Playwrights' Company records

Home

Search Browse About

Items Collections Divisions

Digital Collections Using Images Using Data

Navigation About Filters

This collection is also available in Archives & Manuscripts
View In Archives »

Collection Data

Description: The Playwrights' Company was a New York City based theater production company that operated from 1938 until 1960. This collection contains material created by the company's publicity department, such as company history files, play files, photographs, posters, and scrapbooks for many of the company's plays.
Names: Playwrights' Company (Creator); Alford, Walter, -2003; Fields, William, 1949-; Fontanne, Lynn; Lunt, Alfred.; Rice, Elmer, 1892-1967; Sherwood, Robert E. (Robert Emmet), 1896-1955
Dates / Origin: Date Created: 1938 - 1960
Library locations: Billy Rose Theatre Division; Shelf locator: *T-Mss 2012-014
Topics: Dramatists, American; Theater -- New York (State) -- New York; Theater -- United States -- History -- 20th century; Theatrical posters
Genres: Photographs; Posters; Printing plates; Programs; Scrapbooks
Notes: Biographical/historical: The Playwrights' Company, also known as the Playwrights' Production Company, was a New York City theater company formed by a group of playwrights to produce and promote their plays. Founding contributors included Maxwell Anderson, S.N. Behrman, Sidney Howard, Elmer Rice, and Robert Sherwood. Robert W. Anderson, Roger L. Stevens, and Kurt Weil later became contributing members. William Fields was the company's press representative and John R. Wharton provided legal and financial advice. In the early years, the company only produced plays written by its members. By the 1950s, however, the bulk of the productions were by outside playwrights. Many of the shows ran on Broadway and the most successful of these had regional and national tours. Of the Playwright Company's 68 productions, some of the most notable include Abe Lincoln of Illinois (1938), There Shall Be No Night (1940), The Patriots (1943), Miss Liberty (1949) Tea and Sympathy (1953), and The Gazebo (1958). The Company disbanded in 1960.; Content: This collection is primarily composed of material created by the Playwrights' Company's publicity department, such as company history files, play files, photographs, posters, and scrapbooks for many of the company's plays. Also present are some letters and contracts relating to the management of the company.
Physical Description: Extent: 17.84 linear feet (54 boxes)
Type of Resource: Text
Identifiers: NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19643319; MSS Unit ID: 18681; Archives EAD ID: 18681; Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): c35da1f0-5158-013a-b07d-0242ac110002

2 results found

The New York Public Library

Digital Collections

Playwrights' Company records

Collection Data

name

collection

genre

division

type

Date Range