WPA Theatre Records, 1967-1976


Summary Information
Title: WPA Theatre Records
Inclusive Dates: 1967-1976

Creator:
  • WPA Theatre (New York, N.Y.)
Call Number: U.S. Mss 200AN; Tape 1105A

Quantity: 6.0 c.f. (4 record center cartons and 1 flat box) and 2 tape recordings

Repository:
Wisconsin Historical Society Archives / Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research
Contact Information

Archival Locations:
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:
Records of a critically successful and popular Off-Off Broadway theater officially named the Workshop of the Players' Art; formed to present experimental and traditional works. Included are budgets, general and fundraising correspondence, newsletters, and records concerning the Off-Off Broadway Alliance; production files with scripts, promotional flyers, photographs, playbills, press releases, programs, and reviews; and tape recorded pre-performance and performance music and some dialogue from Rite(s) On! Rite of Spring.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0200an
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Biography/History

The Workshop of the Players' Art, better known as WPA Theatre, was formed in a small New York City cafe in 1967. The founders originally intended to form a professional repertory theater company to present experimental and traditional works; to train and employ young actors, directors, and playwrights; and eventually to move into the mainstream of New York theater. For two years, the company performed in a storefront on 4th Street near the Bowery; in 197O it moved to an old movie house at 333 Bowery. A rehearsal hall at 269 Bowery also was the site for classes and workshops as the company grew to include over 20O actors, directors, dancers, choreographers, playwrights, designers, and technicians. Before its demise in 1976, WPA Theatre won an Obie Award (1973) and achieved critical acclaim and popular success as one of New York's larger and better known Off-Off Broadway theaters.

During its October through June season, WPA Theatre presented three or four classics and revivals, several new full-length works, and numerous one-act plays. In June, the Theatre began its summer series of new plays, which included 12-2O plays written by such new playwrights and playwrights in residence as Jeannine O'Reilly, Joseph Renard, and William Van Gieson. The theater also performed for local colleges, and taught and acted with New York City school students. WPA Theatre differed from most other Off-Off Broadway theaters by having its own resident company of writers, directors, and actors. Harry Orzello, Virginia Aquino, and Daniel P. Dietrich were the Theatre's Artistic Directors and Producers.

As an Off-Off Broadway theater, WPA Theatre was governed by the terms of the Showcase Code, which restricted admission prices, number of performances, and seating capacities to protect unpaid actors from unscrupulous producers. Despite its critical and commercial successes, these restrictions prevented WPA Theatre from establishing a firm and stable financial base. The Theatre was supported by series subscriptions, box office revenues, audience donations, private contributions, foundation grants, and the New York State Council on the Arts, but had no large-scale endowment fund. By 1976 the Theatre was faced with increased expectations and needs, but its managers were no longer willing to continue business as usual. Instead, the WPA Theatre closed its doors in 1976.

Scope and Content Note

The collection documents WPA Theatre's theatrical productions, fundraising, and management, but contains little concerning its founding and organization, planning of productions and seasons, or its relationship with other New York theaters. The records are arranged in two series: General Records and Production Files.

Included with GENERAL RECORDS are budgets, files of correspondence and records concerning clearances and permissions required from Actors' Equity Association, general and fundraising correspondence, solicitations to foundations, a mailing list, newsletters, lists of plays presented, ticket sales, and reviews of productions and of the Theatre in general. Also included are photographs from rehearsals and of WPA staff members, and unidentified photographs. Separate files concern the Ballet Players of WPA and the Theatre Kalambur of Poland, which performed at WPA for several years. For both groups there are correspondence, playbills, and flyers concerning performances, planning and arrangements, and reviews. Similar materials are present for the annual New Plays Festivals, together with photographs, programs, and promotional materials. There is also a small file of flyers, near-print materials, and a newsletter of the Off-Off Broadway Alliance of Theaters.

The PRODUCTION FILES illustrate plays considered and presented by WPA Theatre from 1968 to 1976. Productions are arranged alphabetically by title, and include both new plays and classics. Most of the files contain similar material, including scripts, many of which are annotated, flyers advertising the production, photographs, playbills, press releases, programs, and copies of reviews from New York newspapers and journals. There are few letters, production notes, or other materials. Many of the programs, flyers, and press releases are in near-print format, indicating the budget constraints under which WPA operated. Two tape recordings contain pre-performance and performance music and some dialogue from the play Rite(s) On! Rite of Spring by Stanley Nelson.

Administrative/Restriction Information
Acquisition Information

Placed on deposit by the WPA Theatre, via Harry Orzello, New York, New York, 1975-1976. Accession Number: MCHC75-1O9, MCHC76-089


Processing Information

Processed by Menzi Behrnd-Klodt, Ann Bloczynski, and Nancy Edwards, 1985.


Contents List
U.S. Mss 200AN
Series: General Records
Box   1
Folder   1-3
Actors' Equity Association and Other Agencies - Correspondence and Clearances, 1970-1976
Box   1
Folder   4
Actors' Equity Association Final Reports and Budget Proposals, 1974-1976
Ballet Players of WPA
Box   1
Folder   5-6
Planning Notes, Proposed Plays, 1971-1973; Budget for , 1972-1973; Press Releases, Program, Flyers, Reviews
Box   5
Poster
Box   1
Folder   7
Budgets, 1976
Box   1
Folder   8
Contracts, 197O
Box   5
Cooper Square Fair Poster
Correspondence
Box   1
Folder   9
General Correspondence, Form Letters, and Memoranda, 1967-1976
Box   1
Folder   10
Correspondence, Invitations, and Press Releases re: Benefit Art Exhibition Held for WPA Theatre, 1972-1973
Box   1
Folder   11
Financial Correspondence, 1974-1975
Box   1
Folder   12
Foundation Correspondence, 1974-1976
Box   1
Folder   13
Correspondence, Legal Papers, and Memoranda re: Lease of 34 E. 4th Street and Subsequent Eviction Proceedings, 1968-197O
Box   1
Folder   14
Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1973-1976
Box   1
Folder   15-16
Correspondence re: Submission of Scripts, 1971-1974
Box   1
Folder   17
Fire Department and Fire Codes - Correspondence and Papers, 1974
Box   1
Folder   18
Mailing Lists, 1971-1974
Box   5
The Mime Company Poster
New Plays Festival
Box   1
Folder   19
First Annual - Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Program, 1972
Box   1
Folder   20
Second Annual - Flyer, Press Release, Program, Reviews, 1973
Box   1
Folder   21
Third Annual - Articles, Flyer, Photographs, Program and Draft, Reviews, 1974
Box   1
Folder   22
Fourth Annual - Flyer, Photographs, Programs, 1975
Box   1
Folder   23
Fifth Annual - Flyer, Program, Reviews, Schedule, 1976
Box   1
Folder   24
Newsletters, Press Releases, and Policy Statements, 1971-1974, undated
Box   5
Off Broadway Festival Fortnight Posters
Box   1
Folder   25
Off-Off Broadway Alliance - Correspondence, Bulletins, Minutes of Meetings, and Related Materials, 1972-1975
Photographs
Box   1
Folder   26
Rehearsal Photographs
Box   1
Folder   27
Photographs of WPA Staff
Box   1
Folder   28
Unidentified Photographs
Box   5
Unidentified Photographs
Box   1
Folder   29
List of Plays Produced, 1968-1972; Flyers, Playbills, and Promotional Materials, , 1968-1972
Box   2
Folder   1
Plays Produced - Flyers, Playbills, and Promotional Materials, 1973-1974
Box   2
Folder   2
Reviews and Articles, 1971-1973
Box   5
Reviews and Articles
Box   2
Folder   3
Subscription Brochures
Box   2
Folder   4
Theater Rentals - Memos, 197O
Theatre Kalambur, Poland
Box   2
Folder   5-6
Correspondence re: Performances at WPA Theater, Photographs, Playbills, Promotional Material, 1973-l975, undated
Box   2
Folder   7
Ticket Sales and Donations - Correspondence and Coupons, 1968-1976, undated
Series: Production Files
The Adding Machine, by Elmer Rice
Box   2
Folder   8
Flyers, Photographs, Program, Reviews, 197O-1971
The Adventures of Charlie and Belle, by Erwin Protter
Box   2
Folder   9
Script, l970(?)
The American War Mothers, by R. Greth
Box   2
Folder   10
Script and Notes, 1973-1974(?)
“The Americans” (One-Act Plays)
Box   2
Folder   11
Flyer, Program, Reviews, 1975(?)
Americka Cleopatra, by Jackie Curtis
Box   2
Folder   12
Program, 1971 or 1972(?)
And Dorothy Parker Said, by William Van Gieson; An Absence of Heroes, by Alex Gotfryd and Bob Herron, and No Ceremony, by Tevia Abrams
Box   2
Folder   13
Flyer, Photographs, Program, Scripts
And the Honor Be Mine, by S.D. Bittman
Box   2
Folder   14
Script, 1973-1974(?)
Andromache, by Jean Racine
Box   2
Folder   15
Flyer, Press Release, Program, Reviews, 1973(?)
Box   5
Poster
The Apartment with the Big Monkey Is Still Available, by Jeffrey Selby
Box   2
Folder   16
Script, 1971(?)
Apollo's Fate, by Stanley Seidman
Box   2
Folder   17
Script, 1972-1973(?)
Arch, by Joseph Renard
Box   2
Folder   18
Flyer, Photograph, Press Release, Program and Notes, Script, 1974
As You Like It, by William Shakespeare
Box   2
Folder   19
Flyers, Photographs, Press Release, Program, 1971
Asleep in Amber, by William Van Gieson
Box   2
Folder   20
Flyer, Photographs, Program, Review, Script, 1971-1972
Box   5
Review
Audience, by Joseph Renard
Box   2
Folder   21
Script, 1973-1974(?)
An Autumn Afternoon in a Suburban Backyard, by Richard Taylor
Box   2
Folder   22
Script, 1975
Baal, by Bertolt Brecht
Box   2
Folder   23
Flyer, Program, Reviews, Script, 1970
Box   2
Folder   24
Photographs
The Babs and Judy Show, by Stephen Holt
Box   2
Folder   25
Photographs, Press Release, Program, Review, Script, 1972
The Beatification of Saint Dymphna, by John Quinn and The Death of the Siamese Twins, by Louis Phillips
Box   2
Folder   26
Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Program, Review, Script, 1973
Beauty and the Beast
Box   2
Folder   27
Outline and Script
Blank Pages, by Frank Marcus
Box   2
Folder   28
Script, 1973-1974
A Boy Named Dog, by Joseph Renard
Box   2
Folder   29
Flyer, Press Release, Program, Reviews and Articles, 1973
Brad Brickman and His Big Swing Orchestra
Box   2
Folder   30
Flyers, Photographs, Press Release, Program, 1972
A Broken Cowboy, by William Aue, and Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, by Josef Bush
Box   2
Folder   31
Flyer, Program, Review, 1971
The Business of Good Government, by John Arden
Box   2
Folder   32
Flyer, Press Release, Program, Review, 1970
Captain Hannah, by Roma Greth
Box   2
Folder   33
Script, 1973-1974
'Cause Maggie's Afraid of the Dark, by Howard Ashman
Box   2
Folder   34
Scripts and Notes, 1974-1975
Charlatans, by Miguel de Cervantes
Box   2
Folder   35
Flyer, Music, Photographs, Press Release, Program, Reviews, 1972
Box   5
Poster
Charlie McDeath, by Lars Forssell
Box   2
Folder   36
Script
Christopher Columbus (Cristophe Colomb)
Box   2
Folder   37
Script
The Chronicle of Nine, by Florence Stevenson
Box   2
Folder   38
Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Program, Reviews, 1976
Clara and Morris, by Fran Lohman
Box   2
Folder   39
Script, 1970-1971
Cleaning Solution, by Deloss Brown and Gum, by Walter Corwin
Box   2
Folder   40
Flyer, Program, Review, 1971
Cock-a-Doodle Dandy, by Sean O'Casey
Box   2
Folder   41
Flyer, Photographs, Program, Reviews, 1976
Box   5
Review
The Considered Opinion of Alexander Woolcott, by William Van Gieson
Box   2
Folder   42
Script, 1972-1973
The Corrupters, by Gertrude Samuels and The Confession, by Sarah Bernhardt
Box   2
Folder   43
Flyer, Photographs, Press Releases, Reviews, 1971
Cox and Box, by F.C. Burnand
Box   2
Folder   44
Flyer, Reviews, Script, 1973
Craig's Wife, by George Kelly
Box   2
Folder   45
Flyer, Photographs, Program, Reviews, Partial Script, 1974
Cybele, by Mario Fratti
Box   2
Folder   46
Flyers, Photographs, Press Releases, Reviews, Scripts, 1971-1972
Dance With Me, by Stephen Policoff
Box   2
Folder   47
Script, 1974-1975(?)
The Dangers of Great Literature, by Gabriele Roepke
Box   2
Folder   48
Flyer, Program, Script, 1973
Darkest Africa: A Ladies Guide to the Nile, by Doris Baizley
Box   2
Folder   49
Flyer, Photographs, Program, Script
The Daughter-in-Law, by D.H. Lawrence
Box   3
Folder   1
Photographs, Press Release, Program, Review
Box   5
Review
Dear John, by Steven Somkin
Box   3
Folder   2
Script, 1973-1974
Death, by Larry Fineberg
Box   3
Folder   3
Script
Disappointment in Sahara, by Joseph Renard and Young Joseph, by Walter Corwin
Box   3
Folder   4
Flyer, Photographs, Program
Dr. Kheal, by Irene Fornes
Box   3
Folder   5
Script
Dog Days, by Walter Corwin
Box   3
Folder   6
Flyers, Photographs, Press Releases, Programs, Script, 1972
Dreamstuff (a musical version of The Tempest)
Box   3
Folder   7
Flyer, Photographs, Program, Review, Script, 1976
Duckling, by Jeannine O'Reilly
Box   3
Folder   8
Flyer, Photographs, Program, Review, Script, 1975
East Liberty, Pa., by Allan Bates
Box   3
Folder   9
Flyer, Photographs, Program, Review, 1976
Box   5
Poster
Box   5
Ground Plan, Stage and Set Designs and Details (10)
The Enchanted, by Jean Giraudoux
Box   3
Folder   10
Photographs, Press Releases, Program, Reviews and Articles, 1971-1972
The End of the World, by Keith Neilson
Box   3
Folder   11
Program, Script
Escurial, by Michel de Ghelderode
Box   3
Folder   12
Review, 1968
L'Etat (The Plight), by Jeannine O'Reilly
Box   3
Folder   13
Script, 1973-1974
Faith Healer, by Brian Friel
Box   3
Folder   14
Script
The Fifth of July, by Roma Greth
Box   3
Folder   15
Script
First to See the Lights Go On, by James B. Campbell and The Outfielders, by Robert Lerner
Box   3
Folder   16
Flyer, Program, Script and Notes, 1969
Frank and Ella, by Fran Lohman
Box   3
Folder   17
Script, 1970-1971
Frank Buck Can't Make It by David Freeman
Box   3
Folder   18
Script, 1972-1973
Friday the Thirteenth
Box   3
Folder   19
Script
The Gambler, by Ugo Betti
Box   3
Folder   20
Flyer, Invitations, Photographs, Press Releases, Reviews, 1969
Geronimo, by John P. Stuehr
Box   3
Folder   21
Correspondence, Flyer, Newsletter, Photographs, Press Release, Program, Reviews, Script, 1973
Box   5
Poster
Getting to Know You Very Very Well, by Bruce Feld
Box   3
Folder   22
Script, circa 1970
The Ghost Convention, by Susan Dworkin
Box   3
Folder   23
Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Reviews, Script, 1975
Box   5
Set Design and Wall Elevation
Goin' a Buffalo, by Ed Bullins
Box   3
Folder   24
Flyer, Photograph, Press Release, Reviews and Clippings, Script, 1972
Halloween and The Shirt, by Leonard Melfi
Box   3
Folder   25
Flyer, Review, 1972
Louise, by Milburn Mehlhop and High Time: A Suicidal Comedy, by Avra Petrides and Diane Kagan
Box   3
Folder   26
Program, Script, 1974
Holey Trinity, by Jeannine O'Reilly and The Visitors vs. the Hometeam, by Bruce Feld
Box   3
Folder   27
Flyer, Press Release, Program, Review, Script
Hypatia 3, by Michael McGrinder
Box   2
Folder   28
Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Script, 1972
I Can't Imagine Tomorrow
Box   3
Folder   29
Script
If This Ain't It!, by Don Arrington
Box   3
Folder   30
Flyer, Program
Box   5
Poster
Keyholes, 3 one-act plays by Frank Marcus
Box   3
Folder   31
Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Program, Review
Kids' Games, by Allan Bates
Box   3
Folder   32
Script
Let Me Wash Your Back, by Ron Everett
Box   3
Folder   33
Script, circa 1970
The Little Match Girl Makes It Big, by Paul Foster
Box   3
Folder   34
Flyer, Press Releases, Program, 1973
Lotsa' Ladies
Box   3
Folder   35
Invitation, Photographs, Program, Script, 1976
Box   3
Folder   36
Script, 1971-1972
Louisianna Bound, by Stephen Holt
Box   3
Folder   37
Photographs, Script
A Man's a Man, by Bertolt Brecht
Box   3
Folder   38
Cues, Flyer, Press Release, Reviews, Script, 1971
Box   5
Poster
Marat/Sade, as Performed by the Characters of Rite of Spring, by Stanley Nelson
Box   3
Folder   39
Script, 1970-1971(?)
Mayhem at Mayhew, by David S. Meranze and Marc Alan Zagoren
Box   3
Folder   40
Lighting Cues, Script, 1970-1971
Men, by Stephen Holt
Box   3
Folder   41
Script, 1973-1974
Mercy Drop, by Robert Patrick
Box   5
Poster
Box   3
Folder   42
Press Release, Program, Review, 1973
A Modern Hamlet, by John Guenther
Box   3
Folder   43
Correspondence, Flyer, Press Release, Program, Reviews, Script, 1973
My Next Guest Is, by Thomas Molyneaux
Box   3
Folder   43
Script, 1973-1974
Naxos Bound, by Josef Bush
Box   3
Folder   45
Flyer, Press Release, Program, Review, Script, 1971-1972
Box   5
Poster
“A Noonan Nite!,” Five Plays by John Ford Noonan
Box   3
Folder   46
Flyer, Press Release, Program
Oli's Ice Cream Suit, by Richard Ploetz
Box   3
Folder   47
Flyer, Photographs, Script, 1973
On the Rocks, by Avra Petrides and Diane Kagan
Box   3
Folder   48
Script
The Other Side of the Year, by Roma Greth and Dinner for One, by Joseph Renard
Box   3
Folder   49
Flyer, Script
The Peoria Impromptu, or Isabel's Marriage, by Deloss
Box   3
Folder   50
Flyer, Program, 1972
Petty Bourgeois, by Maxim Gorky
Box   3
Folder   51
Flyers, Press Releases, Program, Reviews and Articles, 1972
Philadelphia, Here I Come!, by Brian Friel
Box   3
Folder   52
Flyer, Lighting Cues, Photographs, Press Release, Program, Reviews, Scene Setting, Script, 1975
Box   5
Poster
Box   5
Stage and Set Designs (5)
Picnic, by William Inge
Box   3
Folder   53
Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Program, Reviews, 1975
Ping Pong, by Arthur Adamov
Box   3
Folder   54
Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Reviews, 1969
Placebo, by Jeannine O'Reilly
Box   3
Folder   55
Flyers, Rehearsal Schedule, Script, 1971-1972
Preciosity Ridiculed and World-Wise Women, by Moliere
Box   4
Folder   1
Press Releases, Programs, Reviews, 1971-1972
Box   5
Poster
Raisin Pie and the Hermaphroditic Umbrella, by Elmer Kline and Gabriel Oshen
Box   4
Folder   2
Script
The Red Pumps, by Jeannine O'Reilly
Box   4
Folder   3
Flyers, Program
Reety in Hell, by Stephen Holt
Box   4
Folder   4
Flyer, Press Releases, Program, Script, 1973
Rite(s) On! Rite of Spring, by Stanley Nelson
Box   4
Folder   5
Flyer, Photographs, Press Releases, Script
Tape 1105A
No.   1-2
Pre-performance and Performance Music, Spoken Dialogue
U.S. Mss 200AN
The Rodeo Stays in Town for at Least a Week, by Jerry Stubblefield
Box   4
Folder   6
Flyer, Press Release, Program, Script, 1974
Salvation Army Band, by Lee Goldman
Box   4
Folder   7
Invitations, Photographs, Press Releases, Reviews, 1969
Box   5
Floor Plan
A Shriek to Melt the Texas Moon, by Christopher Mathewson
Box   4
Folder   8
Flyer, Program, Reviews, Script, 1974
The Significance of Love, etc., 4 one act plays by Bruce Feld
Box   4
Folder   9
Flyer, Press Release, Program, Reviews, 1969
Since the Wheel, by Max G. Weine
Box   4
Folder   10
Script
A Sneaky Bit to Raise the Blind, by John Ford Noonan
Box   4
Folder   11
Scripts
Summertime, by Ugo Betti
Box   4
Folder   12
Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Program, Reviews, Script, 1970
The Tales of Hoffman, by J. Barbier and M. Carre
Box   4
Folder   13
Script
Teacups, by Henry Morrison, Getting Ready, by Grace Cavalieri, and Funeral Games, by Joe Orton
Box   4
Folder   14
Flyer, Press Release, Program, Script
The Tempest, by William Shakespeare
Box   4
Folder   15
Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Program
That's Show Business
Box   4
Folder   16
Script
Threepenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper)
Box   4
Folder   17
Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Program, Script, 1972
“Tongue-Tied Tales: A Silent Movie for Theatre”
Box   4
Folder   18
Outline
La Tosca, by Victorien Sardou
Box   4
Folder   19
Flyer, Press Release, Program, Review, 1973
Box   5
Poster
A Touch of the Poet, by Eugene O'Neill
Box   4
Folder   20
Flyer, Press Releases, Programs, 1971-1972
The Trial, by Franz Kafka
Box   4
Folder   21
Photographs, Press Release, Program, Review, Partial Script, 1973
Box   5
Poster
Two Blind Beggars (Les Deux Aveugles), by Jacques Offenbach
Box   5
Poster
Box   4
Folder   22
Script
Two for the Show: The Telegram, Frank and Ella, Clara and Morris, by Fran Lohman
Box   4
Folder   23
Scripts
Ugly and the Beast, by Joseph Renard
Box   4
Folder   24
Scripts
Uncle Tom's Cabin, adapted by L.H. Mitchell
Box   4
Folder   25
Photographs, Press Releases, Scripts, 1974-1975
Box   4
Folder   26
Correspondence, Publicity, Scripts
Box   4
Folder   27
Script, with Cues
Box   5
Poster
Vain Victory, by Jackie Curtis
Box   4
Folder   28
Photographs, Program, Reviews
Walden Pond, by Joseph Renard
Box   4
Folder   29
Flyer, Photographs, Press Releases, Program, Script, 1972
Whale, by Kent Jarratt and Placebo, by Jeannine O'Reilly
Box   4
Folder   30
Flyer, Photograph, Program, Script, 1971-1972
What Do They Know About Love Uptown?, by Jerold C. Dukor
Box   4
Folder   31
Invitations, Photographs, Press Releases, Program, 1968
The White Devil, by John Webster
Box   4
Folder   32
Invitation, Photographs, Press Release, Sound Cues, 1968
The Winter's Tale, by Gabriele Roepke
Box   4
Folder   33
Script, 1970-1971(?)
Women Women!, 6 one act plays
Box   4
Folder   34
Flyer, Photographs, Press Release, Program, Reviews
Box   5
Poster
Wrath of God, by Joe Renard
Box   4
Folder   35
Press Releases, Program, Review, 1973
XXXXX, by William M. Hoffman
Box   4
Folder   36
Press Releases, Program, Reviews, Scripts, 1971-1972
Box   4
Folder   37
Untitled Scripts