Theatre Department, 1948-2020 | Earl H. and Anita F. Hess Archives and Special Collections

By Elizabeth McIlhenney ’19

Collection Overview

Title: Theatre Department, 1948-2020

ID: RG02/EC III A.2.1

Extent: 9.33 Linear Feet

Arrangement: Series 1: Senior Projects, 2008-2019 Series 2: Production Photographs and Videos, 1994-2020 Series 3: Production Posters (1992-2021) Series 4: Sock and Buskin Materials Series 5: Production Promotional Materials (1948-2019)

Date Acquired: 06/14/2021

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This collection consists of materials from the Elizabethtown College Theatre Department, with dates ranging from 1948 to 2020. Included are materials from the department’s activities, including programs, tickets, photographs, and promotional posters from Elizabethtown College productions. These productions include both the typical productions, as well as children’s plays. There are also materials and programs for theatre productions at nearby colleges and universities, Broadway in New York City, and visiting productions that came to Elizabethtown, put on by outside troupes. There are records from classes that were offered through the Theatre Department. This includes posters, flyers, tickets, photographs, and programs from senior projects between the years of 2008 and 2019. Additionally, there are varied materials from senior projects and student organizations. These student clubs and organizations include Sock and Buskin, the theatre club; E-Motion, the college’s dance club; as well as Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society.

Collection Historical Note

The presence of theatre on Elizabethtown College’s campus began in the 1920s, beginning as a “literary society” called the Homerians, when they began to present Shakespeare productions, including a production of Macbeth in April 1927. In 1932, the theatre club, Sock and Buskin, was founded, and they began to sponsor productions as well. During this early period of the 20th century, theatre productions continued to be produced solely by student organizations. This changed in 1987, when the Theatre Department was established and began to offer classes such as Acting and Stagecraft. In 1993, a theatre minor was offered by the department. 10 years later, in 2003, a theatre major was added. After nearly twenty years, it was decided that as of the 2020-2021 academic year, the theatre program would be discontinued. The college ceased to offer a theatre major or minor.

Administrative Information

Repository: Earl H. and Anita F. Hess Archives and Special Collections

Acquisition Source: Theatre Deparment

Related Materials: Additional Theatre Department materials including programs, negatives, and newsletters are contained in RG02/EC III A.2, Box 6.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Senior Projects, 2008-2019],
[Series 2: Production Photographs and Videos, 1994-2020],
[Series 3: Production Posters, 1992-2021],
[Series 4: Sock and Buskin Materials, 1972-2003],
[Series 5: Production Promotional Materials, 1948-2019],
[All]

Series 1: Senior Projects, 2008-2019

This series contains the materials from senior projects, which were a course requirement within the Theatre Department for a capstone course. Dates range from 2008 to 2019. For the senior project, the students were asked to produce a production of their own, the nature of which varies from student to student. The promotional materials and ephemera include posters, fliers, programs scripts, and tickets pertaining to the projects.

Box 1

Folder 1: Weightless, Natasha Threatts and Elyse Venturella, November 20-22, 2008
Folder 2: Pat Novak, Graham Stokes, December 6, 2008
Folder 3: Cake-enometry Alyssa Miller, April 19-21, 2009
Folder 4: Piece of Mind Rachel Witkovsky, December 10, 2009
Folder 5: Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) Adam Long, Nov. 11-14, 2010
Folder 6: 1000 Things a Newcomer Should Know Spencer O’Dowd, March 26, 2011
Folder 7: Mystery at Tea Time Theresa White, May 4, 2011
Folder 8: Muse of Fire: Scenes and Monologues from Shakespeare Angela Wright, May 7, 2011
Folder 9: Comic Selections from ‘All in the Timing’ Doug Wilson, Nov. 12-13, 2011
Folder 10: Three Comic Shorts Laura Robbins, February 25-26, 2012
Folder 11: Rice DJ Littell, March 30-April 1, 2012
Folder 12: Fade to Black Laura Grube, March 16-17, 2013
Folder 13: That’s So Gay! Stephen Boyhont, March 15-16, 2014
Folder 14: Tall Green Plumber: The Musical Mike Wawrzynek, Katie Owens, Iam Owens, May 3-4, 2014
Folder 15: Matt and Ben Wendy Moulton and Taylor Luckenbill, May 2-3, 2015
Folder 16: Cargo Shorts and Neck Hair Luke Smith, March 12-13, 2016
Folder 17: Natty and Friends Nathaniel Marlowe, March 18, 20, 2016
Folder 18: Never Swim Alone Jade Bartlett, April 30-May 1, 2016
Folder 19: Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind Connor Burke, February 25-26, 2017
Folder 20: Shadows on Wednesday Mary Braasch, March 25-26, 2017
Folder 21: My Brilliant Divorce Kierra Swisher, May 6-7, 2017
Folder 22: The Twelve Dates of Christmas Amber Mangabat, November 18-19, 2017
Folder 23: 4.48 Psychosis Katherine Campbell, December 9-10, 2017
Folder 24: Prometheus Burning Tyler Rossi, May 4-5, 2019
Folder 25: Gathering Blue, no date

Series 2: Production Photographs and Videos, 1994-2020

This series contains photographs and videos in a variety of formats. These photographs and videos are of the department’s productions, with dates ranging from 1994 to 2020. The formats include hard copy photograph prints, slides, CDs, and DVDs. The photographs that are available to view on CD and DVD are also available digitally with limited exceptions. Two CDs, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2013) and Company (2014), are only partially transferred and must be viewed in-person.

Box 2

Folder 1: Unknown, undated photos of productions
Folder 2: The Dining Room, Spring 1994
Folder 3: Fashion! Or Life in New York City, Fall 1997
Folder 4: Jesus Christ Superstar, part 1, Spring 1998
Folder 5: Jesus Christ Superstar, part 2, Spring 1998
Folder 6: The Heidi Chronicles, Spring 2000
Folder 7: The Wrestling Season, Fall 2001
Folder 8: Crimes of the Heart, Fall 2001
Folder 9: Piece of my Heart, Spring 2002
Folder 10: Godspell, Spring 2003
Folder 11: Feiffer’s People, Spring 2004
Folder 12: Metamorphosis, Fall 2004
Folder 13: Lonestar/Laundry & Bourbon, Spring 2005

Box 3

Item 1: The Diary of Anne Frank, April 16, 2008
Item 2: The Tempest, 2009
Item 3: The E-Town New Playwrights Fest, 2009: (6 CDs)
Item 4: Cabaret, November 3, 2010
Item 5: Red Herring, February 9, 2011
Item 6: Dream Play, April 13, 2011
Item 7: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, November 2, 2011
Item 8: From Up Here, February 15, 2012: (2 CDs)
Item 9: Lysistrata, April 26, 2012
Item 10: A Streetcar Named Desire, November 6, 2012
Item 11: Distracted, February 20, 2013
Item 12: A Comedy of Terrors, November 6, 2013
Item 13: These Shining Lives, February 19, 2014
Item 14: A Murder is Announced, April 23, 2014
Item 15: The Importance of Being Earnest, February 18, 2015
Item 16: Ajax in Iraq, April 21, 2015
Item 17: Twelfth Night, November 4, 2015
Item 18: Unnecessary Farce, February 17, 2016
Item 19: A Bright Room Called Day, April 20, 2016
Item 20: Spring Awakening, November 2, 2016
Item 21: Spring Awakening PR photos
Item 22: Fuddy Meers, February 15, 2017
Item 23: Getting Out, April 26, 2017
Item 24: Medea, November 8, 2017
Item 25: Dead Man’s Cell Phone, February 21, 2018
Item 26: Rats’ Tales, April 25, 2018
Item 27: If/Then, November 7, 2018
Item 28: Love and Information, February 13, 2019
Item 29: The Cripple of Inishmaan, April 24, 2019
Item 30: Romeo & Juliet, November 5, 2019
Item 31: Silent Sky, April 23-26, 2020
Item 32: Emotion Fall 2003 Show DVD
Item 33: E-Motion Spring 2019 Showcase, Better When I’m Dancin’ DVD
Item 34: Company, November 5, 2014: Partially downloaded, with some photos remaining on the CD.
Item 35: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, April 16, 2013: Partially downloaded, with some photos remaining on the CD.

Series 3: Production Posters, 1992-2021

This series contains production posters from the Theatre Department’s play productions, as well as various children’s productions, One Act festivals and Playwrights Fests that displayed the writing and directing talents of the students involved, and productions put on by the Sock and Buskin theatre club.

