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Saul collection of theater programs

 Collection
Identifier: MS-0224

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of four series, spanning the years from the 1950's through the 1980's. The series are theatrical performances, symphony, opera, and dance. The playbills, programs, and souvenir programs which form the collection reflect the major stage productions of drama, musical comedy, dance, opera, and the symphony for that period. Most of the collection is from American stages but European cities of London, Paris, and Dublin are represented.

Over 250 Playbills from New York theaters form the largest part of the collection and give an overview of the range of Broadway productions during the period from 1951 to 1989. Among the theaters attended were The Shubert Theatre, The Mark Hellinger, The Ziegfeld, The Ethel Barrymore, and The Booth Theatre. Also included are programs from Off-Broadway and from perfomances in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, Hollywood, Lambertville, New Jersey, Stratford, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., and Wilmington, Delaware. Also represented are productions from the stages in London, Dublin, and Paris.

Some programs are autographed by the actors in the production and these include Anne Bancroft, Patty Duke, Carol Lawrence, Lauren Bacall, and Ginger Rogers.

Programs from performances of symphony orchestras in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore, and New York city are included.

The opera programs are primarily from the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company and the Metropolitan Opera Company. The ballet programs reflect the major companies in the world including The Royal Ballet, The New York City Ballet, The American Ballet Company, The Bolshoi, and The Pennsylvania Ballet.

The show titles arranged chronologically by date of performance can be found in the Container List. An alphabetical listing of all show titles can be found in Appendix 1. This list also gives the performers' names.

Appendix 2 includes a list of the programs which were autographed by the performers. The box in which they can be found is noted.

Dates

  • Creation: 1951-1989

Creator

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical Note

Frank J. Saul received a Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University in 1969. In 1971, he was a member of the senior administrative staff of the University. He was an avid patron of the theater in the United States and Europe. In the 1950's, Saul began a collection of programs and playbills which reflected his interest in the performing arts.

Extent

7.9 Cubic Feet (2 record center cartons, 1 letter half-size document box, 5 legal size document boxes, 2 legal half-size document boxes, 14 pamphlet boxes (7.25 x 4 x 10 inches))

Language of Materials

English

Provenance

The collection was donated to the University by Frank J. Saul in 1989.

Related Materials

Other playbills can be found in the R.B. Roulston Papers MS.0048, Special Collections.

Processing Information

Finding aid processed by Joan Grattan in August 1989.

Title
Saul collection of theater programs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
The Sheridan Libraries
Special Collections
3400 N Charles St
Baltimore MD 21218 USA