Broadway souvenir theatre programs collection

Access and use

Location of collection:
George Mason University
2400 Fenwick Library
Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library MS2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Mieko Palazzo
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

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

Preferred citation:

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

Summary

Extent:
2.75 Linear Feet 6 boxes
Creator:
George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Abstract:
This collection contains theatre souvenir programs from Broadway productions between the years 1942 and 1997. The programs include descriptions of the production, along with information on the respective creators, performers, directors, choreographers, and producers. It contains many programs from original Broadway show runs, and features many famous actors, singers, and dancers who performed in Broadway shows.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

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

Background

Scope and content:

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

Biographical / historical:

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

Acquisition information:
The donor is unknown.
Processing information:

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

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged alphabetically by production title.

Physical location:
R43, C5, S1 - S7
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard