Shorewood Players Theater Records, 1930-1969
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Summary Information
Title: Shorewood Players Theater Records
Inclusive Dates: 1930-1969

Creator:
  • Shorewood Players Theater (Wis.)
Call Number: Milwaukee Mss 217; PH Milwaukee Mss 217

Quantity: 1.1 c.f. (3 archives boxes and 1 oversize folder) and 348 photographs (2 archives boxes)

Repository:
Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries' Archives Department / Milwaukee Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections.

Archival Locations:
UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)
COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:
Records of Shorewood Players Theater, a community theater group in Shorewood, Wisconsin, directed by Curt Haensel (1939-1971) which performed annually from autumn through spring. In addition to putting on approximately five performances every season, the Shorewood Players also held an acting clinic for aspiring young performers. Included in the records are playbills, reviews (mainly from the Milwaukee Journal and Sentinel), photographs, writings pertaining to a particular play's background, correspondence, and one scrapbook.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mil00217
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Biography/History

On February 1, 1936, the new Shorewood Auditorium was opened in Shorewood, Wisconsin. The building design was based on the RKO Theater in New York City and was considered one of the finest school auditoriums in the nation. Shortly after the auditorium's opening, a Shorewood theater troupe called The Play Shop, which debuted in 1930, made the new auditorium its home. This group evolved into The Shorewood Players in the early 1940s.

From 1930 to 1938, Virginia C. Bell directed the productions of The Play Shop. When she moved to Tennessee, Curt Haensel became the director of the plays performed within the framework of the Dramatic Department of the Shorewood Opportunity School; this included directing The Shorewood Players. A native of Germany, Haensel traveled to Milwaukee in 1929 and joined the German repertory company at the Pabst Theater. Before his American visit he had been trained in the Hamburg Arts theater and in the Leipzig Civic theater. After a few years at the Pabst, Haensel returned to Germany where he became involved in German cinema. When World War II became imminent, Haensel and his family immigrated to the United States, coming to Milwaukee in 1939. He remained the director of the Shorewood Players Theater for 33 years, directing 147 productions.

In 1976, The Players reorganized under the Adult Recreation Department of the Shorewood School District. In its recent history, the Players have focused largely on producing musical theater although this is not documented in the collection.

Scope and Content Note

While the records in this collection span 1930 through 1969, the material from the 1930s is sparse with only two productions listed from the period 1930-1938--one from 1930 and the other from 1933. Most of the records document the years 1939-1969, the period when Curt Haensel was the director of the Shorewood Players Theater.

The collection is organized into three series: ADMINISTRATIVE/PERSONAL MATERIALS, PRODUCTIONS, and PHOTOGRAPHS with the bulk of the material being in the last two series.

The ADMINISTRATIVE/PERSONAL MATERIALS series consists of attendance sheets, correspondence, and miscellaneous ephemera from various seasons. Also included is a scrapbook which is dedicated to Curt Haensel with humorous captions accompanying clipped images and presumably signed by cast and crew.

The PRODUCTIONS series is organized chronologically with every production in a separate folder. These records principally consist of playbills and reviews although some also include production notes or publicity packages.

The PHOTOGRAPHS series largely mirrors the organization of the paper records; the majority also are organized chronologically with each production having a separate folder. Most of the photographs document scenes from productions although there are not photographs for every production listed in the paper records. A separate group of photographs at the end concern no specific production; these include images of Curt Haensel.

Administrative/Restriction Information
Acquisition Information

Presented by Peter Haensel, Mequon, Wisconsin, 1990.


Processing Information

Processed by Jeanette Goddard and Kyle Krause, 2007.


Contents List
Milwaukee Mss 217
Series: Administrative/Personal Materials
Box   3
Folder   14
Attendance, 1941
Box   3
Folder   15
Correspondence, 1939-1948
Box   3
Folder   16
Flyers and Broadsides
Box   3
Folder   17
Miscellaneous
Box   3
Folder   18
Speeches and Personal Materials
Oversize Folder   1
Scrapbook
Series: Productions
⇧
Box   1
Folder   1
The Whole Town's Talking, 1930
Box   1
Folder   2
Spooks, 1933
Box   1
Folder   3
Stage Door, January 1939
Box   1
Folder   4
She Loved a Sailor, March 1939
Box   1
Folder   5
A Church Mouse, November 1939
Box   1
Folder   6
Paternally Yours, March 1940
Box   1
Folder   7
Fly Away Home, April 1940
Box   1
Folder   8
Broadway, May 1940
Box   1
Folder   9
Dinner at Eight, November 1940
Box   1
Folder   10
It Happened in the Gay 90s, February 1941
Box   1
Folder   11
The Play's the Thing, October 1941
Box   1
Folder   12
Tovarich, December 1941
Box   1
Folder   13
Beggars on Horseback, January 1942
Box   1
Folder   14
I'll Leave It to You, February 1942
Box   1
Folder   15
Male Animal, April 1942 & , 1953
Box   1
Folder   16
Cuckoos on the Hearth, November 1942
Box   1
Folder   17
Squaring the Circle, December 1942
Box   1
Folder   18
Heart of the City, January 1943
Box   1
Folder   19
George Washington Slept Here, February 1943
Box   1
Folder   20
Good-bye Again, April 1943
Box   1
Folder   21
Claudia, November 1943
Box   1
Folder   22
Ladies in Retirement, December 1943
Box   1
Folder   23
Mr. & Mrs. North, January 1944
Box   1
Folder   24
Skylark, March 1944
Box   1
Folder   25
Holiday, April 1944
Box   1
Folder   26
Janie, November 1944
Box   1
Folder   27
Sherlock Homes, December 1944
Box   1
Folder   28
Doughgirls, February 1945
Box   1
Folder   29
Pursuit of Happiness, March 1945
Box   1
Folder   30
Over Twenty-One, April 1945
Box   1
Folder   31
Jacobowsky and the Colonel, November 1945
Box   1
Folder   32
Ramshackle Inn, December 1945
Box   1
Folder   33
Snafu, January 1946
Box   1
Folder   34
Rebecca, March 1946
Box   1
Folder   35
Let Us Be Gay, April 1946
Box   1
Folder   36
The Late George Apley, October 1946
Box   1
Folder   37
Laura, December 1946
Box   1
Folder   38
Foolish Notion, January 1947
Box   1
Folder   39
The Front Page, March 1947
Box   1
Folder   40
Dear Ruth, April 1947
Box   1
Folder   41
Room Service, November 1947
Box   1
Folder   42
You Never Can Tell, December 1947
Box   1
Folder   43
State of the Union, February 1948
Box   1
Folder   44
Papa Is All, March 1948
Box   1
Folder   45
Dream Girl, April 1948
Box   1
Folder   46
Life with Father, October 1948
Box   1
Folder   47
An Inspector Calls, December 1948
Box   1
Folder   48
I Remember Mama, January 1949
Box   1
Folder   49
John Loves Mary, March 1949
Box   1
Folder   50
Command Decision, April 1949
Box   1
Folder   51
Seven Keys to Baldpate, October 1949
Box   1
Folder   52
Strange Bedfellows, December 1949
Box   1
Folder   53
Edward, My Son, January 1950
Box   1
Folder   54
Light Up the Sky, April 1950
Box   1
Folder   55
See How They Run, May 1950
Box   1
Folder   56
Born Yesterday, October 1950
Box   1
Folder   57
Good-bye, My Fancy, December 1950
Box   1
Folder   58
Harvey, January 1951
Box   1
Folder   59
Detective Story, April 1951
Box   1
Folder   60
Pursuit of Happiness, June 1951
Box   1
Folder   61
The Glass Menagerie, October 1951
Box   1
Folder   62
Oh, Mr. Meadowbrook, December 1951
Box   1
Folder   63
The Silver Whistle, January 1952
Box   1
Folder   64
Ten Little Indians, March 1952
Box   1
Folder   65
Three Men on a Horse, May 1952
Box   1
Folder   66
Johnny Belinda, October 1952
Box   1
Folder   67
Remains to Be Seen, December 1952
Box   1
Folder   68
Death of a Salesman, January 1953
Box   1
Folder   69
Bell, Book, and Candle, March 1953
Box   1
Folder   70
The Affairs of State, May 1953
Box   1
Folder   71
The Male Animal, October 1953
Box   1
Folder   72
Payment Deferred, November 1953
Box   1
Folder   73
The Patriots, January 1954
Box   1
Folder   74
Hay Fever, March 1954
Box   1
Folder   75
Arsenic and Old Lace, 1954-1955
Box   1
Folder   76
Cocktail Party, April 1954
Box   1
Folder   77
The Moon Is Blue, October 1954
Box   1
Folder   78
My Three Angels, December 1954
Box   1
Folder   79
The Country Girl, January 1955
Box   1
Folder   80
Time Out for Ginger, March 1955
Box   1
Folder   81
Mister Roberts, October 1955
Box   1
Folder   82
Dial 'M' for Murder, December 1955
Box   1
Folder   83
Red Peppers, January 1956
Box   1
Folder   84
The Browning Version, January 1956
Box   1
Folder   85
The Tender Trap, March 1956
Box   1
Folder   86
The Voice of the Turtle, April 1956
Box   1
Folder   87
The Solid Gold Cadillac, October 1956
Box   1
Folder   88
The White Sheep of the Family, December 1956
Box   1
Folder   89
The Desperate Hours, January 1957
Box   1
Folder   90
Picnic, March 1957
Box   1
Folder   91
Anastasia, May 1957
Box   1
Folder   92
The Great Sebastians, October 1957
Box   1
Folder   93
Witness for the Prosecution, December 1957
Box   1
Folder   94
Bus Stop, January 1958
Box   1
Folder   95
Sabrina Fair, March 1958
Box   2
Folder   1
Inherit the Wind, May 1958
Box   2
Folder   2
Visit to a Small Planet, October 1958
Box   2
Folder   3
Monique, November 1958
Box   2
Folder   4
No Time for Sergeants, January 1959
Box   2
Folder   5
Tunnel of Love, March 1959
Box   2
Folder   6
Blithe Spirit, May 1959
Box   2
Folder   7
A Hole in the Head, October 1959
Box   2
Folder   8
Third Best Sport, December 1959
Box   2
Folder   9
Separate Tables, January 1960
Box   2
Folder   10
A View from the Bridge, March 1960
Box   2
Folder   11
The Gazebo, April-May 1960
Box   2
Folder   12
Romanoff & Juliet, October 1960
Box   2
Folder   13
Spider's Web, December 1960
Box   2
Folder   14
The Heiress, January 1961
Box   2
Folder   15
Golden Fleecing, March 1961
Box   2
Folder   16
Lady in the Dark, October 1961
Box   2
Folder   17
Ninotchka, December 1961
Box   2
Folder   18
The Andersonville Trial, January 1962
Box   2
Folder   19
Abie's Irish Rose, March 1962
Box   2
Folder   20
Five Finger Exercise, April 1962
Box   2
Folder   21
Critic's Choice, October 1962
Box   2
Folder   22
Write Me a Murder, November-December 1962
Box   2
Folder   23
All the King's Men, January 1963
Box   2
Folder   24
Private Lives, March 1963
Box   2
Folder   25
Another Part of the Forest, April 1963
Box   2
Folder   26
A Far Country, October 1963
Box   2
Folder   27
Come Blow Your Horn, November 1963
Box   2
Folder   28
Take Her, She's Mine, January-February 1964
Box   2
Folder   29
Everyone Loves Opal, March 1964
Box   2
Folder   30
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, May 1964
Box   2
Folder   31
The Best Man, October 1964
Box   2
Folder   32
The Reluctant Debutante, December 1964
Box   2
Folder   33
A Thousand Clowns, January 1965
Box   2
Folder   34
A Man for All Seasons, March 1965
Box   2
Folder   35
The Wisdom of Eve, April 1965
Box   2
Folder   36
Candida, October 1965
Box   2
Folder   37
The Sound of Murder, December 1965
Box   2
Folder   38
Mary, Mary, January-February 1966
Box   2
Folder   39
Dear Me, the Sky Is Falling, March 1966
Box   3
Folder   1
Cyrano de Bergerac, April 1966
Box   3
Folder   2
Poor Richard, November 1966
Box   3
Folder   3
Absence of a Cello, January 1967
Box   3
