHS contains VHS tapes (a few of which have associated DVDs) of performances at Arena arranged alphabetically by play title. Series 5.2: Reel-to-reel contains production and event footage on reel-to-reel film. Series 5.3: Other audiovisual formats and VHS tapes contains footage of events and productions on audiocassette, Betacam, and U-matic tapes.","The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)","The Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from its beginnings in 1950 to the present, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, handwritten correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records.","R 5, C 1, S 2 - R 9, C 4, S 7 \n\n\nR29, C1, S2\n\nOS R 3, C 2, S 1 - C 3, S 7\nOS R 4, C 5, S 5 \nOS R 5, C 2, S 3\nOS R 5, C 5, S 4\nOS R 6, C 4, S 6 - S 7\nOS R 7, C 1, S 2\nMap Case 9.1, 11.5","George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)","Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Arena Stage records, 1949/2010"],"collection_ssim":["Arena Stage records, 1949/2010"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["C0017","/repositories/2/resources/416"],"unitid_tesim":["C0017","/repositories/2/resources/416"],"repository_ssm":["George Mason University"],"repository_ssim":["George Mason University"],"creator_ssm":["Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"creator_ssim":["Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"creators_ssim":["Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016","George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)"],"acqinfo_ssim":["Donated by Arena Stage in 2000-2024.","This collection has additional unprocessed accessions 2023.040-C and 2024.088-C, and therefore this finding aid may not be fully up to date. Please contact SCRC for more information."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Theater -- Washington (D.C.)","Theater","Theater -- United States","Theater programs","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Video recordings","Sound recordings","Photographic prints"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Theater -- Washington (D.C.)","Theater","Theater -- United States","Theater programs","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Video recordings","Sound recordings","Photographic prints"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["369.5 Linear Feet 739 boxes"],"extent_tesim":["369.5 Linear Feet 739 boxes"],"genreform_ssim":["Video recordings","Sound recordings","Photographic prints"],"date_range_isim":[1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no access restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no access restrictions."],"accruals_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eto this collection are expected.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accruals_heading_ssm":["Accruals"],"accruals_tesim":["to this collection are expected."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection is arranged into five series, each of which is further divided into subseries:\u003c/p\u003e    ","\u003clist type=\"ordered\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003eSeries\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 1: Administrative records, 1949-2007 (Boxes 1-196)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 2: Production files, 1950-2010 (Boxes 197-588, 654-663)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 3: Photographs, 1950-1991 (Boxes 589-639)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 4: Oversize materials, 1949-late 2000s (Boxes 640-720)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 5: Audiovisual materials, 1970-2007 (Boxes 721-739)\u003c/item\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e\n  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection is arranged into five series, each of which is further divided into subseries:","Series\n      Series 1: Administrative records, 1949-2007 (Boxes 1-196)\n      Series 2: Production files, 1950-2010 (Boxes 197-588, 654-663)\n      Series 3: Photographs, 1950-1991 (Boxes 589-639)\n      Series 4: Oversize materials, 1949-late 2000s (Boxes 640-720)\n      Series 5: Audiovisual materials, 1970-2007 (Boxes 721-739)"],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cextptr href=\"http://www.arenastage.org/plan-your-visit/the-mead-center/\" title=\"'Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.' Arena Stage. Accessed February 3, 2016.\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n            ","\u003cp\u003e Maslon, Lawrence, editor. \"The Arena Adventure: The First 40 Years.\" Washington, DC: Arena Stage, 1990.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e \u003cextptr href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/theater/features/arena51205.htm\" title=\"Richards, David. 'For Arena Stage, a Pioneering Selection.' Washington Post. December 5, 1997\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e \u003c/p\u003e  "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Maslon, Lawrence, editor. \"The Arena Adventure: The First 40 Years.\" Washington, DC: Arena Stage, 1990."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFrom its opening on August 16, 1950, the Arena Stage has dedicated itself to being a space of imagination and innovation, a tool of \"civilization,\" and Washington, D.C.'s preeminent regional theater. Founded by Zelda Fichandler, with assistance from her husband Thomas C. Fichandler and partner Edward Mangum, the Arena Stage began as a for-profit theater under Arena Enterprises, Inc. The original Hippodrome Theatre, located on Ninth and New York N.W. in D.C., was revolutionary amongst regional theatres for its theatre-in-the-round construction and would provide the blueprint for all future Arena locations.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eArena began its long and successful life with Oliver Goldsmith's \u003citalic\u003eShe Stoops to Conquer.\u003c/italic\u003e Arena owed its early successes in the 1950s to its fluid play schedule organization and its willingness to put on works that were not commercial successes on Broadway. In November of 1956, after a year's hiatus, the company relocated to a temporary home at the Old Heurich Brewery, dubbed the Old Vat by company members. The move was facilitated in part by the commitment and drive of Board members J. Burke Knapp, Albert M. Berkowitz, Israel Convisser, Leslie Amouri, and Henry J. Danilowicz. However, financial issues would continue to trouble Arena Enterprises, Inc., eventually leading to its dissolution in 1959, and the creation of Arena's new, non-profit parent organization, the Washington Drama Society.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the 1960s, Arena garnered international renown in its new space: the Arena Stage Theatre. The new building, located at Sixth Street and Maine Avenue SW, was the first playhouse built in Washington since 1895. Chicago architect Harry Weese designed the space to be as innovative as possible while still maintaining the theater-in-the-round layout. Now a non-profit theater, Arena drew much of its funding during this time from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and generous donations from both the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundations.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe Arena Stage began some of its most ambitious work during the 1960s including forming the Living Stage Theatre Company, further integrating its cast, and staging its most ambitious and acclaimed work to date: \u003citalic\u003eThe Great White Hope.\u003c/italic\u003e \u003citalic\u003eThe Great White Hope\u003c/italic\u003e included twenty five additional guest actors, including James Earl Jones, and was an enormous success, both critically and financially, for Arena. It was the first major resident theater production to be exported to Broadway. Fichandler also began to experiment with casting African American actors in traditionally white roles during the 1968 season after she published the paper \"Towards a Deepening Aesthetic.\" Fichandler experimented with non-traditional casting in plays like \u003citalic\u003eKing Lear\u003c/italic\u003e and \u003citalic\u003eThe Threepenny Opera\u003c/italic\u003e, but unfortunately these plays were met with critical confusion and disappointing ticket sales. Arena Stage was incredibly successful in the 1970s, garnering awards and critical approval, and international recognition. Not content with the current Arena Stage configuration, Fichandler and others worked diligently to acquire another stage facility that would collaborate, not compete, with the current Stage. Generosity on the part of David Lloyd Kreeger, and others, led to the construction of the new Kreeger Theater which opened on January 15, 1971.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1973 Arena would have the opportunity to take two of its plays, \u003citalic\u003eOur Town\u003c/italic\u003e and \u003citalic\u003eInherit the Wind\u003c/italic\u003e to the U.S.S.R. This was the first ever trip to the Soviet Union undertaken by a resident theater group. The trip was a wild success with Russian audiences giving the cast a standing ovation following their performance of \u003citalic\u003eInherit the Wind\u003c/italic\u003e at the Moscow Art Theatre. In April 1976 the American Theatre Critics Association bestowed upon the Arena Stage a special Tony Award for resident theaters. The ATCA cited Arena's qualities as a \"trailblazer\" in theatrical arts and representative of other theaters that had followed its lead.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe early 1980s were a difficult time for theater, but, in spite of this, Arena continued to push the limits of conventional residential theater. The 1982 production of \u003citalic\u003eK2\u003c/italic\u003e, for example, saw the construction of a sheer glacial face on the Kreeger stage according to the vision of set designer Ming Cho Lee. In 1986 twenty-three actors and a thirteen member production staff traveled to Jerusalem to perform Zelda's production of \u003citalic\u003eThe Crucible\u003c/italic\u003e at the Israel Festival.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e1989 marked the end of an era as Zelda Fichandler announced that she would step down as Arena's producing director at the end of the 1990-1991 fortieth anniversary season. Douglas C. Wager would succeed her as artistic director. Amid financial difficulties and changing times for theaters everywhere, Arena's resident company of actors was disbanded by the late 1990s. Wager remained at the helm until 1998, when Molly Smith took over the position. Under Smith's leadership, Bing Thom architects completed another major renovation of Arena's existing buildings into the Mead Center for American Theater in 2010. Smith served as Arena's artistic director until 2023, when she retired and was succeeded by current Aristic Director, Hana Sharif.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMany now-famous actors took part in Arena Stage productions during the early part of their careers. Some of them include Robert Prosky, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Wiest, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Christopher Guest, Yeardley Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Ned Beatty, Jane Alexander, and Ron Perlman. Many other set designers, artists, costume designers, and technical workers owe their early success and experience to the Arena Stage.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["From its opening on August 16, 1950, the Arena Stage has dedicated itself to being a space of imagination and innovation, a tool of \"civilization,\" and Washington, D.C.'s preeminent regional theater. Founded by Zelda Fichandler, with assistance from her husband Thomas C. Fichandler and partner Edward Mangum, the Arena Stage began as a for-profit theater under Arena Enterprises, Inc. The original Hippodrome Theatre, located on Ninth and New York N.W. in D.C., was revolutionary amongst regional theatres for its theatre-in-the-round construction and would provide the blueprint for all future Arena locations.","Arena began its long and successful life with Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer. Arena owed its early successes in the 1950s to its fluid play schedule organization and its willingness to put on works that were not commercial successes on Broadway. In November of 1956, after a year's hiatus, the company relocated to a temporary home at the Old Heurich Brewery, dubbed the Old Vat by company members. The move was facilitated in part by the commitment and drive of Board members J. Burke Knapp, Albert M. Berkowitz, Israel Convisser, Leslie Amouri, and Henry J. Danilowicz. However, financial issues would continue to trouble Arena Enterprises, Inc., eventually leading to its dissolution in 1959, and the creation of Arena's new, non-profit parent organization, the Washington Drama Society.","During the 1960s, Arena garnered international renown in its new space: the Arena Stage Theatre. The new building, located at Sixth Street and Maine Avenue SW, was the first playhouse built in Washington since 1895. Chicago architect Harry Weese designed the space to be as innovative as possible while still maintaining the theater-in-the-round layout. Now a non-profit theater, Arena drew much of its funding during this time from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and generous donations from both the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundations.","The Arena Stage began some of its most ambitious work during the 1960s including forming the Living Stage Theatre Company, further integrating its cast, and staging its most ambitious and acclaimed work to date: The Great White Hope. The Great White Hope included twenty five additional guest actors, including James Earl Jones, and was an enormous success, both critically and financially, for Arena. It was the first major resident theater production to be exported to Broadway. Fichandler also began to experiment with casting African American actors in traditionally white roles during the 1968 season after she published the paper \"Towards a Deepening Aesthetic.\" Fichandler experimented with non-traditional casting in plays like King Lear and The Threepenny Opera, but unfortunately these plays were met with critical confusion and disappointing ticket sales. Arena Stage was incredibly successful in the 1970s, garnering awards and critical approval, and international recognition. Not content with the current Arena Stage configuration, Fichandler and others worked diligently to acquire another stage facility that would collaborate, not compete, with the current Stage. Generosity on the part of David Lloyd Kreeger, and others, led to the construction of the new Kreeger Theater which opened on January 15, 1971.","In 1973 Arena would have the opportunity to take two of its plays, Our Town and Inherit the Wind to the U.S.S.R. This was the first ever trip to the Soviet Union undertaken by a resident theater group. The trip was a wild success with Russian audiences giving the cast a standing ovation following their performance of Inherit the Wind at the Moscow Art Theatre. In April 1976 the American Theatre Critics Association bestowed upon the Arena Stage a special Tony Award for resident theaters. The ATCA cited Arena's qualities as a \"trailblazer\" in theatrical arts and representative of other theaters that had followed its lead.","The early 1980s were a difficult time for theater, but, in spite of this, Arena continued to push the limits of conventional residential theater. The 1982 production of K2, for example, saw the construction of a sheer glacial face on the Kreeger stage according to the vision of set designer Ming Cho Lee. In 1986 twenty-three actors and a thirteen member production staff traveled to Jerusalem to perform Zelda's production of The Crucible at the Israel Festival.","1989 marked the end of an era as Zelda Fichandler announced that she would step down as Arena's producing director at the end of the 1990-1991 fortieth anniversary season. Douglas C. Wager would succeed her as artistic director. Amid financial difficulties and changing times for theaters everywhere, Arena's resident company of actors was disbanded by the late 1990s. Wager remained at the helm until 1998, when Molly Smith took over the position. Under Smith's leadership, Bing Thom architects completed another major renovation of Arena's existing buildings into the Mead Center for American Theater in 2010. Smith served as Arena's artistic director until 2023, when she retired and was succeeded by current Aristic Director, Hana Sharif.","Many now-famous actors took part in Arena Stage productions during the early part of their careers. Some of them include Robert Prosky, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Wiest, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Christopher Guest, Yeardley Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Ned Beatty, Jane Alexander, and Ron Perlman. Many other set designers, artists, costume designers, and technical workers owe their early success and experience to the Arena Stage."],"phystech_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to film and audio reels, Betacam, or U-matic tapes contained in Series 5.2 and 5.3. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"phystech_heading_ssm":["Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements"],"phystech_tesim":["The Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to film and audio reels, Betacam, or U-matic tapes contained in Series 5.2 and 5.3. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eArena Stage records, C0017, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["Arena Stage records, C0017, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eProcessed by Harvard Theatre Collection and George Mason University Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed by Greta Suiter, Kerry Mitchell, Elizabeth Beckman, Diane Stancil, and Nick Welsh. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in 2016. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in 2025.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["Processed by Harvard Theatre Collection and George Mason University Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed by Greta Suiter, Kerry Mitchell, Elizabeth Beckman, Diane Stancil, and Nick Welsh. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in 2016. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in 2025."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Special Collections Research Center holds the personal papers of several individuals involved with Arena Stage, including the Zelda Fichandler papers, the Thomas C. Fichandler papers, the Ken Kitch papers, as well as the Living Stage records.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The Special Collections Research Center holds the personal papers of several individuals involved with Arena Stage, including the Zelda Fichandler papers, the Thomas C. Fichandler papers, the Ken Kitch papers, as well as the Living Stage records."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from 1949 to 2010, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records pertaining to the theater's finances, publicity, buildings, and programs.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1: Administrative records (1949-2007) documents the creation, operation, and maintenance of Arena Stage and its various programs. It is further divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 1.1: Correspondence includes correspondence arranged alphabetically by the correspondent's last name or by organizational name. Some correspondence is further aggregated and then organized alphabetically, such as \"Play Correspondence\" or \"Audience Response.\" Of particular note are letters from President Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and King Kong star Fay Wray. Subseries 1.2: Programs, policies, and procedures, includes records of Arena's programs, such as the \"Arena Angels\" volunteer program and fellowship programs, policies, such as bylaws, diversity policies, and handbooks, and planning, including season planning and long-range plans. This subseries is broken up into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.3.1: Financial papers documents Arena's finances and includes stockholder documents from its beginnings as a for-profit theater, grant-related documentation after the theater transitioned to a non-profit in the late 1950s, and records of the theater's development office, some of which were kept by department director Elspeth Udvarhelyi. Sub-subseries 1.3.2: Personnel records includes information on staff at Arena Stage arranged alphabetically. Of particular interest are headshots and/or resumes of a number of well-known actors, including James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, Henry Winkler, Edward Hermann, Yeardley Smith, Jane Alexander, Swoosie Kurtz, Victor Garber, Ron Perlman, Annette Benning, Olympia Dukakis, John Lithgow, John Voigt, Sigourney Weaver, and Rosemary Harris. Sub-subseries 1.3.3: Casting information contains notes on casting for productions arranged alphabetically by play. Sub-subseries 1.3.4: Production contracts includes official agreements between Arena and others arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 1.4: Meeting minutes contains meeting minutes from Arena's Board of Trustees, staff, and other subgroups within the organization. Subseries 1.5: Communications and events, is also divided into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.5.1: Events documents special events held by Arena Stage, including anniversaries, galas, benefits, openings and press events. Sub-subseries 1.5.2: Communications and Marketing includes records produced by the Communications and Marketing departments, including meeting minutes, planning, research, and correspondence. Sub-subseries 1.5.3: Printed Material includes subscriber materials, mailings, brochures, reviews collected and arranged by play title, and programs organized chronologically. Sub-subseries 1.5.4: Theater Communications Group contains correspondence, reports, and other information generated from Arena's association with the Theater Communications Group, an organization of theaters around the United States. Subseries 1.6: Buildings and facilities includes information about and architectural plans for Arena's various buildings over the years, including the Hippodrome, the Old Vat, the 1960 permanent building, and the Kreeger Theater addition.