Box 4

Item 1: Proof by David Auburn, Spring 2021
Item 2: New Playwrights Festival 2021 - Spring 2021 (Live Streamed from the Chapel)
Item 3: That Theatre Thing (a Streamed Cabaret) - Fall 2020 (recorded at the Chapel)
Item 4: Silent Sky, Spring 2020
Item 5: Etown Shorts Fest VIII, Fall 2019
Item 6: Romeo & Juliet, Fall 2019
Item 7: Prometheus Burning, May 2019
Item 8: APO Charity Cabaret, April 2019
Item 9: Cripple of Inishmaan, Spring 2019
Item 10: New Playwright’s Fest, March 2019
Item 11: Love & Information, Spring 2019
Item 12: If/Then, Fall 2019
Item 13: Tyler Reading, July 2018
Item 14: Rat’s Tales, Spring 2018
Item 15: Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Spring 2018
Item 16: ShortsFest, December 2017
Item 17: Emotion Showcase, December 2017
Item 18: 12 Dates of Christmas, November 2017
Item 19: Medea, November 2017
Item 20: Kierra, May 2017
Item 21: Getting Out, April 2017
Item 22: Shadows on Wed, March 2017
Item 23: Playwrights Fest, March 2017
Item 24: Connor Burke, February 2017
Item 25: Fuddy Meers, February 2017
Item 26: Spring Awakening, October 2016
Item 27: Never Swim Alone, April 2016
Item 28: A Bright Room Called Day, April 2016
Item 29: Natty & Friends, March 2016
Item 30: Cargo Shorts, March 2016
Item 31: Unnecessary Farce, February 2016
Item 32: ShortsFest, November 2015
Item 33: Twelfth Night, October 2015
Item 34: Matt & Ben, May 2015
Item 35: Ajax in Iraq, April 2015
Item 36: Playwright’s Fest, March 2015
Item 37: The Importance of Being Earnest, February 2015
Item 38: Company, Fall 2014
Item 39: Tall Green Plumber, May 2014
Item 40: Agatha Christie’s A Muder is Announced, April 2014
Item 41: That’s So Gay, March 2014
Item 42: These Shining Lives, February 2014
Item 43: ShortsFest, November 2013
Item 44: A Comedy of Terrors, Fall 2013
Item 45: Playwrights Fest, April 2013
Item 46: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Spring 2013
Item 47: Laura Grube, March 2013
Item 48: Distracted, February 2013
Item 49: A Streetcar Named Desire, November 2012
Item 50: Lysistrata, Spring 2012
Item 51: DJ Littell, March 2012
Item 52: 3 Comic Shorts, February 2012
Item 53: From Up Here, February 2012
Item 54: ShortsFest, November 2011
Item 55: All in the Timing, November 2011
Item 56: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Fall 2011
Item 57: Playwrights Fest, April 2011
Item 58: A Dream Play, April 2011
Item 59: Red Herring, February 2011
Item 60: ShortsFest, November 2010
Item 61: Complete Weeks, November 2010
Item 62: Cabaret, October 2010
Item 63: The Crucible, April 2010
Item 64: Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, Spring 2010
Item 65: ShortsFest, November 2009
Item 66: The Memorandum, Fall 2009
Item 67: 9 Parts of Desire, April 2009
Item 68: Playwrights Fest, March 2009
Item 69: Tempest, February 2009
Item 70: Weightless, November 2008
Item 71: Urinetown, November 2008
Item 72: Yearning to Breathe, April 2008
Item 73: Anne Frank, April 2008
Item 74: Limbo Project, April 2008
Item 75: Caffe e Manoscritti, 2007
Item 76: ShortsFest, December 2007
Item 77: Never Have I…, November 2007
Item 78: Gint, November 2007
Item 79: Hair, April 2007
Item 80: Arcadia, November 2006
Item 81: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Spring 2006
Item 82: One Acts, December 2005
Item 83: Twelfth Night, Fall 2005
Item 84: LoneStar/Laundry & Bourbon, Spring 2005
Item 85: One Acts, February 2005
Item 86: Metamorphoses, Fall 2004
Item 87: On The Verge, November 2003
Item 88: Godspell, April 2003
Item 89: The Laramie Project, Fall 2002
Item 90: A Piece of My Heart, April 2002
Item 91: Crimes of the Heart, Fall 2001
Item 92: Starmites, April 2001
Item 93: Marat/Sade, Fall 2000
Item 94: The Heidi Chronicles, Spring 2000
Item 95: Quilters, November 1999
Item 96: The Children's Hour, Spring 1999
Item 97: So Long at the Faire, Fall 1998
Item 98: Fashion! or Life in New York, Fall 1997
Item 99: Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas, Spring 1997
Item 100: Moliere's Scapino!, Fall 1996
Item 101: Inherit the Wind, April 1996
Item 102: Scenes for an Autumn Eve, Fall 1995
Item 103: Bus Stop, Spring 1995
Item 104: West Side Story, November 1994
Item 105: The Hostage, November 1993
Item 107: The Crucible, November 1992
Item 108: The Runner Stumbles, 1981

