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Email: spcollections@psu.edu
Telephone: 814-865-1793
Campus Address:
104 Paterno Library
University Park Campus
Theater, Film, and Television Collections
Costumes for Josephine Baker from Pulse, 1948
Charles L. Blockson archival collection, Josephine Baker series (10113)
At Penn State
These collections focus on records created by Penn State theatrical professors, groups, departments, and organizations.
- Pennsylvania State University, College of Arts and Architecture, Artists Series Records (00079)Records of summer arts festivals, performers, film offering, concerts, entertainment, and administrative records of artist management.
- Harvey R. Kelly Jr. Theater Scrapbooks and Programs (02896)Speech communication professor Harvey Kelly's scrapbooks. Includes photographs, clippings, and theatre programs documenting Penn State Beaver's theatre productions.
- Penn State Thespian Society Records (01409)Thorough history of the organization with its constitution, correspondence, clippings, minute books, member profile sheets, programs and flyers (1898-1980s), and production materials.
- Yeaton Family Papers (00748)details Kelly Yeaton’s involvement with commedia and experimental theatre. Also Includes his class notes, scripts written by students and acquaintances, business and personal correspondence, and photographs of theater activities and family.
In the Community and Pennsylvania
These collections focus on records created by or about theatrical organizations or topics within the State College/Centre County area and the Pennsylvania commonwealth.
- Bicentennial Wagon Train to Pennsylvania Show Records (00107)Records of operations, finances, publicity, music, and audiovisual material that document the show performed at Wagon Train encampment sites on the cross-country journey from The West to Valley Forge, PA.
- State College Community Theatre Records (01366)The State College Community Theatre formed in 1955 and in 1959 made its home at the historic Boal Barn Playhouse in Boalsburg, PA. This collection contains the theater's bylaws, scripts, programs, and newspaper clippings.
Theater, Film, and Television History
These collections encompass records that relate to theater, film, and television beyond the scope of Penn State or Pennsylvania.
- Carmen Finestra Television Show Scripts: Home Improvement, Soul Man, and Thunder Alley (02622)Outlines, drafts, and shooting scripts for the three television series.
- Charles L. Blockson archival collection, Josephine Baker series (10113)A selection of publicity materials, programs, photographs, autographs, and recordings, as well as materials that reflect her cultural impact.
- Cutler Theater Collection (02312)Over 1000 programs, 600 photographs, sheet music, and memorabilia related to American and European theater, opera, and dance from 1750 to 1980.
- Delphine Seyrig Collection (02513)Materials about the French stage and film actress (1932-1990) famous for her roles in the works "Last Year at Marienbad", "Discrete Charm of the Bourgeoisie", and "The Day of the Jackal".
- Don Taylor Movie Scripts and Photosgraphs (02549)Shooting scripts for films and television movies that Don Taylor produced and/or directed, and publicity and candid photographs from some of the films.
- Edwin S. Childs Playbills Collection (02323)508 Playbill programs for various types of performances in Boston, New York City, and State College, Pennsylvania, as well other cities.
- Meinhart Grünbaum Maur Papers (02386)Documents the Hungarian actor's career in Germany and England with over 400 photographs, programs, posters, reviews, newspaper clippings, and several scripts.
- Patricia Heigel-Tanner Collection of Orchesis and the Contemporary Dance Company Records (06860)Audio and video recordings of concerts by Orchesis and the Contemporary Dance Company, with related photographs, programs, and scrapbooks of music scores for Orchesis programs.
- Robert D. Reifsneider Theater Playbill Collection (03198)A collection of playbills and programs for over 500 plays, musical comedies, and operas produced in New York and several other American cities, primarily between 1925 and 1974.
- Samuel Gallu Papers (02336)Contains the professional papers of Samuel Gallu, including drafts and final copies for fifty-six plays and screenplays.
- That Was Fast Dance Collection (02283)About the the Australian group’s performances of "Blue Cities" and "What to Name Your Baby," including: video of performances, poetry books, announcements, press and publicity, and documentation for the book "Performing the Unnameable: An Anthology of Australian Performance Texts".
- George C. Izenour architectural drawings (02357)The collection contains drafts, final drawings, blueprints, and sepia prints on paper, mylar, and architectural vellum for theaters and performing arts centers designed by Izenour for communities and universities in Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Venezuela.