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2: Production Files (1950-2010) is comprised of records related to the artistic development and performance of Arena's plays. It is divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 2.1: Dramaturgical files documents literary, historical and background research done by Arena's literary department for various plays, including articles, research packets, actor's packets, and scripts. It is generally organized alphabetically by play. Subseries 2.2: Playwright subject files contains research on various playwrights, both living and dead, whose work has been performed at Arena. It is organized alphabetically by playwright's last name. Subseries 2.3: Production files includes scripts, blocking information, correspondence, and other material related to the production of Arena's plays. It is arranged alphabetically by play title. Subseries 2.4: Stage manager's reports includes daily reports by the stage manager of productions for the entire runs of many of Arena's plays from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. The reports include running times, incident reports, and other commentary on the audience and the performance. Subseries 2.5: Wrap files contains documents collected from throughout the runs of various productions, including reviews that reflect the wider response to the play. Subseries 2.6: Producing director's files contains documents from Arena's second Producing director after Zelda Fichandler, Doug Wager, who served from 1991-1998. It includes pre-production speeches given by Wager, as well as planning files.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3: Photographs (1950-1991)is divided into 3 subseries. Subseries 3.1: Production photographs includes photos of scenes from Arena's productions arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 3.2: Production books includes production photos collected in books, many of which are by professional photographer George de Vincent. Subseries 3.3: Buildings, staff, and events includes photographs of Arena's buildings, staff and cast portraits, and event photographs, such as prints from Arena's 30th anniversary celebration and from Arena's Soviet Union and Israel tours. Subseries 3.4: Negatives and slides includes slides and negatives of Arena's staff and events, as well as some buildings, sets, and production-related images.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 4: Oversize (1949-late 2000s) is divided into 3 subseries and contains a variety of oversize material. Subseries 4.1: Braille programs contains programs in Braille for various Arena productions from the 1990s and early 2000s. Subseries 4.2: Miscellaneous artwork and programs includes posters from Arena productions and events, enlarged photos, costume sketches, and other oversized material, such as a large model of the Mead Center for American Theater. Subseries 4.3: Scrapbooks contains scrapbooks created for each of Arena's seasons up until 1988. It also includes scrapbooks for Arena's tour of the Soviet Union and of visitors to Arena.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 5: Audiovisual (1970-2007) contains several types of formats and is divided into 3 subseries. Series 5.1: Performances on VHS contains VHS tapes (a few of which have associated DVDs) of performances at Arena arranged alphabetically by play title. Series 5.2: Reel-to-reel contains production and event footage on reel-to-reel film. Series 5.3: Other audiovisual formats and VHS tapes contains footage of events and productions on audiocassette, Betacam, and U-matic tapes. \u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from 1949 to 2010, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records pertaining to the theater's finances, publicity, buildings, and programs.","Series 1: Administrative records (1949-2007) documents the creation, operation, and maintenance of Arena Stage and its various programs. It is further divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 1.1: Correspondence includes correspondence arranged alphabetically by the correspondent's last name or by organizational name. Some correspondence is further aggregated and then organized alphabetically, such as \"Play Correspondence\" or \"Audience Response.\" Of particular note are letters from President Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and King Kong star Fay Wray. Subseries 1.2: Programs, policies, and procedures, includes records of Arena's programs, such as the \"Arena Angels\" volunteer program and fellowship programs, policies, such as bylaws, diversity policies, and handbooks, and planning, including season planning and long-range plans. This subseries is broken up into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.3.1: Financial papers documents Arena's finances and includes stockholder documents from its beginnings as a for-profit theater, grant-related documentation after the theater transitioned to a non-profit in the late 1950s, and records of the theater's development office, some of which were kept by department director Elspeth Udvarhelyi. Sub-subseries 1.3.2: Personnel records includes information on staff at Arena Stage arranged alphabetically. Of particular interest are headshots and/or resumes of a number of well-known actors, including James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, Henry Winkler, Edward Hermann, Yeardley Smith, Jane Alexander, Swoosie Kurtz, Victor Garber, Ron Perlman, Annette Benning, Olympia Dukakis, John Lithgow, John Voigt, Sigourney Weaver, and Rosemary Harris. Sub-subseries 1.3.3: Casting information contains notes on casting for productions arranged alphabetically by play. Sub-subseries 1.3.4: Production contracts includes official agreements between Arena and others arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 1.4: Meeting minutes contains meeting minutes from Arena's Board of Trustees, staff, and other subgroups within the organization. Subseries 1.5: Communications and events, is also divided into four sub-subseries. Sub-subseries 1.5.1: Events documents special events held by Arena Stage, including anniversaries, galas, benefits, openings and press events. Sub-subseries 1.5.2: Communications and Marketing includes records produced by the Communications and Marketing departments, including meeting minutes, planning, research, and correspondence. Sub-subseries 1.5.3: Printed Material includes subscriber materials, mailings, brochures, reviews collected and arranged by play title, and programs organized chronologically. Sub-subseries 1.5.4: Theater Communications Group contains correspondence, reports, and other information generated from Arena's association with the Theater Communications Group, an organization of theaters around the United States. Subseries 1.6: Buildings and facilities includes information about and architectural plans for Arena's various buildings over the years, including the Hippodrome, the Old Vat, the 1960 permanent building, and the Kreeger Theater addition.","Series 2: Production Files (1950-2010) is comprised of records related to the artistic development and performance of Arena's plays. It is divided into 6 subseries. Subseries 2.1: Dramaturgical files documents literary, historical and background research done by Arena's literary department for various plays, including articles, research packets, actor's packets, and scripts. It is generally organized alphabetically by play. Subseries 2.2: Playwright subject files contains research on various playwrights, both living and dead, whose work has been performed at Arena. It is organized alphabetically by playwright's last name. Subseries 2.3: Production files includes scripts, blocking information, correspondence, and other material related to the production of Arena's plays. It is arranged alphabetically by play title. Subseries 2.4: Stage manager's reports includes daily reports by the stage manager of productions for the entire runs of many of Arena's plays from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. The reports include running times, incident reports, and other commentary on the audience and the performance. Subseries 2.5: Wrap files contains documents collected from throughout the runs of various productions, including reviews that reflect the wider response to the play. Subseries 2.6: Producing director's files contains documents from Arena's second Producing director after Zelda Fichandler, Doug Wager, who served from 1991-1998. It includes pre-production speeches given by Wager, as well as planning files.","Series 3: Photographs (1950-1991)is divided into 3 subseries. Subseries 3.1: Production photographs includes photos of scenes from Arena's productions arranged alphabetically by play. Subseries 3.2: Production books includes production photos collected in books, many of which are by professional photographer George de Vincent. Subseries 3.3: Buildings, staff, and events includes photographs of Arena's buildings, staff and cast portraits, and event photographs, such as prints from Arena's 30th anniversary celebration and from Arena's Soviet Union and Israel tours. Subseries 3.4: Negatives and slides includes slides and negatives of Arena's staff and events, as well as some buildings, sets, and production-related images.","Series 4: Oversize (1949-late 2000s) is divided into 3 subseries and contains a variety of oversize material. Subseries 4.1: Braille programs contains programs in Braille for various Arena productions from the 1990s and early 2000s. Subseries 4.2: Miscellaneous artwork and programs includes posters from Arena productions and events, enlarged photos, costume sketches, and other oversized material, such as a large model of the Mead Center for American Theater. Subseries 4.3: Scrapbooks contains scrapbooks created for each of Arena's seasons up until 1988. It also includes scrapbooks for Arena's tour of the Soviet Union and of visitors to Arena.","Series 5: Audiovisual (1970-2007) contains several types of formats and is divided into 3 subseries. Series 5.1: Performances on VHS contains VHS tapes (a few of which have associated DVDs) of performances at Arena arranged alphabetically by play title. Series 5.2: Reel-to-reel contains production and event footage on reel-to-reel film. Series 5.3: Other audiovisual formats and VHS tapes contains footage of events and productions on audiocassette, Betacam, and U-matic tapes."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract id=\"aspace_ec96c412f915842d3012676b73803163\" label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from its beginnings in 1950 to the present, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, handwritten correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Arena Stage records consist of material that spans the theater's history from its beginnings in 1950 to the present, including production notebooks, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, playbills, scrapbooks, scripts, handwritten correspondence, and other production materials, as well as administrative records."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_22f8958322c3fdee6366a384bb686980\"\u003e\nR 5, C 1, S 2 - R 9, C 4, S 7 \n\n\nR29, C1, S2\n\nOS R 3, C 2, S 1 - C 3, S 7\nOS R 4, C 5, S 5 \nOS R 5, C 2, S 3\nOS R 5, C 5, S 4\nOS R 6, C 4, S 6 - S 7\nOS R 7, C 1, S 2\nMap Case 9.1, 11.5\u003c/physloc\u003e\n    "],"physloc_tesim":["R 5, C 1, S 2 - R 9, C 4, S 7 \n\n\nR29, C1, S2\n\nOS R 3, C 2, S 1 - C 3, S 7\nOS R 4, C 5, S 5 \nOS R 5, C 2, S 3\nOS R 5, C 5, S 4\nOS R 6, C 4, S 6 - S 7\nOS R 7, C 1, S 2\nMap Case 9.1, 11.5"],"corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"persname_ssim":["Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016"],"names_coll_ssim":["Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016"],"names_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)","Fichandler, Thomas C.","Fichandler, Zelda, 1924-2016"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":8332,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:20:46.971Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_416"}},{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331","type":"collection","attributes":{"title":"Federal Theatre Project collection, 1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939","creator":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331#creator","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)","label":"Creator"}},"abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"The Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies.","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331","ead_ssi":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331","_root_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331","_nest_parent_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/GMU/repositories_2_resources_331.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Federal Theatre Project collection","title_ssm":["Federal Theatre Project collection"],"title_tesim":["Federal Theatre Project collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["circa 1885-1986","1935-1939"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["circa 1885-1986"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1935-1939"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Federal Theatre Project collection, 1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939"],"text":["Federal Theatre Project collection, 1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939","C0002","/repositories/2/resources/331","Children's theater","New Deal, 1933-1939","Political plays, American","Radio and theater","Theater programs","Theater -- United States","Theater","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Playscript","There are no access restrictions.","Portions of this collection were digitized and are available to view .","Arranged into five series.","Series\n      Series 1: Administrative Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 1-5, 361, 365-366, 368)\n      Series 2: Play Service and Research Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 5-105)\n      Series 3: Library Records, 1885-1986 (Boxes 106-306)\n      Series 4: Production Records, 193-193 (Boxes 307-363, 366-367)\n      Series 5: Costumes, circa 1935-1939 (Boxes 369-371)","The Federal Theatre Project was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which provided employment for large numbers of artists, writers, and performers during the Great Depression (1929-1939). The Federal Theatre began in 1935 and, until its end in 1939, flourished as the first and only federally sponsored and subsidized theater program in the United States. Directed by Hallie Flanagan (1880-1969), it was a way for theatrical professionals to gain employment during the Depression. Jobs were provided for many people, including actors, playwrights, scene designers, scene builders, seamstresses, lighting experts, ushers, box-office men, and stagehands.","Like many New Deal programs implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Federal Theatre Project was intended not only to benefit its participants, but also to enrich the condition of the nation. Theater was a distinguished part of American popular culture, but the economic downturn of the Depression had bankrupted the entire theater industry. As the theater houses closed down, the nation was left without an outlet for theatrical creativity. According to Hallie Flanagan, this hurt the nation as much as it hurt the theater industry - indeed, the nation was their audience and the theater could provide entertaining distractions from the effects of Depression as well as offer commentary on present conditions.","But it was not enough to simply return to the pre-Depression concept of theater. In the first meeting with her staff Flanagan expressed her willingness to follow Roosevelt's experimental approach to public policy: \"In a changing world, a world of experiment, the stage too must experiment - with ideas, with the psychological relationship of men and women, with color and light.... The theatre must grow up.\"","Flanagan pursued her ideal of developing the relationship between the Federal Theatre and the federal government: \"Any theatre sponsored by the government of the United States should do no plays of a cheap, trivial, outworn or vulgar nature, but only such plays as the Government can stand proudly behind in a planned theatrical program, national in scope, regional in emphasis, and American in democratic attitude.\" To Flanagan, it was imperative that this new theater should be progressive and experimental, yet within a patriotic and informative framework.","The productions that best embodied Flanagan's views on theater were the Living Newspapers. These hard-hitting, poignant plays dealt with contemporary factual material, dramatizing issues such as housing, agriculture, labor, and destitution. Always ending on an upbeat note, Living Newspapers underscored the importance of hard work and morality in overcoming difficult times. Living Newspaper titles include: Triple A Plowed Under, Injunction Granted, One Third of a Nation, and Spirocheta.","The Federal Theatre was noted for employing Black Americans at a time when the Federal Government did not actively protect the rights of marginalized communities. This unit was called \"The Negro Unit,\" which at the time was a socially acceptable term used to describe people of African descent. All-Black theatre companies were an established industry before the Depression. As a result, the inclusion of this unit greatly contributed to the success of the Federal Theatre Project. Some of the most spectacular productions were put on by Black theater professionals, for example: Macbeth, Haiti, Turpentine, Run Little Chillun, and The Trial of Dr. Beck.","Processed by Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed and EAD completed in 2012 by Greta Kuriger. Finding aid updated by Robert Vay in February 2023.","The Special Collections Research Center also holds the Federal Theatre Project photograph collection, the Federal Theatre Project personal papers, the Arnold Sungaard papers, and the Works Progress Administration oral histories collection.","The scripts are also available as a series in the .","Content Warning: Some materials contain racist language and slurs, including play titles.","The Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies.","Series 1 contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, inventories, reorganization plans, briefs, and speeches relating to the background organization, policies, services, and procedures of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP). Publications featuring articles on productions and organizational activities such as Federal Theatre are included in this series. Personnel file information such as biographical and employee tests are also included, as is research studies of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Federal Art Project (FAP) and the Historical Records Survey (HRS). This series is arranged alphabetically.","Series 2 is titled Play Service and Research Records and comprises two subseries. Subseries 2.1 contains research on drama, theatre technique, and theatre operations. This subseries is arranged alphabetically. Subseries 2.2 is titled Play Reader Reports and contains thousands of reports completed by the Federal Theatre for possible production or inclusion in play lists. This subseries is loosely arranged alphabetically by play title. Some duplicate material.","Series 3 is titled Library Records and consists of three subseries: Playscripts, Radio scripts, and Play lists. Subseries 3.1 includes hundreds of playscripts from over 900 productions performed or considered for production from around the United States. Most of the scripts are in English but some are in Yiddish or Italian. Some duplicate material. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 3.2 includes radio scripts. Series of shows include topics such as art, children's shows, mysteries, health, music, history, and science. Arranged alphabetically by series and single broadcast title. Subseries 3.3 consists of play lists. These lists were created to aid play selection among the various units of the Federal Theatre. Lists are arranged alphabetically by subject categories such as children's plays, historical drama, holidays, minstrel shows, operettas, puppet plays, and vaudeville.","Series 4 is titled Production Records and consists of three subseries: Production Title File, Playbills and Programs, and Music File. Subseries 4.1 includes memoranda, production bulletins, publicity, and reports relating to play productions. Each production bulletin contains some or all of the following: synopsis, director's report, set and costume designs, lighting scheme, blueprints, photographs, program, reviews, royalty information, and a script. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 4.2 includes programs, heralds, handbills, and other announcements of FTP productions on different sized and colored paper. The first section of this subseries is arranged alphabetically by state in which the performance was produced and then it is arranged alphabetically by play title. The second section is arranged alphabetically by play title. There may be duplicates between the two arrangements. Subseries 4.3 includes manuscript scores and parts for multiple Federal Theatre productions. Resource material used for reference purposes for play productions and Federal Theatre units and regions throughout the United States consists of mostly printed music and is found under \"miscellaneous\". Chiefly arranged alphabetically by title and then according to standard orchestral instrument order. Some duplicates.","Series 5 is titled Costumes and includes two coats and two pairs of pants created and used by the Federal Theatre Project.","The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/).","The Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies.","R 1, C 8, S 6 - C 9, S 7\n\nR 2, C 1, S 1 - C 8, S 3\nOS R 7, C 1, S1\nOS R 3, C 5, S 5 - S 6\nMap Case 9.1, 11.1, 11.3-11.5, 21.2","George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Federal Theatre Project collection, 1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939"],"collection_ssim":["Federal Theatre Project collection, 1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["C0002","/repositories/2/resources/331"],"unitid_tesim":["C0002","/repositories/2/resources/331"],"repository_ssm":["George Mason University"],"repository_ssim":["George Mason University"],"creator_ssm":["Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"creator_ssim":["Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"creators_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Donated by the Library of Congress."