Edward Payson Call Arena Stage papers

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:

Edward Payson Call Arena Stage papers, C0559, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries

Summary

Extent:
.75 Linear Feet 2 boxes, 1 map case
Creator:
Call, Edward Payson
Abstract:
Materials collected and created by director Edward Payson Call while directing productions of The Front Page, The Tot Family, and Catsplay at Arena Stage in the 1970s.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Edward Payson Call Arena Stage papers, C0559, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of materials, including notes, set designs, scripts, photographs, reviews, programs, and correspondence, collected and created by director Edward Payson Call. Materials relate to Payson Call's work as a director at Arean Stage on three productions: The Front Page, The Tot Family, and Catsplay. The bulk of the materials cover his work on The Tot Family, which includes several early script drafts by different translators and with different title variations.

Biographical / historical:

Edward Payson Call was born on August 10, 1928 and spent over 50 years working in the theatre, beginning his career in New York City in the late 1950s working as a Broadway stage manager. In 1963, he joined the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota as a member of the inaugural artistic staff working alongside namesake director Tyrone Guthrie. Throughout the 1960s-1970s, Payson Call worked as a director at numerous regional theatres across the country, including three productions at Arena Stage in the mid-late 1970s. The Front Page initially ran from December 1974 – January 1975 and again from April – June 1976 as part of the "All American Repertory" along with Death of a Salesman directed by Zelda Fichandler and Our Town directed by Alan Schneider. The Tot Family ran from January – February 1976 and his final directing credit at Arena Stage, Catsplay, ran from March – April 1977. In 1980, he was appointed as the founding Artistic Director of the Denver Center Theatre Company in Colorado, a position he held for five years. In the 1990s, after moving to Seattle, Washington, he continued working as a freelance director and teacher in numerous locations across the country, and in 1992 founded Seattle's Young Shakespeare Workshop. He passed away on February 1, 2023 at the age of 94.

One of the first not-for-profit theatres in the United States, as well as a pioneer of the regional theatre movement, Arena Stage was the first regional theatre to transfer a production to Broadway (The Great White Hope, 1967), the first invited by the U.S. State Department to tour the Soviet Union, and the first to receive a Tony Award. 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, D.C. since 1895. Generosity on the part of David Lloyd Kreeger, and others, led to the construction of the new "Kreeger Theatre," which opened formally on January 15, 1971. Today, Arena Stage performs to over 250,000 patrons during a September to June season and employs nearly 200 theatre professionals.

Acquisition information:
Collection donation facilitated by Alison Irvin of Arena Stage. Original donor was Marcia Carter.
Processing information:

Processing completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in October 2025. Inventory assistance provided by Chance Jimenez. Finding aid completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in December 2025.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged chronologically and by production title and then by material type or function.

Physical location:
R 73, C 2, S 3 Map Case 27.2
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard