Mona Mitchell Theater Program Collection
Scope and Contents
The Mona Mitchell Theater Program Collection dates from 1925 – 1991, and documents theatrical productions especially in New York City throughout those years, particularly the 1930s. Alphabetized by production title, the collection consists mainly of theater programs, but also includes newspaper clippings relevant to a particular production. Any clippings relevant to a particular show are filed with that production's program. The collection... includes programs from A Streetcar Named Desire starring Jessica Tandy and Marlon Brando, and numerous other performances by noted actors and actresses including Laurence Olivier, Katherine Hepburn, Bob Hope, Orson Wells, Humphrey Bogart, Lillian Gish, Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye, Paul Newman and Walter Matthau, among others. The majority of the programs in this collection are from New York theaters, but programs from London, Heidelberg, Paris, Washington DC, Oregon, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego are also included. Most programs are The Playbill or Playbill programs.
See moreDates
- Creation: 1925-1991
- Creation: Majority of material found in 1925-1950
Creator
- Mitchell, Mona (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The copyright interests in some or all of these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creator(s) of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of archival collections is such that multiple creators are often applicable and copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. In any case, the user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials,... including but not limited to, obtaining publication rights and copyright infringement. When requesting images from Special Collections & University Archives for publication, we require a signed agreement waiving San Diego State University of any liability in the event of a copyright violation.
See moreBiographical Note
A lifelong lover of the theater, Mona Mitchell collected over 200 theater programs, playbills, and related press clippings during her lifetime. The first play she attended was Hamlet starring Walter Hampden and Ethel Barrymore at the Hampdens Theater in New York City, 1925.
Theater programs are usually booklets that outline a performance and provide general background information about a production. They can also include photos of the production,... a cast list, biographies of actors and production staff, the name of the production's theater, background information about the show, and advertisements.
The term "playbill" is sometimes used interchangeably with "theater program." Program companies, including Playbill, usually pay theaters for the rights to produce a production's program. The Playbill focused on Broadway and off-Broadway theaters through most of the twentieth century. In the 1990s Playbill expanded into dance, opera, symphony, and other performing arts.
Extent
1.68 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Source of Acquisition
Mona Mitchell
Accruals
1991-003
- Title
- Mona Mitchell Theater Program Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- 09/21/2010
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- eng
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections & University Archives Repository