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Children's theater","New Deal, 1933-1939","Political plays, American","Radio and theater","Theater programs","Theater -- United States","Theater","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Playscript"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Children's theater","New Deal, 1933-1939","Political plays, American","Radio and theater","Theater programs","Theater -- United States","Theater","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Playscript"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["185 Linear Feet 371 boxes"],"extent_tesim":["185 Linear Feet 371 boxes"],"genreform_ssim":["Playscript"],"date_range_isim":[1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no access restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no access restrictions."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePortions of this collection were digitized and are available to view \u003cextptr href=\"https://digitalcollections.gmu.edu/search?c=Federal+Theatre+Project+collection\u0026amp;cc=Federal+Theatre+Project+collection\u0026amp;ln=en\" title=\"here\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Alternative Form Available"],"altformavail_tesim":["Portions of this collection were digitized and are available to view ."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eArranged into five series.\u003c/p\u003e    ","\u003clist type=\"ordered\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003eSeries\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 1: Administrative Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 1-5, 361, 365-366, 368)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 2: Play Service and Research Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 5-105)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 3: Library Records, 1885-1986 (Boxes 106-306)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 4: Production Records, 193-193 (Boxes 307-363, 366-367)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 5: Costumes, circa 1935-1939 (Boxes 369-371)\u003c/item\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e\n  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arranged into five series.","Series\n      Series 1: Administrative Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 1-5, 361, 365-366, 368)\n      Series 2: Play Service and Research Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 5-105)\n      Series 3: Library Records, 1885-1986 (Boxes 106-306)\n      Series 4: Production Records, 193-193 (Boxes 307-363, 366-367)\n      Series 5: Costumes, circa 1935-1939 (Boxes 369-371)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Federal Theatre Project was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which provided employment for large numbers of artists, writers, and performers during the Great Depression (1929-1939). The Federal Theatre began in 1935 and, until its end in 1939, flourished as the first and only federally sponsored and subsidized theater program in the United States. Directed by Hallie Flanagan (1880-1969), it was a way for theatrical professionals to gain employment during the Depression. Jobs were provided for many people, including actors, playwrights, scene designers, scene builders, seamstresses, lighting experts, ushers, box-office men, and stagehands.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eLike many New Deal programs implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Federal Theatre Project was intended not only to benefit its participants, but also to enrich the condition of the nation. Theater was a distinguished part of American popular culture, but the economic downturn of the Depression had bankrupted the entire theater industry. As the theater houses closed down, the nation was left without an outlet for theatrical creativity. According to Hallie Flanagan, this hurt the nation as much as it hurt the theater industry - indeed, the nation was their audience and the theater could provide entertaining distractions from the effects of Depression as well as offer commentary on present conditions.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBut it was not enough to simply return to the pre-Depression concept of theater. In the first meeting with her staff Flanagan expressed her willingness to follow Roosevelt's experimental approach to public policy: \"In a changing world, a world of experiment, the stage too must experiment - with ideas, with the psychological relationship of men and women, with color and light.... The theatre must grow up.\"\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFlanagan pursued her ideal of developing the relationship between the Federal Theatre and the federal government: \"Any theatre sponsored by the government of the United States should do no plays of a cheap, trivial, outworn or vulgar nature, but only such plays as the Government can stand proudly behind in a planned theatrical program, national in scope, regional in emphasis, and American in democratic attitude.\" To Flanagan, it was imperative that this new theater should be progressive and experimental, yet within a patriotic and informative framework.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe productions that best embodied Flanagan's views on theater were the Living Newspapers. These hard-hitting, poignant plays dealt with contemporary factual material, dramatizing issues such as housing, agriculture, labor, and destitution. Always ending on an upbeat note, Living Newspapers underscored the importance of hard work and morality in overcoming difficult times. Living Newspaper titles include: Triple A Plowed Under, Injunction Granted, One Third of a Nation, and Spirocheta.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe Federal Theatre was noted for employing Black Americans at a time when the Federal Government did not actively protect the rights of marginalized communities. This unit was called \"The Negro Unit,\" which at the time was a socially acceptable term used to describe people of African descent. All-Black theatre companies were an established industry before the Depression. As a result, the inclusion of this unit greatly contributed to the success of the Federal Theatre Project. Some of the most spectacular productions were put on by Black theater professionals, for example: Macbeth, Haiti, Turpentine, Run Little Chillun, and The Trial of Dr. Beck.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Federal Theatre Project was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which provided employment for large numbers of artists, writers, and performers during the Great Depression (1929-1939). The Federal Theatre began in 1935 and, until its end in 1939, flourished as the first and only federally sponsored and subsidized theater program in the United States. Directed by Hallie Flanagan (1880-1969), it was a way for theatrical professionals to gain employment during the Depression. Jobs were provided for many people, including actors, playwrights, scene designers, scene builders, seamstresses, lighting experts, ushers, box-office men, and stagehands.","Like many New Deal programs implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Federal Theatre Project was intended not only to benefit its participants, but also to enrich the condition of the nation. Theater was a distinguished part of American popular culture, but the economic downturn of the Depression had bankrupted the entire theater industry. As the theater houses closed down, the nation was left without an outlet for theatrical creativity. According to Hallie Flanagan, this hurt the nation as much as it hurt the theater industry - indeed, the nation was their audience and the theater could provide entertaining distractions from the effects of Depression as well as offer commentary on present conditions.","But it was not enough to simply return to the pre-Depression concept of theater. In the first meeting with her staff Flanagan expressed her willingness to follow Roosevelt's experimental approach to public policy: \"In a changing world, a world of experiment, the stage too must experiment - with ideas, with the psychological relationship of men and women, with color and light.... The theatre must grow up.\"","Flanagan pursued her ideal of developing the relationship between the Federal Theatre and the federal government: \"Any theatre sponsored by the government of the United States should do no plays of a cheap, trivial, outworn or vulgar nature, but only such plays as the Government can stand proudly behind in a planned theatrical program, national in scope, regional in emphasis, and American in democratic attitude.\" To Flanagan, it was imperative that this new theater should be progressive and experimental, yet within a patriotic and informative framework.","The productions that best embodied Flanagan's views on theater were the Living Newspapers. These hard-hitting, poignant plays dealt with contemporary factual material, dramatizing issues such as housing, agriculture, labor, and destitution. Always ending on an upbeat note, Living Newspapers underscored the importance of hard work and morality in overcoming difficult times. Living Newspaper titles include: Triple A Plowed Under, Injunction Granted, One Third of a Nation, and Spirocheta.","The Federal Theatre was noted for employing Black Americans at a time when the Federal Government did not actively protect the rights of marginalized communities. This unit was called \"The Negro Unit,\" which at the time was a socially acceptable term used to describe people of African descent. All-Black theatre companies were an established industry before the Depression. As a result, the inclusion of this unit greatly contributed to the success of the Federal Theatre Project. Some of the most spectacular productions were put on by Black theater professionals, for example: Macbeth, Haiti, Turpentine, Run Little Chillun, and The Trial of Dr. Beck."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFederal Theatre Project collection, C0002, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["Federal Theatre Project collection, C0002, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eProcessed by Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed and EAD completed in 2012 by Greta Kuriger. Finding aid updated by Robert Vay in February 2023.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["Processed by Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed and EAD completed in 2012 by Greta Kuriger. Finding aid updated by Robert Vay in February 2023."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Special Collections Research Center also holds the Federal Theatre Project photograph collection, the Federal Theatre Project personal papers, the Arnold Sungaard papers, and the Works Progress Administration oral histories collection.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe scripts are also available as a series in the \u003cextptr show=\"new\" title=\"FTP digital collection\" href=\"https://mars.gmu.edu/handle/1920/3478\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e. \u003c/p\u003e  "],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The Special Collections Research Center also holds the Federal Theatre Project photograph collection, the Federal Theatre Project personal papers, the Arnold Sungaard papers, and the Works Progress Administration oral histories collection.","The scripts are also available as a series in the ."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eContent Warning: Some materials contain racist language and slurs, including play titles.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1 contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, inventories, reorganization plans, briefs, and speeches relating to the background organization, policies, services, and procedures of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP). Publications featuring articles on productions and organizational activities such as Federal Theatre are included in this series. Personnel file information such as biographical and employee tests are also included, as is research studies of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Federal Art Project (FAP) and the Historical Records Survey (HRS). This series is arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2 is titled Play Service and Research Records and comprises two subseries. Subseries 2.1 contains research on drama, theatre technique, and theatre operations. This subseries is arranged alphabetically. Subseries 2.2 is titled Play Reader Reports and contains thousands of reports completed by the Federal Theatre for possible production or inclusion in play lists. This subseries is loosely arranged alphabetically by play title. Some duplicate material.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3 is titled Library Records and consists of three subseries: Playscripts, Radio scripts, and Play lists. Subseries 3.1 includes hundreds of playscripts from over 900 productions performed or considered for production from around the United States. Most of the scripts are in English but some are in Yiddish or Italian. Some duplicate material. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 3.2 includes radio scripts. Series of shows include topics such as art, children's shows, mysteries, health, music, history, and science. Arranged alphabetically by series and single broadcast title. Subseries 3.3 consists of play lists. These lists were created to aid play selection among the various units of the Federal Theatre. Lists are arranged alphabetically by subject categories such as children's plays, historical drama, holidays, minstrel shows, operettas, puppet plays, and vaudeville.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 4 is titled Production Records and consists of three subseries: Production Title File, Playbills and Programs, and Music File. Subseries 4.1 includes memoranda, production bulletins, publicity, and reports relating to play productions. Each production bulletin contains some or all of the following: synopsis, director's report, set and costume designs, lighting scheme, blueprints, photographs, program, reviews, royalty information, and a script. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 4.2 includes programs, heralds, handbills, and other announcements of FTP productions on different sized and colored paper. The first section of this subseries is arranged alphabetically by state in which the performance was produced and then it is arranged alphabetically by play title. The second section is arranged alphabetically by play title. There may be duplicates between the two arrangements. Subseries 4.3 includes manuscript scores and parts for multiple Federal Theatre productions. Resource material used for reference purposes for play productions and Federal Theatre units and regions throughout the United States consists of mostly printed music and is found under \"miscellaneous\". Chiefly arranged alphabetically by title and then according to standard orchestral instrument order. Some duplicates.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 5 is titled Costumes and includes two coats and two pairs of pants created and used by the Federal Theatre Project.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Content Warning: Some materials contain racist language and slurs, including play titles.","The Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies.","Series 1 contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, inventories, reorganization plans, briefs, and speeches relating to the background organization, policies, services, and procedures of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP). Publications featuring articles on productions and organizational activities such as Federal Theatre are included in this series. Personnel file information such as biographical and employee tests are also included, as is research studies of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Federal Art Project (FAP) and the Historical Records Survey (HRS). This series is arranged alphabetically.","Series 2 is titled Play Service and Research Records and comprises two subseries. Subseries 2.1 contains research on drama, theatre technique, and theatre operations. This subseries is arranged alphabetically. Subseries 2.2 is titled Play Reader Reports and contains thousands of reports completed by the Federal Theatre for possible production or inclusion in play lists. This subseries is loosely arranged alphabetically by play title. Some duplicate material.","Series 3 is titled Library Records and consists of three subseries: Playscripts, Radio scripts, and Play lists. Subseries 3.1 includes hundreds of playscripts from over 900 productions performed or considered for production from around the United States. Most of the scripts are in English but some are in Yiddish or Italian. Some duplicate material. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 3.2 includes radio scripts. Series of shows include topics such as art, children's shows, mysteries, health, music, history, and science. Arranged alphabetically by series and single broadcast title. Subseries 3.3 consists of play lists. These lists were created to aid play selection among the various units of the Federal Theatre. Lists are arranged alphabetically by subject categories such as children's plays, historical drama, holidays, minstrel shows, operettas, puppet plays, and vaudeville.","Series 4 is titled Production Records and consists of three subseries: Production Title File, Playbills and Programs, and Music File. Subseries 4.1 includes memoranda, production bulletins, publicity, and reports relating to play productions. Each production bulletin contains some or all of the following: synopsis, director's report, set and costume designs, lighting scheme, blueprints, photographs, program, reviews, royalty information, and a script. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 4.2 includes programs, heralds, handbills, and other announcements of FTP productions on different sized and colored paper. The first section of this subseries is arranged alphabetically by state in which the performance was produced and then it is arranged alphabetically by play title. The second section is arranged alphabetically by play title. There may be duplicates between the two arrangements. Subseries 4.3 includes manuscript scores and parts for multiple Federal Theatre productions. Resource material used for reference purposes for play productions and Federal Theatre units and regions throughout the United States consists of mostly printed music and is found under \"miscellaneous\". Chiefly arranged alphabetically by title and then according to standard orchestral instrument order. Some duplicates.","Series 5 is titled Costumes and includes two coats and two pairs of pants created and used by the Federal Theatre Project."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/).\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)."],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract id=\"aspace_0f4707cda45d410e12f09ae2a350510a\" label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_d65479dc2ffe44debbb5af464a6479da\"\u003e\nR 1, C 8, S 6 - C 9, S 7\n\nR 2, C 1, S 1 - C 8, S 3\nOS R 7, C 1, S1\nOS R 3, C 5, S 5 - S 6\nMap Case 9.1, 11.1, 11.3-11.5, 21.2\u003c/physloc\u003e\n    "],"physloc_tesim":["R 1, C 8, S 6 - C 9, S 7\n\nR 2, C 1, S 1 - C 8, S 3\nOS R 7, C 1, S1\nOS R 3, C 5, S 5 - S 6\nMap Case 9.1, 11.1, 11.3-11.5, 21.2"],"corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"names_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":3180,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:00:50.382Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331","ead_ssi":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331","_root_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331","_nest_parent_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/GMU/repositories_2_resources_331.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Federal Theatre Project collection","title_ssm":["Federal Theatre Project collection"],"title_tesim":["Federal Theatre Project collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["circa 1885-1986","1935-1939"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["circa 1885-1986"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1935-1939"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Federal Theatre Project collection, 1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939"],"text":["Federal Theatre Project collection, 1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939","C0002","/repositories/2/resources/331","Children's theater","New Deal, 1933-1939","Political plays, American","Radio and theater","Theater programs","Theater -- United States","Theater","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Playscript","There are no access restrictions.","Portions of this collection were digitized and are available to view .","Arranged into five series.","Series\n      Series 1: Administrative Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 1-5, 361, 365-366, 368)\n      Series 2: Play Service and Research Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 5-105)\n      Series 3: Library Records, 1885-1986 (Boxes 106-306)\n      Series 4: Production Records, 193-193 (Boxes 307-363, 366-367)\n      Series 5: Costumes, circa 1935-1939 (Boxes 369-371)","The Federal Theatre Project was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which provided employment for large numbers of artists, writers, and performers during the Great Depression (1929-1939). The Federal Theatre began in 1935 and, until its end in 1939, flourished as the first and only federally sponsored and subsidized theater program in the United States. Directed by Hallie Flanagan (1880-1969), it was a way for theatrical professionals to gain employment during the Depression. Jobs were provided for many people, including actors, playwrights, scene designers, scene builders, seamstresses, lighting experts, ushers, box-office men, and stagehands.","Like many New Deal programs implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Federal Theatre Project was intended not only to benefit its participants, but also to enrich the condition of the nation. Theater was a distinguished part of American popular culture, but the economic downturn of the Depression had bankrupted the entire theater industry. As the theater houses closed down, the nation was left without an outlet for theatrical creativity. According to Hallie Flanagan, this hurt the nation as much as it hurt the theater industry - indeed, the nation was their audience and the theater could provide entertaining distractions from the effects of Depression as well as offer commentary on present conditions.","But it was not enough to simply return to the pre-Depression concept of theater. In the first meeting with her staff Flanagan expressed her willingness to follow Roosevelt's experimental approach to public policy: \"In a changing world, a world of experiment, the stage too must experiment - with ideas, with the psychological relationship of men and women, with color and light.... The theatre must grow up.\"","Flanagan pursued her ideal of developing the relationship between the Federal Theatre and the federal government: \"Any theatre sponsored by the government of the United States should do no plays of a cheap, trivial, outworn or vulgar nature, but only such plays as the Government can stand proudly behind in a planned theatrical program, national in scope, regional in emphasis, and American in democratic attitude.\" To Flanagan, it was imperative that this new theater should be progressive and experimental, yet within a patriotic and informative framework.","The productions that best embodied Flanagan's views on theater were the Living Newspapers. These hard-hitting, poignant plays dealt with contemporary factual material, dramatizing issues such as housing, agriculture, labor, and destitution. Always ending on an upbeat note, Living Newspapers underscored the importance of hard work and morality in overcoming difficult times. Living Newspaper titles include: Triple A Plowed Under, Injunction Granted, One Third of a Nation, and Spirocheta.","The Federal Theatre was noted for employing Black Americans at a time when the Federal Government did not actively protect the rights of marginalized communities. This unit was called \"The Negro Unit,\" which at the time was a socially acceptable term used to describe people of African descent. All-Black theatre companies were an established industry before the Depression. As a result, the inclusion of this unit greatly contributed to the success of the Federal Theatre Project. Some of the most spectacular productions were put on by Black theater professionals, for example: Macbeth, Haiti, Turpentine, Run Little Chillun, and The Trial of Dr. Beck.","Processed by Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed and EAD completed in 2012 by Greta Kuriger. Finding aid updated by Robert Vay in February 2023.","The Special Collections Research Center also holds the Federal Theatre Project photograph collection, the Federal Theatre Project personal papers, the Arnold Sungaard papers, and the Works Progress Administration oral histories collection.","The scripts are also available as a series in the .","Content Warning: Some materials contain racist language and slurs, including play titles.","The Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies.","Series 1 contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, inventories, reorganization plans, briefs, and speeches relating to the background organization, policies, services, and procedures of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP). Publications featuring articles on productions and organizational activities such as Federal Theatre are included in this series. Personnel file information such as biographical and employee tests are also included, as is research studies of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Federal Art Project (FAP) and the Historical Records Survey (HRS). This series is arranged alphabetically.","Series 2 is titled Play Service and Research Records and comprises two subseries. Subseries 2.1 contains research on drama, theatre technique, and theatre operations. This subseries is arranged alphabetically. Subseries 2.2 is titled Play Reader Reports and contains thousands of reports completed by the Federal Theatre for possible production or inclusion in play lists. This subseries is loosely arranged alphabetically by play title. Some duplicate material.","Series 3 is titled Library Records and consists of three subseries: Playscripts, Radio scripts, and Play lists. Subseries 3.1 includes hundreds of playscripts from over 900 productions performed or considered for production from around the United States. Most of the scripts are in English but some are in Yiddish or Italian. Some duplicate material. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 3.2 includes radio scripts. Series of shows include topics such as art, children's shows, mysteries, health, music, history, and science. Arranged alphabetically by series and single broadcast title. Subseries 3.3 consists of play lists. These lists were created to aid play selection among the various units of the Federal Theatre. Lists are arranged alphabetically by subject categories such as children's plays, historical drama, holidays, minstrel shows, operettas, puppet plays, and vaudeville.","Series 4 is titled Production Records and consists of three subseries: Production Title File, Playbills and Programs, and Music File. Subseries 4.1 includes memoranda, production bulletins, publicity, and reports relating to play productions. Each production bulletin contains some or all of the following: synopsis, director's report, set and costume designs, lighting scheme, blueprints, photographs, program, reviews, royalty information, and a script. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 4.2 includes programs, heralds, handbills, and other announcements of FTP productions on different sized and colored paper. The first section of this subseries is arranged alphabetically by state in which the performance was produced and then it is arranged alphabetically by play title. The second section is arranged alphabetically by play title. There may be duplicates between the two arrangements. Subseries 4.3 includes manuscript scores and parts for multiple Federal Theatre productions. Resource material used for reference purposes for play productions and Federal Theatre units and regions throughout the United States consists of mostly printed music and is found under \"miscellaneous\". Chiefly arranged alphabetically by title and then according to standard orchestral instrument order. Some duplicates.","Series 5 is titled Costumes and includes two coats and two pairs of pants created and used by the Federal Theatre Project.","The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/).","The Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies.","R 1, C 8, S 6 - C 9, S 7\n\nR 2, C 1, S 1 - C 8, S 3\nOS R 7, C 1, S1\nOS R 3, C 5, S 5 - S 6\nMap Case 9.1, 11.1, 11.3-11.5, 21.2","George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Federal Theatre Project collection, 1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939"],"collection_ssim":["Federal Theatre Project collection, 1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["C0002","/repositories/2/resources/331"],"unitid_tesim":["C0002","/repositories/2/resources/331"],"repository_ssm":["George Mason University"],"repository_ssim":["George Mason University"],"creator_ssm":["Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"creator_ssim":["Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"creators_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Donated by the Library of Congress."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Children's theater","New Deal, 1933-1939","Political plays, American","Radio and theater","Theater programs","Theater -- United States","Theater","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Playscript"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Children's theater","New Deal, 1933-1939","Political plays, American","Radio and theater","Theater programs","Theater -- United States","Theater","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Playscript"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["185 Linear Feet 371 boxes"],"extent_tesim":["185 Linear Feet 371 boxes"],"genreform_ssim":["Playscript"],"date_range_isim":[1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no access restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no access restrictions."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePortions of this collection were digitized and are available to view \u003cextptr href=\"https://digitalcollections.gmu.edu/search?c=Federal+Theatre+Project+collection\u0026amp;cc=Federal+Theatre+Project+collection\u0026amp;ln=en\" title=\"here\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Alternative Form Available"],"altformavail_tesim":["Portions of this collection were digitized and are available to view ."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eArranged into five series.\u003c/p\u003e    ","\u003clist type=\"ordered\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003eSeries\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 1: Administrative Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 1-5, 361, 365-366, 368)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 2: Play Service and Research Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 5-105)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 3: Library Records, 1885-1986 (Boxes 106-306)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 4: Production Records, 193-193 (Boxes 307-363, 366-367)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003citem\u003eSeries 5: Costumes, circa 1935-1939 (Boxes 369-371)\u003c/item\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e\n  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arranged into five series.","Series\n      Series 1: Administrative Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 1-5, 361, 365-366, 368)\n      Series 2: Play Service and Research Records, 1935-1939 (Boxes 5-105)\n      Series 3: Library Records, 1885-1986 (Boxes 106-306)\n      Series 4: Production Records, 193-193 (Boxes 307-363, 366-367)\n      Series 5: Costumes, circa 1935-1939 (Boxes 369-371)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Federal Theatre Project was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which provided employment for large numbers of artists, writers, and performers during the Great Depression (1929-1939). The Federal Theatre began in 1935 and, until its end in 1939, flourished as the first and only federally sponsored and subsidized theater program in the United States. Directed by Hallie Flanagan (1880-1969), it was a way for theatrical professionals to gain employment during the Depression. Jobs were provided for many people, including actors, playwrights, scene designers, scene builders, seamstresses, lighting experts, ushers, box-office men, and stagehands.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eLike many New Deal programs implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Federal Theatre Project was intended not only to benefit its participants, but also to enrich the condition of the nation. Theater was a distinguished part of American popular culture, but the economic downturn of the Depression had bankrupted the entire theater industry. As the theater houses closed down, the nation was left without an outlet for theatrical creativity. According to Hallie Flanagan, this hurt the nation as much as it hurt the theater industry - indeed, the nation was their audience and the theater could provide entertaining distractions from the effects of Depression as well as offer commentary on present conditions.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBut it was not enough to simply return to the pre-Depression concept of theater. In the first meeting with her staff Flanagan expressed her willingness to follow Roosevelt's experimental approach to public policy: \"In a changing world, a world of experiment, the stage too must experiment - with ideas, with the psychological relationship of men and women, with color and light.... The theatre must grow up.\"\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eFlanagan pursued her ideal of developing the relationship between the Federal Theatre and the federal government: \"Any theatre sponsored by the government of the United States should do no plays of a cheap, trivial, outworn or vulgar nature, but only such plays as the Government can stand proudly behind in a planned theatrical program, national in scope, regional in emphasis, and American in democratic attitude.\" To Flanagan, it was imperative that this new theater should be progressive and experimental, yet within a patriotic and informative framework.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe productions that best embodied Flanagan's views on theater were the Living Newspapers. These hard-hitting, poignant plays dealt with contemporary factual material, dramatizing issues such as housing, agriculture, labor, and destitution. Always ending on an upbeat note, Living Newspapers underscored the importance of hard work and morality in overcoming difficult times. Living Newspaper titles include: Triple A Plowed Under, Injunction Granted, One Third of a Nation, and Spirocheta.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe Federal Theatre was noted for employing Black Americans at a time when the Federal Government did not actively protect the rights of marginalized communities. This unit was called \"The Negro Unit,\" which at the time was a socially acceptable term used to describe people of African descent. All-Black theatre companies were an established industry before the Depression. As a result, the inclusion of this unit greatly contributed to the success of the Federal Theatre Project. Some of the most spectacular productions were put on by Black theater professionals, for example: Macbeth, Haiti, Turpentine, Run Little Chillun, and The Trial of Dr. Beck.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["The Federal Theatre Project was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which provided employment for large numbers of artists, writers, and performers during the Great Depression (1929-1939). The Federal Theatre began in 1935 and, until its end in 1939, flourished as the first and only federally sponsored and subsidized theater program in the United States. Directed by Hallie Flanagan (1880-1969), it was a way for theatrical professionals to gain employment during the Depression. Jobs were provided for many people, including actors, playwrights, scene designers, scene builders, seamstresses, lighting experts, ushers, box-office men, and stagehands.","Like many New Deal programs implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Federal Theatre Project was intended not only to benefit its participants, but also to enrich the condition of the nation. Theater was a distinguished part of American popular culture, but the economic downturn of the Depression had bankrupted the entire theater industry. As the theater houses closed down, the nation was left without an outlet for theatrical creativity. According to Hallie Flanagan, this hurt the nation as much as it hurt the theater industry - indeed, the nation was their audience and the theater could provide entertaining distractions from the effects of Depression as well as offer commentary on present conditions.","But it was not enough to simply return to the pre-Depression concept of theater. In the first meeting with her staff Flanagan expressed her willingness to follow Roosevelt's experimental approach to public policy: \"In a changing world, a world of experiment, the stage too must experiment - with ideas, with the psychological relationship of men and women, with color and light.... The theatre must grow up.\"","Flanagan pursued her ideal of developing the relationship between the Federal Theatre and the federal government: \"Any theatre sponsored by the government of the United States should do no plays of a cheap, trivial, outworn or vulgar nature, but only such plays as the Government can stand proudly behind in a planned theatrical program, national in scope, regional in emphasis, and American in democratic attitude.\" To Flanagan, it was imperative that this new theater should be progressive and experimental, yet within a patriotic and informative framework.","The productions that best embodied Flanagan's views on theater were the Living Newspapers. These hard-hitting, poignant plays dealt with contemporary factual material, dramatizing issues such as housing, agriculture, labor, and destitution. Always ending on an upbeat note, Living Newspapers underscored the importance of hard work and morality in overcoming difficult times. Living Newspaper titles include: Triple A Plowed Under, Injunction Granted, One Third of a Nation, and Spirocheta.","The Federal Theatre was noted for employing Black Americans at a time when the Federal Government did not actively protect the rights of marginalized communities. This unit was called \"The Negro Unit,\" which at the time was a socially acceptable term used to describe people of African descent. All-Black theatre companies were an established industry before the Depression. As a result, the inclusion of this unit greatly contributed to the success of the Federal Theatre Project. Some of the most spectacular productions were put on by Black theater professionals, for example: Macbeth, Haiti, Turpentine, Run Little Chillun, and The Trial of Dr. Beck."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFederal Theatre Project collection, C0002, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["Federal Theatre Project collection, C0002, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eProcessed by Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed and EAD completed in 2012 by Greta Kuriger. Finding aid updated by Robert Vay in February 2023.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["Processed by Special Collections Research Center staff. Reprocessed and EAD completed in 2012 by Greta Kuriger. Finding aid updated by Robert Vay in February 2023."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Special Collections Research Center also holds the Federal Theatre Project photograph collection, the Federal Theatre Project personal papers, the Arnold Sungaard papers, and the Works Progress Administration oral histories collection.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe scripts are also available as a series in the \u003cextptr show=\"new\" title=\"FTP digital collection\" href=\"https://mars.gmu.edu/handle/1920/3478\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e. \u003c/p\u003e  "],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The Special Collections Research Center also holds the Federal Theatre Project photograph collection, the Federal Theatre Project personal papers, the Arnold Sungaard papers, and the Works Progress Administration oral histories collection.","The scripts are also available as a series in the ."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eContent Warning: Some materials contain racist language and slurs, including play titles.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 1 contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, inventories, reorganization plans, briefs, and speeches relating to the background organization, policies, services, and procedures of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP). Publications featuring articles on productions and organizational activities such as Federal Theatre are included in this series. Personnel file information such as biographical and employee tests are also included, as is research studies of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Federal Art Project (FAP) and the Historical Records Survey (HRS). This series is arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 2 is titled Play Service and Research Records and comprises two subseries. Subseries 2.1 contains research on drama, theatre technique, and theatre operations. This subseries is arranged alphabetically. Subseries 2.2 is titled Play Reader Reports and contains thousands of reports completed by the Federal Theatre for possible production or inclusion in play lists. This subseries is loosely arranged alphabetically by play title. Some duplicate material.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 3 is titled Library Records and consists of three subseries: Playscripts, Radio scripts, and Play lists. Subseries 3.1 includes hundreds of playscripts from over 900 productions performed or considered for production from around the United States. Most of the scripts are in English but some are in Yiddish or Italian. Some duplicate material. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 3.2 includes radio scripts. Series of shows include topics such as art, children's shows, mysteries, health, music, history, and science. Arranged alphabetically by series and single broadcast title. Subseries 3.3 consists of play lists. These lists were created to aid play selection among the various units of the Federal Theatre. Lists are arranged alphabetically by subject categories such as children's plays, historical drama, holidays, minstrel shows, operettas, puppet plays, and vaudeville.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 4 is titled Production Records and consists of three subseries: Production Title File, Playbills and Programs, and Music File. Subseries 4.1 includes memoranda, production bulletins, publicity, and reports relating to play productions. Each production bulletin contains some or all of the following: synopsis, director's report, set and costume designs, lighting scheme, blueprints, photographs, program, reviews, royalty information, and a script. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 4.2 includes programs, heralds, handbills, and other announcements of FTP productions on different sized and colored paper. The first section of this subseries is arranged alphabetically by state in which the performance was produced and then it is arranged alphabetically by play title. The second section is arranged alphabetically by play title. There may be duplicates between the two arrangements. Subseries 4.3 includes manuscript scores and parts for multiple Federal Theatre productions. Resource material used for reference purposes for play productions and Federal Theatre units and regions throughout the United States consists of mostly printed music and is found under \"miscellaneous\". Chiefly arranged alphabetically by title and then according to standard orchestral instrument order. Some duplicates.