Folder   4
Case of Libel, March 1967
Box   3
Folder   5
Once More, With Feeling, April 1967
Box   3
Folder   6
Barefoot in the Park, October 1967
Box   3
Folder   7
The Seven Year Itch, December 1967
Box   3
Folder   8
Stop the World, March 1968
Box   3
Folder   9
Wait Until Dark, April 1968
Box   3
Folder   10
The Impossible Years, November 1968
Box   3
Folder   11
Anna Christie, January-February 1969
Box   3
Folder   12
The Odd Couple, March 1969
Box   3
Folder   13
Any Wednesday, May 1969
PH Milwaukee Mss 217
Series: Photographs
⇧
Subseries: Productions
Box   1
Folder   1
Richard of Bordeux
Box   1
Folder   2
Let Us Be Gay, April 1946
Box   1
Folder   3
The Late George Apley, October 1946
Box   1
Folder   4
Laura, December 1946
Box   1
Folder   5
Life with Father, October 1948
Box   1
Folder   6
An Inspector Calls, December 1948
Box   1
Folder   7
I Remember Mama, January 1949
Box   1
Folder   8
Command Decision, April 1949
Box   1
Folder   9
Seven Keys to Baldpate, October 1949
Box   1
Folder   10
Edward, My Son, January 1950
Box   1
Folder   11
The Glass Menagerie, October 1951
Box   1
Folder   12
Oh, Mr. Meadowbrook, December 1951
Box   1
Folder   13
The Silver Whistle, January 1952
Box   1
Folder   14
Ten Little Indians, March 1952
Box   1
Folder   15
Johnny Belinda, October 1952
Box   1
Folder   16
Remains to Be Seen, December 1952
Box   1
Folder   17
Death of a Salesman, January 1953
Box   1
Folder   18
Bell, Book, and Candle, March 1953
Box   1
Folder   19
Affairs of State, May 1953
Box   1
Folder   20
Male Animal, October 1953
Box   1
Folder   21
Payment Deferred, November 1953
Box   1
Folder   22
The Patriots, January 1954
Box   1
Folder   23
Hay Fever, March 1954
Box   1
Folder   24
Arsenic and Old Lace, 1954-1955
Box   1
Folder   25
Cocktail Party, April 1954
Box   1
Folder   26
The Moon Is Blue, October 1954
Box   1
Folder   27
My Three Angels, December 1954
Box   1
Folder   28
Time Out for Ginger, March 1955
Box   1
Folder   29
The Desperate Hours, January 1957
Box   1
Folder   30
Picnic, March 1957
Box   1
Folder   31
Anastasia, May 1957
Box   1
Folder   32
The Great Sebastians, October 1957
Box   1
Folder   33
Witness for the Prosecution, December 1957
Box   1
Folder   34
Bus Stop, January 1958
Box   1
Folder   35
Sabrina Fair, March 1958
Box   1
Folder   36
Inherit the Wind, May 1958
Box   1
Folder   37
Visit to a Small Planet, October 1958
Box   1
Folder   38
Monique, November 1958
Box   1
Folder   39
No Time for Sergeants, January 1959
Box   1
Folder   40
Blithe Spirit, May 1959
Box   1
Folder   41
A View from the Bridge, March 1960
Box   1
Folder   42
The Gazebo, April-May 1960
Box   1
Folder   43
Romanoff & Juliet, October 1960
Box   1
Folder   44
Spider's Web, December 1960
Box   1
Folder   45
The Heiress, January 1961
Box   1
Folder   46
The Andersonville Trial, January 1962
Box   1
Folder   47
Abie's Irish Rose, March 1962
Box   1
Folder   48
Five Finger Exercise, April 1962
Box   1
Folder   49
Take Her, She's Mine, January-February 1964
Box   1
Folder   50
Caine Mutany Court-Martial, May 1964
Box   2
Folder   1
Candida, October 1965
Box   2
Folder   2
Mary, Mary, January-February 1966
Box   2
Folder   3
Dear Me, the Sky Is Falling, March 1966
Box   2
Folder   4
Once More, With Feeling, April 1966
Box   2
Folder   5
Stop the World, March 1968
Box   2
Folder   6
Anna Christie, January-February 1969
Box   2
Folder   7
The Odd Couple, March 1969
Box   2
Folder   8
Any Wednesday, May 1969
Subseries: General
⇧
Box   2
Folder   9
Dance Group
Box   2
Folder   10
Haensel, Curt, circa 1970
Box   2
Folder   11
Head Shots
Box   2
Folder   12
Miscellaneous