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries 5 is titled Costumes and includes two coats and two pairs of pants created and used by the Federal Theatre Project.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Content Warning: Some materials contain racist language and slurs, including play titles.","The Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies.","Series 1 contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, inventories, reorganization plans, briefs, and speeches relating to the background organization, policies, services, and procedures of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP). Publications featuring articles on productions and organizational activities such as Federal Theatre are included in this series. Personnel file information such as biographical and employee tests are also included, as is research studies of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Federal Art Project (FAP) and the Historical Records Survey (HRS). This series is arranged alphabetically.","Series 2 is titled Play Service and Research Records and comprises two subseries. Subseries 2.1 contains research on drama, theatre technique, and theatre operations. This subseries is arranged alphabetically. Subseries 2.2 is titled Play Reader Reports and contains thousands of reports completed by the Federal Theatre for possible production or inclusion in play lists. This subseries is loosely arranged alphabetically by play title. Some duplicate material.","Series 3 is titled Library Records and consists of three subseries: Playscripts, Radio scripts, and Play lists. Subseries 3.1 includes hundreds of playscripts from over 900 productions performed or considered for production from around the United States. Most of the scripts are in English but some are in Yiddish or Italian. Some duplicate material. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 3.2 includes radio scripts. Series of shows include topics such as art, children's shows, mysteries, health, music, history, and science. Arranged alphabetically by series and single broadcast title. Subseries 3.3 consists of play lists. These lists were created to aid play selection among the various units of the Federal Theatre. Lists are arranged alphabetically by subject categories such as children's plays, historical drama, holidays, minstrel shows, operettas, puppet plays, and vaudeville.","Series 4 is titled Production Records and consists of three subseries: Production Title File, Playbills and Programs, and Music File. Subseries 4.1 includes memoranda, production bulletins, publicity, and reports relating to play productions. Each production bulletin contains some or all of the following: synopsis, director's report, set and costume designs, lighting scheme, blueprints, photographs, program, reviews, royalty information, and a script. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 4.2 includes programs, heralds, handbills, and other announcements of FTP productions on different sized and colored paper. The first section of this subseries is arranged alphabetically by state in which the performance was produced and then it is arranged alphabetically by play title. The second section is arranged alphabetically by play title. There may be duplicates between the two arrangements. Subseries 4.3 includes manuscript scores and parts for multiple Federal Theatre productions. Resource material used for reference purposes for play productions and Federal Theatre units and regions throughout the United States consists of mostly printed music and is found under \"miscellaneous\". Chiefly arranged alphabetically by title and then according to standard orchestral instrument order. Some duplicates.","Series 5 is titled Costumes and includes two coats and two pairs of pants created and used by the Federal Theatre Project."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/).\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)."],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract id=\"aspace_0f4707cda45d410e12f09ae2a350510a\" label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Federal Theatre Project collection contains administrative records, play service and research records, library records, production records, and costumes created or collected by the Federal Theatre Project from 1935 to 1939. A few items in the collection were created before or after this time period but directly relate to the 1930s material. This collection consists of original materials with some duplicates and photocopies."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_d65479dc2ffe44debbb5af464a6479da\"\u003e\nR 1, C 8, S 6 - C 9, S 7\n\nR 2, C 1, S 1 - C 8, S 3\nOS R 7, C 1, S1\nOS R 3, C 5, S 5 - S 6\nMap Case 9.1, 11.1, 11.3-11.5, 21.2\u003c/physloc\u003e\n    "],"physloc_tesim":["R 1, C 8, S 6 - C 9, S 7\n\nR 2, C 1, S 1 - C 8, S 3\nOS R 7, C 1, S1\nOS R 3, C 5, S 5 - S 6\nMap Case 9.1, 11.1, 11.3-11.5, 21.2"],"corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"names_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":3180,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:00:50.382Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_331"}},{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_135","type":"collection","attributes":{"title":"Frank Mack papers, 1980/1990","creator":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_135#creator","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"Mack, Frank","label":"Creator"}},"abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_135#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"Collection contains correspondence, memos, reports and other papers generated by Frank Mack.","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_135#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_135","ead_ssi":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_135","_root_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_135","_nest_parent_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_135","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/GMU/repositories_2_resources_135.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Frank Mack papers","title_ssm":["Frank Mack papers"],"title_tesim":["Frank Mack papers"],"unitdate_ssm":["1980s-1990s"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1980s-1990s"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1980/1990"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Frank Mack papers, 1980/1990"],"text":["Frank Mack papers, 1980/1990","C0058","/repositories/2/resources/135","Theater -- Washington (D.C.)","Performing arts","Theater","Theater -- Production and direction","Theater -- United States","Correspondence","There are no access restrictions.","Organized by subject.","Arena Stage was an early leader in the resident theater movement. One of the first not-for-profit theaters in the United States as well as a pioneer of the regional theater movement the Arena Stage was the first regional theater to transfer a production to Broadway, the first invited by the U.S. State Department to tour behind the Iron Curtain and the first to receive a Tony Award. Co-founded in 1950 by Edward Mangum a teacher from the George Washington University, and Zelda Fichandler one of his students, Arena Stage was opened in Washington D.C. to fill the void left by the closing of the National Theater in 1948. Deriving it's name from the idea of \"theater in the round,\" Arena Stage became one of the first resident theaters in the United States, beginning with a company of only eight actors. Today, Arena performs to over 250,000 patrons during a September to June season and employs nearly 200 theater professionals and craftpersons, who are responsible for all the costumes and scenery seen on stage. Many now- famous actors took part in Arena Stage productions during the early part of their careers. Some of them include Robert Prosky, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Weist, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Christopher Guest, Yeardly Smith and Samuel L. Jackson.","A native of Kansas, Mr. Mack graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in theatre arts then earned an MFA in directing from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg in 1988. Mr. Mack was awarded a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, which enabled him to work in community arts administration at Durham Arts Council, Inc. He then accepted a position at Arena Stage in Washington DC as Project Manager where, in addition to general administrative duties, he worked on a three-year new play project with Anna Deavere Smith that resulted in the fall 1997 premiere of House Arrest, First Edition. Mr. Mack was then named Managing Director of the California Shakespeare Theatre in Berkeley where he helped lead a financial turn-around based on a doubling of contributed income and a substantial increase in ticket sales. Mr. Mack then served as Managing Director of Geva Theatre in Rochester, NY, a LORT B theatre before he became Managing Director of the NJ Shakespeare Festival in Madison, NJ, where he worked for one year before coming to CRT. Mr. Mack served as an institutional planning consultant for the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in Shepherdstown, WV and as a panelist for the Connecticut Commission for the Arts, and is currently serving as a facilities and business plan consultant to the African Continuum Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. He lives in Mansfield Center with his wife, Sarah Delia, and their two children Jason, Rebecca and their dog Chili.","Processed by Special Collections Research Center staff.","The Special Collections Research Center holds the Arena Stage records.","Collection contains correspondence, memos, reports and other papers generated by Frank Mack.","The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)","Collection contains correspondence, memos, reports and other papers generated by Frank Mack.","George Mason University. Libraries. 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One of the first not-for-profit theaters in the United States as well as a pioneer of the regional theater movement the Arena Stage was the first regional theater to transfer a production to Broadway, the first invited by the U.S. State Department to tour behind the Iron Curtain and the first to receive a Tony Award. Co-founded in 1950 by Edward Mangum a teacher from the George Washington University, and Zelda Fichandler one of his students, Arena Stage was opened in Washington D.C. to fill the void left by the closing of the National Theater in 1948. Deriving it's name from the idea of \"theater in the round,\" Arena Stage became one of the first resident theaters in the United States, beginning with a company of only eight actors. Today, Arena performs to over 250,000 patrons during a September to June season and employs nearly 200 theater professionals and craftpersons, who are responsible for all the costumes and scenery seen on stage. Many now- famous actors took part in Arena Stage productions during the early part of their careers. Some of them include Robert Prosky, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Weist, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Christopher Guest, Yeardly Smith and Samuel L. Jackson. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eA native of Kansas, Mr. Mack graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in theatre arts then earned an MFA in directing from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg in 1988. Mr. Mack was awarded a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, which enabled him to work in community arts administration at Durham Arts Council, Inc. He then accepted a position at Arena Stage in Washington DC as Project Manager where, in addition to general administrative duties, he worked on a three-year new play project with Anna Deavere Smith that resulted in the fall 1997 premiere of House Arrest, First Edition. Mr. Mack was then named Managing Director of the California Shakespeare Theatre in Berkeley where he helped lead a financial turn-around based on a doubling of contributed income and a substantial increase in ticket sales. Mr. Mack then served as Managing Director of Geva Theatre in Rochester, NY, a LORT B theatre before he became Managing Director of the NJ Shakespeare Festival in Madison, NJ, where he worked for one year before coming to CRT. Mr. Mack served as an institutional planning consultant for the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in Shepherdstown, WV and as a panelist for the Connecticut Commission for the Arts, and is currently serving as a facilities and business plan consultant to the African Continuum Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. 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Deriving it's name from the idea of \"theater in the round,\" Arena Stage became one of the first resident theaters in the United States, beginning with a company of only eight actors. Today, Arena performs to over 250,000 patrons during a September to June season and employs nearly 200 theater professionals and craftpersons, who are responsible for all the costumes and scenery seen on stage. Many now- famous actors took part in Arena Stage productions during the early part of their careers. Some of them include Robert Prosky, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Weist, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Christopher Guest, Yeardly Smith and Samuel L. Jackson.","A native of Kansas, Mr. Mack graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in theatre arts then earned an MFA in directing from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg in 1988. Mr. Mack was awarded a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, which enabled him to work in community arts administration at Durham Arts Council, Inc. He then accepted a position at Arena Stage in Washington DC as Project Manager where, in addition to general administrative duties, he worked on a three-year new play project with Anna Deavere Smith that resulted in the fall 1997 premiere of House Arrest, First Edition. Mr. Mack was then named Managing Director of the California Shakespeare Theatre in Berkeley where he helped lead a financial turn-around based on a doubling of contributed income and a substantial increase in ticket sales. Mr. Mack then served as Managing Director of Geva Theatre in Rochester, NY, a LORT B theatre before he became Managing Director of the NJ Shakespeare Festival in Madison, NJ, where he worked for one year before coming to CRT. Mr. Mack served as an institutional planning consultant for the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in Shepherdstown, WV and as a panelist for the Connecticut Commission for the Arts, and is currently serving as a facilities and business plan consultant to the African Continuum Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. He lives in Mansfield Center with his wife, Sarah Delia, and their two children Jason, Rebecca and their dog Chili."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFrank Mack papers, C0017, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["Frank Mack papers, C0017, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eProcessed by Special Collections Research Center staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["Processed by Special Collections Research Center staff."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Special Collections Research Center holds the Arena Stage records.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The Special Collections Research Center holds the Arena Stage records."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection contains correspondence, memos, reports and other papers generated by Frank Mack.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Collection contains correspondence, memos, reports and other papers generated by Frank Mack."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract id=\"aspace_d7b7a4e5463853a0cdf4a831f6b4818b\" label=\"Abstract\"\u003eCollection contains correspondence, memos, reports and other papers generated by Frank Mack.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["Collection contains correspondence, memos, reports and other papers generated by Frank Mack."],"corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"names_coll_ssim":["Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"persname_ssim":["Mack, Frank"],"names_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. 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Mr. Mack was then named Managing Director of the California Shakespeare Theatre in Berkeley where he helped lead a financial turn-around based on a doubling of contributed income and a substantial increase in ticket sales. Mr. Mack then served as Managing Director of Geva Theatre in Rochester, NY, a LORT B theatre before he became Managing Director of the NJ Shakespeare Festival in Madison, NJ, where he worked for one year before coming to CRT. Mr. Mack served as an institutional planning consultant for the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in Shepherdstown, WV and as a panelist for the Connecticut Commission for the Arts, and is currently serving as a facilities and business plan consultant to the African Continuum Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. 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Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)"],"acqinfo_ssim":["Donated by Arena Stage in 2000."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Theater -- Washington (D.C.)","Performing arts","Theater","Theater -- Production and direction","Theater -- United States","Correspondence"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Theater -- Washington (D.C.)","Performing arts","Theater","Theater -- Production and direction","Theater -- United States","Correspondence"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["4.5 Linear Feet 9 boxes"],"extent_tesim":["4.5 Linear Feet 9 boxes"],"genreform_ssim":["Correspondence"],"date_range_isim":[1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no access restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no access restrictions."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eOrganized by subject.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["Organized by subject."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eArena Stage was an early leader in the resident theater movement. One of the first not-for-profit theaters in the United States as well as a pioneer of the regional theater movement the Arena Stage was the first regional theater to transfer a production to Broadway, the first invited by the U.S. State Department to tour behind the Iron Curtain and the first to receive a Tony Award. Co-founded in 1950 by Edward Mangum a teacher from the George Washington University, and Zelda Fichandler one of his students, Arena Stage was opened in Washington D.C. to fill the void left by the closing of the National Theater in 1948. Deriving it's name from the idea of \"theater in the round,\" Arena Stage became one of the first resident theaters in the United States, beginning with a company of only eight actors. Today, Arena performs to over 250,000 patrons during a September to June season and employs nearly 200 theater professionals and craftpersons, who are responsible for all the costumes and scenery seen on stage. Many now- famous actors took part in Arena Stage productions during the early part of their careers. Some of them include Robert Prosky, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Weist, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Christopher Guest, Yeardly Smith and Samuel L. Jackson. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eA native of Kansas, Mr. Mack graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in theatre arts then earned an MFA in directing from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg in 1988. Mr. Mack was awarded a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, which enabled him to work in community arts administration at Durham Arts Council, Inc. He then accepted a position at Arena Stage in Washington DC as Project Manager where, in addition to general administrative duties, he worked on a three-year new play project with Anna Deavere Smith that resulted in the fall 1997 premiere of House Arrest, First Edition. Mr. Mack was then named Managing Director of the California Shakespeare Theatre in Berkeley where he helped lead a financial turn-around based on a doubling of contributed income and a substantial increase in ticket sales. Mr. Mack then served as Managing Director of Geva Theatre in Rochester, NY, a LORT B theatre before he became Managing Director of the NJ Shakespeare Festival in Madison, NJ, where he worked for one year before coming to CRT. Mr. Mack served as an institutional planning consultant for the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in Shepherdstown, WV and as a panelist for the Connecticut Commission for the Arts, and is currently serving as a facilities and business plan consultant to the African Continuum Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. He lives in Mansfield Center with his wife, Sarah Delia, and their two children Jason, Rebecca and their dog Chili. \u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Arena Stage was an early leader in the resident theater movement. One of the first not-for-profit theaters in the United States as well as a pioneer of the regional theater movement the Arena Stage was the first regional theater to transfer a production to Broadway, the first invited by the U.S. State Department to tour behind the Iron Curtain and the first to receive a Tony Award. Co-founded in 1950 by Edward Mangum a teacher from the George Washington University, and Zelda Fichandler one of his students, Arena Stage was opened in Washington D.C. to fill the void left by the closing of the National Theater in 1948. Deriving it's name from the idea of \"theater in the round,\" Arena Stage became one of the first resident theaters in the United States, beginning with a company of only eight actors. Today, Arena performs to over 250,000 patrons during a September to June season and employs nearly 200 theater professionals and craftpersons, who are responsible for all the costumes and scenery seen on stage. Many now- famous actors took part in Arena Stage productions during the early part of their careers. Some of them include Robert Prosky, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Weist, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Christopher Guest, Yeardly Smith and Samuel L. Jackson.","A native of Kansas, Mr. Mack graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in theatre arts then earned an MFA in directing from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg in 1988. Mr. Mack was awarded a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, which enabled him to work in community arts administration at Durham Arts Council, Inc. He then accepted a position at Arena Stage in Washington DC as Project Manager where, in addition to general administrative duties, he worked on a three-year new play project with Anna Deavere Smith that resulted in the fall 1997 premiere of House Arrest, First Edition. Mr. Mack was then named Managing Director of the California Shakespeare Theatre in Berkeley where he helped lead a financial turn-around based on a doubling of contributed income and a substantial increase in ticket sales. Mr. Mack then served as Managing Director of Geva Theatre in Rochester, NY, a LORT B theatre before he became Managing Director of the NJ Shakespeare Festival in Madison, NJ, where he worked for one year before coming to CRT. Mr. Mack served as an institutional planning consultant for the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in Shepherdstown, WV and as a panelist for the Connecticut Commission for the Arts, and is currently serving as a facilities and business plan consultant to the African Continuum Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. He lives in Mansfield Center with his wife, Sarah Delia, and their two children Jason, Rebecca and their dog Chili."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFrank Mack papers, C0017, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["Frank Mack papers, C0017, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eProcessed by Special Collections Research Center staff.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["Processed by Special Collections Research Center staff."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Special Collections Research Center holds the Arena Stage records.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The Special Collections Research Center holds the Arena Stage records."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection contains correspondence, memos, reports and other papers generated by Frank Mack.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Collection contains correspondence, memos, reports and other papers generated by Frank Mack."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract id=\"aspace_d7b7a4e5463853a0cdf4a831f6b4818b\" label=\"Abstract\"\u003eCollection contains correspondence, memos, reports and other papers generated by Frank Mack.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["Collection contains correspondence, memos, reports and other papers generated by Frank Mack."],"corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"names_coll_ssim":["Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)"],"persname_ssim":["Mack, Frank"],"names_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)","Mack, Frank"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":197,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-07-23T21:20:14.487Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_135"}},{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521","type":"collection","attributes":{"title":"Robert and Wilva Breen papers, 1831/2000","creator":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521#creator","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"Breen, Robert","label":"Creator"}},"abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"The Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization. The bulk of the collection originates from 1933 - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper.","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521","ead_ssi":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521","_root_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521","_nest_parent_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/GMU/repositories_2_resources_521.xml","title_ssm":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers"],"title_tesim":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers"],"unitdate_ssm":["1834, 1933-2000s"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1834, 1933-2000s"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1831/2000"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers, 1831/2000"],"text":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers, 1831/2000","C0004","/repositories/2/resources/521","Helsingør (Denmark)","Broadway (New York, N.Y.)","Ballet","Theater and society","Theater -- Europe -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- New York (State) -- New York","Theater -- United States -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- United States","World War, 1939-1945 -- Theater and the war","Theater programs","Experimental theater -- United States","Theater -- Europe","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Theater","Theatrical posters","Photographs","Box 35, Folder 12; Box 36, Folder 1; and Box 70, Folder 18 are restricted due to their physical fragility.","Box 89, Folder 8 and 9 are restricted due to personally identifiable information.","There are no other access restrictions.","Many of the audiotape reels found in this collection were converted to digital format and are available for use. Please contact SCRC for more information.","The collection was originally arranged by subject and then topic. Additional accessions were added and arranged in the order they arrived in Special Collections Research Center.","Strom, Stephanie. \"Robert Breen, 80, Arts Executive And Theatrical Producer, Is Dead.\" Nytimes.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","Oliver, Myrna. \"Robert Breen; Initiated Cultural Exchanges.\" Articles.latimes.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","Riedel, Michael. \"This theater's chaotic history includes a Titanic survivor, the 'Tonight' show and porn.\" Nypost.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","ANTA West records (Collection 1965). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","Robert Breen, born December 26, 1909 in Hibbing, Minnesota, served as the Executive Secretary of the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) from 1946-1952, and was instrumental in much of the organization's success, both domestically and internationally. In addition to serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Breen had an extensive background in theater. Prior to joining ANTA, Breen founded a theater program at the College of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as well as established the Chicago unit for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project with his wife, Wilva Davis Breen. Wilva herself was instrumental in promoting and guiding ANTA's many and varied operations, and getting the organization off the ground. The Breens' apartment home - situated above the Hudson Theatre in New York City, NY - served as ANTA's early headquarters. Davis Breen served as Breen's constant support and collaborator until he passed away on March 31, 1990.","The American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) was the United States' first national theater and dance organization, in the tradition of European national theaters. Originating in 1935 with a charter from the U.S. Congress, ANTA continued until 1966 when the National Endowment for the Arts came into being. ANTA was responsible for both the presentation of American theater in the U.S. and abroad.","Although officially formed in 1935, ANTA did not begin actual operation until 1946 due to a variety of factors, including the Great Depression and World War II. During the depression, federal funding was funnelled towards the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project, another national performing arts program. In addition to these setbacks, the ANTA board, comprised of prominent citizens and business leaders from outside the theater community, could not agree on the goals of ANTA. Eventually, Robert Breen and Robert Porterfield, two men with Army and theater backgrounds, took the reins of ANTA and initiated its revitalization. Porterfield and Breen developed ANTA's \"Foundation Plan,\" with the intention of having ANTA become the foundation for and driving force behind the stimulation of growth of American theater. The plan, successfully undertaken by Breen, Porterfield, and Breen's wife Wilva Davis Breen, called for a National Foundation to make loans and grants, insure theater projects against loss, as well as a National Service Bureau to provide technical assistance for acting companies, as well as a national clearing house for theater information. The plan was adopted by the ANTA Board in 1946.","Under the guidance of Breen, ANTA produced several projects in the U.S. with successful results during the postwar years. From 1946 - 1948, ANTA sponsored a series of plays called the Experimental Theatre. Its goal was to \"present new, interesting plays which would not see production on Broadway due to present high costs.\" Admittedly, the plays were \"not necessarily perfect\" but \"worthy of a trial production in a simplified fashion\" according to an ANTA letter offering subscription to the series, which included high profile playwrights and actors. During the late 1940s and early 1950s ANTA sponsored a number of drama festivals across the U.S., featuring well-known actors. ANTA also featured a televised production of short plays for NBC television. With the intention of promoting theater growth in the U.S. and showcasing new talent, ANTA produced, supported, and promoted theater projects all across the United States.","Internationally, ANTA promoted artistic exchange between the U.S. and Europe, and entertained American troops there. This was initiated with a 1949 tour of William Shakespeare's \"Hamlet\" throughout Europe, produced by and starring Breen in the titular role. This tour famously culminated in a performance at Elsinore Castle in Denmark - the actual setting of the play. Perhaps ANTA's, as well as Breen's, greatest success came with the international tour of George Gershwin's \"Porgy and Bess\" (produced with Blevins Davis), which toured from 1952-1956, visiting 89 cities and 29 countries. The opera's performance in the Soviet Union was considered the first cultural exchange post-World War II between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. ANTA also sponsored the American National Ballet Theatre's tour of Europe in 1950, performing in eighteen cities and eight countries. The tour lasted from August to December of 1950 and played to an audience of over 150,000, and was the first international tour of any American ballet company.","ANTA also produced a number of Broadway plays and musicals out of the formerly named Guild Hall Theatre, renamed the ANTA Theatre in the 1960s and 1970s. ANTA West, which grew out of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of ANTA in 1957, promoted and facilitated the growth of theater in the Southern California region.","Part of the Robert and Wilva Breen papers was donated to The Ohio State University.","The Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to play  obsolete audiovisual material found in the found in the Robert and Wilva Breen papers. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access.","Processed by Special Collections Research Center Staff. EAD markup completed in February 2009 by Jordan Patty. Reprocessed by Amanda Brent from 2017-2018. EAD markup completed by Amanda Brent in December 2018.","Special Collections Research Center also holds the , the , the , and many other","The Ohio State University Libraries' Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute holds the","The UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library holds the","The Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization from 1944 through the 1950s. The collection also contains many photographs of theaters and theatrical performances from across the United States, including from Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters and shows, as well as numerous colleges, universities, high schools, and local children's theaters. The bulk of the collection originates from the 1940s - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper.","The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/).","The Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization. The bulk of the collection originates from 1933 - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper.","R2, C9, S3- C11, S7\nR3 C1 S1 - C2, S5\nOSR3, C4, S4\nMap Case 8.1-8.2, 9.1","George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)","Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers, 1831/2000"],"collection_ssim":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers, 1831/2000"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["C0004","/repositories/2/resources/521"],"unitid_tesim":["C0004","/repositories/2/resources/521"],"repository_ssm":["George Mason University"],"repository_ssim":["George Mason University"],"geogname_ssm":["Helsingør (Denmark)","Broadway (New York, N.Y.)"],"geogname_ssim":["Helsingør (Denmark)","Broadway (New York, N.Y.)"],"places_ssim":["Helsingør (Denmark)","Broadway (New York, N.Y.)"],"creator_ssm":["Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva"],"creator_ssim":["Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)"],"creators_ssim":["Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971","George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was donated by the trustees of the Robert and Wilva Breen papers in 1988, and Wilva Breen and The Ohio State University in 1989. There were multiple accessions of materials throughout the 1990s. Additional materials were donated by Diana Lawrence and Mike Timoney in 2011."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Ballet","Theater and society","Theater -- Europe -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- New York (State) -- New York","Theater -- United States -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- United States","World War, 1939-1945 -- Theater and the war","Theater programs","Experimental theater -- United States","Theater -- Europe","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Theater","Theatrical posters","Photographs"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Ballet","Theater and society","Theater -- Europe -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- New York (State) -- New York","Theater -- United States -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- United States","World War, 1939-1945 -- Theater and the war","Theater programs","Experimental theater -- United States","Theater -- Europe","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Theater","Theatrical posters","Photographs"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["80.5 Linear Feet 207 boxes, 1 map case"],"extent_tesim":["80.5 Linear Feet 207 boxes, 1 map case"],"genreform_ssim":["Theatrical posters","Photographs"],"date_range_isim":[1831,1832,1833,1834,1835,1836,1837,1838,1839,1840,1841,1842,1843,1844,1845,1846,1847,1848,1849,1850,1851,1852,1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBox 35, Folder 12; Box 36, Folder 1; and Box 70, Folder 18 are restricted due to their physical fragility.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBox 89, Folder 8 and 9 are restricted due to personally identifiable information.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThere are no other access restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Box 35, Folder 12; Box 36, Folder 1; and Box 70, Folder 18 are restricted due to their physical fragility.","Box 89, Folder 8 and 9 are restricted due to personally identifiable information.","There are no other access restrictions."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMany of the audiotape reels found in this collection were converted to digital format and are available for use. Please contact SCRC for more information.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Alternative Form Available"],"altformavail_tesim":["Many of the audiotape reels found in this collection were converted to digital format and are available for use. Please contact SCRC for more information."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection was originally arranged by subject and then topic. Additional accessions were added and arranged in the order they arrived in Special Collections Research Center.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection was originally arranged by subject and then topic. Additional accessions were added and arranged in the order they arrived in Special Collections Research Center."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eStrom, Stephanie. \"Robert Breen, 80, Arts Executive And Theatrical Producer, Is Dead.\" Nytimes.com. \u003cbibref\u003e\u003cextptr href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/02/obituaries/robert-breen-80-arts-executive-and-theatrical-producer-is-dead.html\" title=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/02/obituaries/robert-breen-80-arts-executive-and-theatrical-producer-is-dead.html\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/bibref\u003e (accessed December 12, 2018).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOliver, Myrna. \"Robert Breen; Initiated Cultural Exchanges.\" Articles.latimes.com. \u003cbibref\u003e\u003cextptr href=\"http://articles.latimes.com/1990-04-05/news/mn-617_1_robert-breen\" title=\"http://articles.latimes.com/1990-04-05/news/mn-617_1_robert-breen\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/bibref\u003e (accessed December 12, 2018).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eRiedel, Michael. \"This theater's chaotic history includes a Titanic survivor, the 'Tonight' show and porn.\" Nypost.com. \u003cbibref\u003e\u003cextptr href=\"https://nypost.com/2017/03/28/this-theaters-chaotic-history-includes-a-titanic-survivor-the-tonight-show-and-porn/\" title=\"https://nypost.com/2017/03/28/this-theaters-chaotic-history-includes-a-titanic-survivor-the-tonight-show-and-porn/\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/bibref\u003e (accessed December 12, 2018).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eANTA West records (Collection 1965). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA. \u003cbibref\u003e\u003cextptr href=\"https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8fn1762/\" title=\"https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8fn1762/\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/bibref\u003e (accessed December 12, 2018).\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Strom, Stephanie. \"Robert Breen, 80, Arts Executive And Theatrical Producer, Is Dead.\" Nytimes.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","Oliver, Myrna. \"Robert Breen; Initiated Cultural Exchanges.\" Articles.latimes.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","Riedel, Michael. \"This theater's chaotic history includes a Titanic survivor, the 'Tonight' show and porn.\" Nypost.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","ANTA West records (Collection 1965). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.  (accessed December 12, 2018)."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRobert Breen, born December 26, 1909 in Hibbing, Minnesota, served as the Executive Secretary of the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) from 1946-1952, and was instrumental in much of the organization's success, both domestically and internationally. In addition to serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Breen had an extensive background in theater. Prior to joining ANTA, Breen founded a theater program at the College of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as well as established the Chicago unit for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project with his wife, Wilva Davis Breen. Wilva herself was instrumental in promoting and guiding ANTA's many and varied operations, and getting the organization off the ground. The Breens' apartment home - situated above the Hudson Theatre in New York City, NY - served as ANTA's early headquarters. Davis Breen served as Breen's constant support and collaborator until he passed away on March 31, 1990.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e The American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) was the United States' first national theater and dance organization, in the tradition of European national theaters. Originating in 1935 with a charter from the U.S. Congress, ANTA continued until 1966 when the National Endowment for the Arts came into being. ANTA was responsible for both the presentation of American theater in the U.S. and abroad.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e Although officially formed in 1935, ANTA did not begin actual operation until 1946 due to a variety of factors, including the Great Depression and World War II. During the depression, federal funding was funnelled towards the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project, another national performing arts program. In addition to these setbacks, the ANTA board, comprised of prominent citizens and business leaders from outside the theater community, could not agree on the goals of ANTA. Eventually, Robert Breen and Robert Porterfield, two men with Army and theater backgrounds, took the reins of ANTA and initiated its revitalization. Porterfield and Breen developed ANTA's \"Foundation Plan,\" with the intention of having ANTA become the foundation for and driving force behind the stimulation of growth of American theater. The plan, successfully undertaken by Breen, Porterfield, and Breen's wife Wilva Davis Breen, called for a National Foundation to make loans and grants, insure theater projects against loss, as well as a National Service Bureau to provide technical assistance for acting companies, as well as a national clearing house for theater information. The plan was adopted by the ANTA Board in 1946.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e Under the guidance of Breen, ANTA produced several projects in the U.S. with successful results during the postwar years. From 1946 - 1948, ANTA sponsored a series of plays called the Experimental Theatre. Its goal was to \"present new, interesting plays which would not see production on Broadway due to present high costs.\" Admittedly, the plays were \"not necessarily perfect\" but \"worthy of a trial production in a simplified fashion\" according to an ANTA letter offering subscription to the series, which included high profile playwrights and actors. During the late 1940s and early 1950s ANTA sponsored a number of drama festivals across the U.S., featuring well-known actors. ANTA also featured a televised production of short plays for NBC television. With the intention of promoting theater growth in the U.S. and showcasing new talent, ANTA produced, supported, and promoted theater projects all across the United States.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e Internationally, ANTA promoted artistic exchange between the U.S. and Europe, and entertained American troops there. This was initiated with a 1949 tour of William Shakespeare's \"Hamlet\" throughout Europe, produced by and starring Breen in the titular role. This tour famously culminated in a performance at Elsinore Castle in Denmark - the actual setting of the play. Perhaps ANTA's, as well as Breen's, greatest success came with the international tour of George Gershwin's \"Porgy and Bess\" (produced with Blevins Davis), which toured from 1952-1956, visiting 89 cities and 29 countries. The opera's performance in the Soviet Union was considered the first cultural exchange post-World War II between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. ANTA also sponsored the American National Ballet Theatre's tour of Europe in 1950, performing in eighteen cities and eight countries. The tour lasted from August to December of 1950 and played to an audience of over 150,000, and was the first international tour of any American ballet company.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e ANTA also produced a number of Broadway plays and musicals out of the formerly named Guild Hall Theatre, renamed the ANTA Theatre in the 1960s and 1970s. ANTA West, which grew out of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of ANTA in 1957, promoted and facilitated the growth of theater in the Southern California region.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical and Historical Note"],"bioghist_tesim":["Robert Breen, born December 26, 1909 in Hibbing, Minnesota, served as the Executive Secretary of the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) from 1946-1952, and was instrumental in much of the organization's success, both domestically and internationally. In addition to serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Breen had an extensive background in theater. Prior to joining ANTA, Breen founded a theater program at the College of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as well as established the Chicago unit for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project with his wife, Wilva Davis Breen. Wilva herself was instrumental in promoting and guiding ANTA's many and varied operations, and getting the organization off the ground. The Breens' apartment home - situated above the Hudson Theatre in New York City, NY - served as ANTA's early headquarters. Davis Breen served as Breen's constant support and collaborator until he passed away on March 31, 1990.","The American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) was the United States' first national theater and dance organization, in the tradition of European national theaters. Originating in 1935 with a charter from the U.S. Congress, ANTA continued until 1966 when the National Endowment for the Arts came into being. ANTA was responsible for both the presentation of American theater in the U.S. and abroad.","Although officially formed in 1935, ANTA did not begin actual operation until 1946 due to a variety of factors, including the Great Depression and World War II. During the depression, federal funding was funnelled towards the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project, another national performing arts program. In addition to these setbacks, the ANTA board, comprised of prominent citizens and business leaders from outside the theater community, could not agree on the goals of ANTA. Eventually, Robert Breen and Robert Porterfield, two men with Army and theater backgrounds, took the reins of ANTA and initiated its revitalization. Porterfield and Breen developed ANTA's \"Foundation Plan,\" with the intention of having ANTA become the foundation for and driving force behind the stimulation of growth of American theater. The plan, successfully undertaken by Breen, Porterfield, and Breen's wife Wilva Davis Breen, called for a National Foundation to make loans and grants, insure theater projects against loss, as well as a National Service Bureau to provide technical assistance for acting companies, as well as a national clearing house for theater information. The plan was adopted by the ANTA Board in 1946.","Under the guidance of Breen, ANTA produced several projects in the U.S. with successful results during the postwar years. From 1946 - 1948, ANTA sponsored a series of plays called the Experimental Theatre. Its goal was to \"present new, interesting plays which would not see production on Broadway due to present high costs.\" Admittedly, the plays were \"not necessarily perfect\" but \"worthy of a trial production in a simplified fashion\" according to an ANTA letter offering subscription to the series, which included high profile playwrights and actors. During the late 1940s and early 1950s ANTA sponsored a number of drama festivals across the U.S., featuring well-known actors. ANTA also featured a televised production of short plays for NBC television. With the intention of promoting theater growth in the U.S. and showcasing new talent, ANTA produced, supported, and promoted theater projects all across the United States.","Internationally, ANTA promoted artistic exchange between the U.S. and Europe, and entertained American troops there. This was initiated with a 1949 tour of William Shakespeare's \"Hamlet\" throughout Europe, produced by and starring Breen in the titular role. This tour famously culminated in a performance at Elsinore Castle in Denmark - the actual setting of the play. Perhaps ANTA's, as well as Breen's, greatest success came with the international tour of George Gershwin's \"Porgy and Bess\" (produced with Blevins Davis), which toured from 1952-1956, visiting 89 cities and 29 countries. The opera's performance in the Soviet Union was considered the first cultural exchange post-World War II between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. ANTA also sponsored the American National Ballet Theatre's tour of Europe in 1950, performing in eighteen cities and eight countries. The tour lasted from August to December of 1950 and played to an audience of over 150,000, and was the first international tour of any American ballet company.","ANTA also produced a number of Broadway plays and musicals out of the formerly named Guild Hall Theatre, renamed the ANTA Theatre in the 1960s and 1970s. ANTA West, which grew out of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of ANTA in 1957, promoted and facilitated the growth of theater in the Southern California region."],"custodhist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePart of the Robert and Wilva Breen papers was donated to The Ohio State University.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"custodhist_heading_ssm":["Custodial History"],"custodhist_tesim":["Part of the Robert and Wilva Breen papers was donated to The Ohio State University."],"phystech_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to play  obsolete audiovisual material found in the found in the Robert and Wilva Breen papers. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"phystech_heading_ssm":["Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements"],"phystech_tesim":["The Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to play  obsolete audiovisual material found in the found in the Robert and Wilva Breen papers. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRobert and Wilva Breen papers, C0004, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers, C0004, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eProcessed by Special Collections Research Center Staff. EAD markup completed in February 2009 by Jordan Patty. Reprocessed by Amanda Brent from 2017-2018. EAD markup completed by Amanda Brent in December 2018.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["Processed by Special Collections Research Center Staff. EAD markup completed in February 2009 by Jordan Patty. Reprocessed by Amanda Brent from 2017-2018. EAD markup completed by Amanda Brent in December 2018."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSpecial Collections Research Center also holds the \u003cextptr href=\"https://aspace.gmu.edu/resources/c0145\" title=\"Porgy and Bess poster collection\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e, the \u003cextptr href=\"https://aspace.gmu.edu/resources/c0002\" title=\"Federal Theatre Project collection\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e, the \u003cextptr href=\"https://aspace.gmu.edu/resources/c0043\" title=\"Robert C. Schnitzer papers\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e, and many other \u003cextptr href=\"https://scrc.gmu.edu/collections-subject.php#THEATRE\" title=\"performing arts collections.\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e The Ohio State University Libraries' Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute holds the \u003cextptr href=\"https://library.osu.edu/collections/spec.tri.rb\" title=\"Robert Breen and Wilva papers.\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e The UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library holds the \u003cextptr href=\"https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8fn1762/\" title=\"ANTA West records.\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  "],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["Special Collections Research Center also holds the , the , the , and many other","The Ohio State University Libraries' Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute holds the","The UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library holds the"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization from 1944 through the 1950s. The collection also contains many photographs of theaters and theatrical performances from across the United States, including from Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters and shows, as well as numerous colleges, universities, high schools, and local children's theaters. The bulk of the collection originates from the 1940s - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization from 1944 through the 1950s. The collection also contains many photographs of theaters and theatrical performances from across the United States, including from Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters and shows, as well as numerous colleges, universities, high schools, and local children's theaters. The bulk of the collection originates from the 1940s - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/).\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)."],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract id=\"aspace_ref348\"\u003eThe Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization. The bulk of the collection originates from 1933 - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization. The bulk of the collection originates from 1933 - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_ddb931edc4f44bf997d326b2923a7505\"\u003eR2, C9, S3- C11, S7\nR3 C1 S1 - C2, S5\nOSR3, C4, S4\nMap Case 8.1-8.2, 9.1\u003c/physloc\u003e\n    "],"physloc_tesim":["R2, C9, S3- C11, S7\nR3 C1 S1 - C2, S5\nOSR3, C4, S4\nMap Case 8.1-8.2, 9.1"],"corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)"],"names_coll_ssim":["American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971"],"persname_ssim":["Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971"],"names_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)","Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":3014,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:00:51.668Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521","ead_ssi":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521","_root_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521","_nest_parent_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/GMU/repositories_2_resources_521.xml","title_ssm":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers"],"title_tesim":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers"],"unitdate_ssm":["1834, 1933-2000s"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1834, 1933-2000s"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1831/2000"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers, 1831/2000"],"text":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers, 1831/2000","C0004","/repositories/2/resources/521","Helsingør (Denmark)","Broadway (New York, N.Y.)","Ballet","Theater and society","Theater -- Europe -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- New York (State) -- New York","Theater -- United States -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- United States","World War, 1939-1945 -- Theater and the war","Theater programs","Experimental theater -- United States","Theater -- Europe","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Theater","Theatrical posters","Photographs","Box 35, Folder 12; Box 36, Folder 1; and Box 70, Folder 18 are restricted due to their physical fragility.","Box 89, Folder 8 and 9 are restricted due to personally identifiable information.","There are no other access restrictions.","Many of the audiotape reels found in this collection were converted to digital format and are available for use. Please contact SCRC for more information.","The collection was originally arranged by subject and then topic. Additional accessions were added and arranged in the order they arrived in Special Collections Research Center.","Strom, Stephanie. \"Robert Breen, 80, Arts Executive And Theatrical Producer, Is Dead.\" Nytimes.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","Oliver, Myrna. \"Robert Breen; Initiated Cultural Exchanges.\" Articles.latimes.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","Riedel, Michael. \"This theater's chaotic history includes a Titanic survivor, the 'Tonight' show and porn.\" Nypost.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","ANTA West records (Collection 1965). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","Robert Breen, born December 26, 1909 in Hibbing, Minnesota, served as the Executive Secretary of the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) from 1946-1952, and was instrumental in much of the organization's success, both domestically and internationally. In addition to serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Breen had an extensive background in theater. Prior to joining ANTA, Breen founded a theater program at the College of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as well as established the Chicago unit for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project with his wife, Wilva Davis Breen. Wilva herself was instrumental in promoting and guiding ANTA's many and varied operations, and getting the organization off the ground. The Breens' apartment home - situated above the Hudson Theatre in New York City, NY - served as ANTA's early headquarters. Davis Breen served as Breen's constant support and collaborator until he passed away on March 31, 1990.","The American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) was the United States' first national theater and dance organization, in the tradition of European national theaters. Originating in 1935 with a charter from the U.S. Congress, ANTA continued until 1966 when the National Endowment for the Arts came into being. ANTA was responsible for both the presentation of American theater in the U.S. and abroad.","Although officially formed in 1935, ANTA did not begin actual operation until 1946 due to a variety of factors, including the Great Depression and World War II. During the depression, federal funding was funnelled towards the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project, another national performing arts program. In addition to these setbacks, the ANTA board, comprised of prominent citizens and business leaders from outside the theater community, could not agree on the goals of ANTA. Eventually, Robert Breen and Robert Porterfield, two men with Army and theater backgrounds, took the reins of ANTA and initiated its revitalization. Porterfield and Breen developed ANTA's \"Foundation Plan,\" with the intention of having ANTA become the foundation for and driving force behind the stimulation of growth of American theater. The plan, successfully undertaken by Breen, Porterfield, and Breen's wife Wilva Davis Breen, called for a National Foundation to make loans and grants, insure theater projects against loss, as well as a National Service Bureau to provide technical assistance for acting companies, as well as a national clearing house for theater information. The plan was adopted by the ANTA Board in 1946.","Under the guidance of Breen, ANTA produced several projects in the U.S. with successful results during the postwar years. From 1946 - 1948, ANTA sponsored a series of plays called the Experimental Theatre. Its goal was to \"present new, interesting plays which would not see production on Broadway due to present high costs.\" Admittedly, the plays were \"not necessarily perfect\" but \"worthy of a trial production in a simplified fashion\" according to an ANTA letter offering subscription to the series, which included high profile playwrights and actors. During the late 1940s and early 1950s ANTA sponsored a number of drama festivals across the U.S., featuring well-known actors. ANTA also featured a televised production of short plays for NBC television. With the intention of promoting theater growth in the U.S. and showcasing new talent, ANTA produced, supported, and promoted theater projects all across the United States.","Internationally, ANTA promoted artistic exchange between the U.S. and Europe, and entertained American troops there. This was initiated with a 1949 tour of William Shakespeare's \"Hamlet\" throughout Europe, produced by and starring Breen in the titular role. This tour famously culminated in a performance at Elsinore Castle in Denmark - the actual setting of the play. Perhaps ANTA's, as well as Breen's, greatest success came with the international tour of George Gershwin's \"Porgy and Bess\" (produced with Blevins Davis), which toured from 1952-1956, visiting 89 cities and 29 countries. The opera's performance in the Soviet Union was considered the first cultural exchange post-World War II between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. ANTA also sponsored the American National Ballet Theatre's tour of Europe in 1950, performing in eighteen cities and eight countries. The tour lasted from August to December of 1950 and played to an audience of over 150,000, and was the first international tour of any American ballet company.","ANTA also produced a number of Broadway plays and musicals out of the formerly named Guild Hall Theatre, renamed the ANTA Theatre in the 1960s and 1970s. ANTA West, which grew out of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of ANTA in 1957, promoted and facilitated the growth of theater in the Southern California region.","Part of the Robert and Wilva Breen papers was donated to The Ohio State University.","The Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to play  obsolete audiovisual material found in the found in the Robert and Wilva Breen papers. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access.","Processed by Special Collections Research Center Staff. EAD markup completed in February 2009 by Jordan Patty. Reprocessed by Amanda Brent from 2017-2018. EAD markup completed by Amanda Brent in December 2018.","Special Collections Research Center also holds the , the , the , and many other","The Ohio State University Libraries' Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute holds the","The UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library holds the","The Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization from 1944 through the 1950s. The collection also contains many photographs of theaters and theatrical performances from across the United States, including from Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters and shows, as well as numerous colleges, universities, high schools, and local children's theaters. The bulk of the collection originates from the 1940s - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper.","The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/).","The Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization. The bulk of the collection originates from 1933 - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper.","R2, C9, S3- C11, S7\nR3 C1 S1 - C2, S5\nOSR3, C4, S4\nMap Case 8.1-8.2, 9.1","George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)","Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers, 1831/2000"],"collection_ssim":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers, 1831/2000"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["C0004","/repositories/2/resources/521"],"unitid_tesim":["C0004","/repositories/2/resources/521"],"repository_ssm":["George Mason University"],"repository_ssim":["George Mason University"],"geogname_ssm":["Helsingør (Denmark)","Broadway (New York, N.Y.)"],"geogname_ssim":["Helsingør (Denmark)","Broadway (New York, N.Y.)"],"places_ssim":["Helsingør (Denmark)","Broadway (New York, N.Y.)"],"creator_ssm":["Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva"],"creator_ssim":["Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)"],"creators_ssim":["Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971","George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was donated by the trustees of the Robert and Wilva Breen papers in 1988, and Wilva Breen and The Ohio State University in 1989. There were multiple accessions of materials throughout the 1990s. Additional materials were donated by Diana Lawrence and Mike Timoney in 2011."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Ballet","Theater and society","Theater -- Europe -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- New York (State) -- New York","Theater -- United States -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- United States","World War, 1939-1945 -- Theater and the war","Theater programs","Experimental theater -- United States","Theater -- Europe","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Theater","Theatrical posters","Photographs"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Ballet","Theater and society","Theater -- Europe -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- New York (State) -- New York","Theater -- United States -- History -- 20th century","Theater -- United States","World War, 1939-1945 -- Theater and the war","Theater programs","Experimental theater -- United States","Theater -- Europe","Theater -- Production and direction","Performing arts","Theater","Theatrical posters","Photographs"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["80.5 Linear Feet 207 boxes, 1 map case"],"extent_tesim":["80.5 Linear Feet 207 boxes, 1 map case"],"genreform_ssim":["Theatrical posters","Photographs"],"date_range_isim":[1831,1832,1833,1834,1835,1836,1837,1838,1839,1840,1841,1842,1843,1844,1845,1846,1847,1848,1849,1850,1851,1852,1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBox 35, Folder 12; Box 36, Folder 1; and Box 70, Folder 18 are restricted due to their physical fragility.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBox 89, Folder 8 and 9 are restricted due to personally identifiable information.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThere are no other access restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Box 35, Folder 12; Box 36, Folder 1; and Box 70, Folder 18 are restricted due to their physical fragility.","Box 89, Folder 8 and 9 are restricted due to personally identifiable information.","There are no other access restrictions."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMany of the audiotape reels found in this collection were converted to digital format and are available for use. Please contact SCRC for more information.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Alternative Form Available"],"altformavail_tesim":["Many of the audiotape reels found in this collection were converted to digital format and are available for use. Please contact SCRC for more information."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection was originally arranged by subject and then topic. Additional accessions were added and arranged in the order they arrived in Special Collections Research Center.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection was originally arranged by subject and then topic. Additional accessions were added and arranged in the order they arrived in Special Collections Research Center."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eStrom, Stephanie. \"Robert Breen, 80, Arts Executive And Theatrical Producer, Is Dead.\" Nytimes.com. \u003cbibref\u003e\u003cextptr href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/02/obituaries/robert-breen-80-arts-executive-and-theatrical-producer-is-dead.html\" title=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/02/obituaries/robert-breen-80-arts-executive-and-theatrical-producer-is-dead.html\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/bibref\u003e (accessed December 12, 2018).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOliver, Myrna. \"Robert Breen; Initiated Cultural Exchanges.\" Articles.latimes.com. \u003cbibref\u003e\u003cextptr href=\"http://articles.latimes.com/1990-04-05/news/mn-617_1_robert-breen\" title=\"http://articles.latimes.com/1990-04-05/news/mn-617_1_robert-breen\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/bibref\u003e (accessed December 12, 2018).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eRiedel, Michael. \"This theater's chaotic history includes a Titanic survivor, the 'Tonight' show and porn.\" Nypost.com. \u003cbibref\u003e\u003cextptr href=\"https://nypost.com/2017/03/28/this-theaters-chaotic-history-includes-a-titanic-survivor-the-tonight-show-and-porn/\" title=\"https://nypost.com/2017/03/28/this-theaters-chaotic-history-includes-a-titanic-survivor-the-tonight-show-and-porn/\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/bibref\u003e (accessed December 12, 2018).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eANTA West records (Collection 1965). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA. \u003cbibref\u003e\u003cextptr href=\"https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8fn1762/\" title=\"https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8fn1762/\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/bibref\u003e (accessed December 12, 2018).\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Strom, Stephanie. \"Robert Breen, 80, Arts Executive And Theatrical Producer, Is Dead.\" Nytimes.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","Oliver, Myrna. \"Robert Breen; Initiated Cultural Exchanges.\" Articles.latimes.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","Riedel, Michael. \"This theater's chaotic history includes a Titanic survivor, the 'Tonight' show and porn.\" Nypost.com.  (accessed December 12, 2018).","ANTA West records (Collection 1965). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.  (accessed December 12, 2018)."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRobert Breen, born December 26, 1909 in Hibbing, Minnesota, served as the Executive Secretary of the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) from 1946-1952, and was instrumental in much of the organization's success, both domestically and internationally. In addition to serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Breen had an extensive background in theater. Prior to joining ANTA, Breen founded a theater program at the College of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as well as established the Chicago unit for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project with his wife, Wilva Davis Breen. Wilva herself was instrumental in promoting and guiding ANTA's many and varied operations, and getting the organization off the ground. The Breens' apartment home - situated above the Hudson Theatre in New York City, NY - served as ANTA's early headquarters. Davis Breen served as Breen's constant support and collaborator until he passed away on March 31, 1990.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e The American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) was the United States' first national theater and dance organization, in the tradition of European national theaters. Originating in 1935 with a charter from the U.S. Congress, ANTA continued until 1966 when the National Endowment for the Arts came into being. ANTA was responsible for both the presentation of American theater in the U.S. and abroad.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e Although officially formed in 1935, ANTA did not begin actual operation until 1946 due to a variety of factors, including the Great Depression and World War II. During the depression, federal funding was funnelled towards the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project, another national performing arts program. In addition to these setbacks, the ANTA board, comprised of prominent citizens and business leaders from outside the theater community, could not agree on the goals of ANTA. Eventually, Robert Breen and Robert Porterfield, two men with Army and theater backgrounds, took the reins of ANTA and initiated its revitalization. Porterfield and Breen developed ANTA's \"Foundation Plan,\" with the intention of having ANTA become the foundation for and driving force behind the stimulation of growth of American theater. The plan, successfully undertaken by Breen, Porterfield, and Breen's wife Wilva Davis Breen, called for a National Foundation to make loans and grants, insure theater projects against loss, as well as a National Service Bureau to provide technical assistance for acting companies, as well as a national clearing house for theater information. The plan was adopted by the ANTA Board in 1946.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e Under the guidance of Breen, ANTA produced several projects in the U.S. with successful results during the postwar years. From 1946 - 1948, ANTA sponsored a series of plays called the Experimental Theatre. Its goal was to \"present new, interesting plays which would not see production on Broadway due to present high costs.\" Admittedly, the plays were \"not necessarily perfect\" but \"worthy of a trial production in a simplified fashion\" according to an ANTA letter offering subscription to the series, which included high profile playwrights and actors. During the late 1940s and early 1950s ANTA sponsored a number of drama festivals across the U.S., featuring well-known actors. ANTA also featured a televised production of short plays for NBC television. With the intention of promoting theater growth in the U.S. and showcasing new talent, ANTA produced, supported, and promoted theater projects all across the United States.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e Internationally, ANTA promoted artistic exchange between the U.S. and Europe, and entertained American troops there. This was initiated with a 1949 tour of William Shakespeare's \"Hamlet\" throughout Europe, produced by and starring Breen in the titular role. This tour famously culminated in a performance at Elsinore Castle in Denmark - the actual setting of the play. Perhaps ANTA's, as well as Breen's, greatest success came with the international tour of George Gershwin's \"Porgy and Bess\" (produced with Blevins Davis), which toured from 1952-1956, visiting 89 cities and 29 countries. The opera's performance in the Soviet Union was considered the first cultural exchange post-World War II between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. ANTA also sponsored the American National Ballet Theatre's tour of Europe in 1950, performing in eighteen cities and eight countries. The tour lasted from August to December of 1950 and played to an audience of over 150,000, and was the first international tour of any American ballet company.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e ANTA also produced a number of Broadway plays and musicals out of the formerly named Guild Hall Theatre, renamed the ANTA Theatre in the 1960s and 1970s. ANTA West, which grew out of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of ANTA in 1957, promoted and facilitated the growth of theater in the Southern California region.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical and Historical Note"],"bioghist_tesim":["Robert Breen, born December 26, 1909 in Hibbing, Minnesota, served as the Executive Secretary of the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) from 1946-1952, and was instrumental in much of the organization's success, both domestically and internationally. In addition to serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Breen had an extensive background in theater. Prior to joining ANTA, Breen founded a theater program at the College of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as well as established the Chicago unit for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project with his wife, Wilva Davis Breen. Wilva herself was instrumental in promoting and guiding ANTA's many and varied operations, and getting the organization off the ground. The Breens' apartment home - situated above the Hudson Theatre in New York City, NY - served as ANTA's early headquarters. Davis Breen served as Breen's constant support and collaborator until he passed away on March 31, 1990.","The American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) was the United States' first national theater and dance organization, in the tradition of European national theaters. Originating in 1935 with a charter from the U.S. Congress, ANTA continued until 1966 when the National Endowment for the Arts came into being. ANTA was responsible for both the presentation of American theater in the U.S. and abroad.","Although officially formed in 1935, ANTA did not begin actual operation until 1946 due to a variety of factors, including the Great Depression and World War II. During the depression, federal funding was funnelled towards the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project, another national performing arts program. In addition to these setbacks, the ANTA board, comprised of prominent citizens and business leaders from outside the theater community, could not agree on the goals of ANTA. Eventually, Robert Breen and Robert Porterfield, two men with Army and theater backgrounds, took the reins of ANTA and initiated its revitalization. Porterfield and Breen developed ANTA's \"Foundation Plan,\" with the intention of having ANTA become the foundation for and driving force behind the stimulation of growth of American theater. The plan, successfully undertaken by Breen, Porterfield, and Breen's wife Wilva Davis Breen, called for a National Foundation to make loans and grants, insure theater projects against loss, as well as a National Service Bureau to provide technical assistance for acting companies, as well as a national clearing house for theater information. The plan was adopted by the ANTA Board in 1946.","Under the guidance of Breen, ANTA produced several projects in the U.S. with successful results during the postwar years. From 1946 - 1948, ANTA sponsored a series of plays called the Experimental Theatre. Its goal was to \"present new, interesting plays which would not see production on Broadway due to present high costs.\" Admittedly, the plays were \"not necessarily perfect\" but \"worthy of a trial production in a simplified fashion\" according to an ANTA letter offering subscription to the series, which included high profile playwrights and actors. During the late 1940s and early 1950s ANTA sponsored a number of drama festivals across the U.S., featuring well-known actors. ANTA also featured a televised production of short plays for NBC television. With the intention of promoting theater growth in the U.S. and showcasing new talent, ANTA produced, supported, and promoted theater projects all across the United States.","Internationally, ANTA promoted artistic exchange between the U.S. and Europe, and entertained American troops there. This was initiated with a 1949 tour of William Shakespeare's \"Hamlet\" throughout Europe, produced by and starring Breen in the titular role. This tour famously culminated in a performance at Elsinore Castle in Denmark - the actual setting of the play. Perhaps ANTA's, as well as Breen's, greatest success came with the international tour of George Gershwin's \"Porgy and Bess\" (produced with Blevins Davis), which toured from 1952-1956, visiting 89 cities and 29 countries. The opera's performance in the Soviet Union was considered the first cultural exchange post-World War II between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. ANTA also sponsored the American National Ballet Theatre's tour of Europe in 1950, performing in eighteen cities and eight countries. The tour lasted from August to December of 1950 and played to an audience of over 150,000, and was the first international tour of any American ballet company.","ANTA also produced a number of Broadway plays and musicals out of the formerly named Guild Hall Theatre, renamed the ANTA Theatre in the 1960s and 1970s. ANTA West, which grew out of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of ANTA in 1957, promoted and facilitated the growth of theater in the Southern California region."],"custodhist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePart of the Robert and Wilva Breen papers was donated to The Ohio State University.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"custodhist_heading_ssm":["Custodial History"],"custodhist_tesim":["Part of the Robert and Wilva Breen papers was donated to The Ohio State University."],"phystech_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to play  obsolete audiovisual material found in the found in the Robert and Wilva Breen papers. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"phystech_heading_ssm":["Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements"],"phystech_tesim":["The Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to play  obsolete audiovisual material found in the found in the Robert and Wilva Breen papers. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eRobert and Wilva Breen papers, C0004, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"prefercite_tesim":["Robert and Wilva Breen papers, C0004, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eProcessed by Special Collections Research Center Staff. EAD markup completed in February 2009 by Jordan Patty. Reprocessed by Amanda Brent from 2017-2018. EAD markup completed by Amanda Brent in December 2018.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["Processed by Special Collections Research Center Staff. EAD markup completed in February 2009 by Jordan Patty. Reprocessed by Amanda Brent from 2017-2018. EAD markup completed by Amanda Brent in December 2018."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSpecial Collections Research Center also holds the \u003cextptr href=\"https://aspace.gmu.edu/resources/c0145\" title=\"Porgy and Bess poster collection\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e, the \u003cextptr href=\"https://aspace.gmu.edu/resources/c0002\" title=\"Federal Theatre Project collection\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e, the \u003cextptr href=\"https://aspace.gmu.edu/resources/c0043\" title=\"Robert C. Schnitzer papers\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e, and many other \u003cextptr href=\"https://scrc.gmu.edu/collections-subject.php#THEATRE\" title=\"performing arts collections.\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e The Ohio State University Libraries' Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute holds the \u003cextptr href=\"https://library.osu.edu/collections/spec.tri.rb\" title=\"Robert Breen and Wilva papers.\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e The UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library holds the \u003cextptr href=\"https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8fn1762/\" title=\"ANTA West records.\" show=\"new\"\u003e\u003c/extptr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e  "],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Material"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["Special Collections Research Center also holds the , the , the , and many other","The Ohio State University Libraries' Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute holds the","The UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library holds the"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization from 1944 through the 1950s. The collection also contains many photographs of theaters and theatrical performances from across the United States, including from Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters and shows, as well as numerous colleges, universities, high schools, and local children's theaters. The bulk of the collection originates from the 1940s - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper.\u003c/p\u003e  "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization from 1944 through the 1950s. The collection also contains many photographs of theaters and theatrical performances from across the United States, including from Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters and shows, as well as numerous colleges, universities, high schools, and local children's theaters. The bulk of the collection originates from the 1940s - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/).\u003c/p\u003e  "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)."],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract id=\"aspace_ref348\"\u003eThe Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization. The bulk of the collection originates from 1933 - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Robert and Wilva Breen papers consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, photographs, notebooks, and audiovisual materials largely related to the creation and running of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), as well as Robert and Wilva Breen's long-term involvement with the organization. The bulk of the collection originates from 1933 - 2000s, with an outlier date of 1834 from an antique newspaper."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_ddb931edc4f44bf997d326b2923a7505\"\u003eR2, C9, S3- C11, S7\nR3 C1 S1 - C2, S5\nOSR3, C4, S4\nMap Case 8.1-8.2, 9.1\u003c/physloc\u003e\n    "],"physloc_tesim":["R2, C9, S3- C11, S7\nR3 C1 S1 - C2, S5\nOSR3, C4, S4\nMap Case 8.1-8.2, 9.1"],"corpname_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)"],"names_coll_ssim":["American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971"],"persname_ssim":["Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971"],"names_ssim":["George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center","American National Ballet Theater","American National Theatre and Academy","ANTA (Organization)","ANTA West (Organization)","Breen, Robert","Breen, Wilva","Porterfield, Robert, 1905-1971"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":3014,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:00:51.668Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_521"}}],"included":[{"type":"facet","id":"repository_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Repository","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"George Mason University","value":"George Mason University","hits":4},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Baccess_subjects%5D%5B%5D=Theater+--+Production+and+direction\u0026f%5Bdate_range%5D%5B%5D=1984\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=George+Mason+University"}}]},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/facet/repository_ssim.json?f%5Baccess_subjects%5D%5B%5D=Theater+--+Production+and+direction\u0026f%5Bdate_range%5D%5B%5D=1984"}},{"type":"facet","id":"collection_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Collection","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"Arena Stage records, 1949/2010","value":"Arena Stage records, 1949/2010","hits":1},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Baccess_subjects%5D%5B%5D=Theater+--+Production+and+direction\u0026f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Arena+Stage+records%2C+1949%2F2010\u0026f%5Bdate_range%5D%5B%5D=1984"}},{"attributes":{"label":"Federal Theatre Project collection, 1885/1986, bulk 1935/1939","value":"Federal Theatre Project collection, 1885/1986, bulk 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