Box 5

Item 1: Elizabethtown College Theatre and Dance Division Sock and Buskin posters
Item 2: Brigadoon
Item 3: Antigone poster
Item 4: Top Twelve Reasons Why We Love Twelfth Night
Item 5: The Fifth Annual Student Directed One-Act Play Festival
Item 6: The Sixth Annual Student Directed One-Act Play Festival
Item 7: The Seventh Annual Student Directed One-Act Play Festival
Item 8: The Eighth Annual Student Directed One-Act Play Festival
Item 9: The Twelfth Annual Student Directed One-Act Play Festival
Item 10: The Fourteenth Annual Student Directed One-Act Play Festival
Item 11: The Student Directed One-Act Play Festival, no date
Item 12: The Student Directed One-Act Play Festival, no date
Item 13: The Student Directed One-Act Play Festival, no date
Item 14: Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, 2004
Item 15: Charlotte’s Web, 2005
Item 16: Pinocchio, 2006
Item 17: Afternoon of the Elves, no date
Item 18: Piece of Mind, no date

Series 4: Sock and Buskin Materials, 1972-2003

This series contains the materials produced by the activities of the Sock and Buskin theatre club. The materials included in this series are print photographs taken at Sock and Buskin events and rehearsals, production programs and fliers, notes taken at club meetings, and a handmade poster for homecoming at Elizabethtown college.

Box 6

Folder 1: Photos, One Acts, Spring 2003
Folder 2: Framed picture, man with a mannequin
Folder 3: Sock and Buskin, Photographs, part I
Folder 4: Sock and Buskin, Photographs, part II
Folder 5: Sock and Buskin, Photographs, part III
Folder 6: Sock and Buskin programs
Folder 7: Sock and Buskin Notes
Folder 8: Two for a Show, no date
Folder 9: Ionesco, no date
Folder 10: Games People Play, English Department, no date
Folder 11: Antigone, 1972
Folder 12: The Runner Stumbles, 1981
Folder 13: The Three Faces of Sir Noel Coward, 1988
Folder 14: Sock and Buskin Homecoming Poster, 1997
Folder 15: Chicago, Shubert Theatre, 1998
Folder 16: Seagirl, 1998

Series 5: Production Promotional Materials, 1948-2019

This series contains the promotional materials for the productions of the Elizabethtown College Theatre Department, including programs, flyers, and tickets. This series also includes newspaper articles about the Theatre Department, “Meet the Press” articles, scripts, and notes. Additionally, there are promotional materials from theatre departments and playhouses in the surrounding area and further, including from local colleges such as the Franklin & Marshall College Theatre Department, and materials from various Broadway productions. The dates range from 1948 to 2019.

Box 7

Folder 1: Etown Theatre and Dance Brochures

Folder 2: Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, 1948

Folder 3: Jean of Lorraine October, 1964

Folder 4: Heartbreak House May, 1965

Folder 5: Fiddler on the Roof February, 1976

Folder 6: Neither Friend Nor Foe April, 1976

Folder 7: Merchant of Venice February, 1976-1977

Folder 8: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, March 1977-1978

Folder 9: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, April 20-23, 1989

Folder 10: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, April 1990

Folder 11: One Act Festival Programs, 1991-2007

Folder 12: Much Ado About Nothing, April 16-17, 23-24, 1993

Folder 13: The Hostage, November 12-13, 19-20, 1993

Folder 14: The Dining Room, Spring 1994

Folder 15: West Side Story, November 1994

Folder 16: Bus Stop, April 21-22, 28-29, 1995

Folder 17: Scenes for an Autumn Eve, November 10-11, 17-18, 1995

Folder 18: Scapino, Fall 1996

Folder 19: Inherit the Wind, Spring 1996

Folder 20: An Evening With Mad Cow, 1997

Folder 21: Under Milkwood, April 1997

Folder 22: Fashion! Or Life in N.Y., October 1997

Folder 23: Jesus Christ Superstar, April 1998

Folder 24: Quilters, Fall 1998

Folder 25: So Long at the Faire, December 1998

Folder 26: The Children’s Hour, Spring 1999

Folder 27: The Heidi Chronicles, April 2000

Folder 28: The Persecution and Assassinaiton of Jean Paul…, Fall 2000

Folder 29: Starmites, April 2001

Folder 30: The Wrestling Season, Fall 2001

Folder 31: Crimes of the Heart, November 2001

Folder 32: A Piece of My Heart, April 2002

Folder 33: The Laramie Project, November 2002

Folder 34: Godspell, April 2003

Folder 35: On the Verge, November 2003

Folder 36: Metamorphoses, November 2004

Folder 37: Laundry and Bourbon and LoneStar, April 2005

Folder 38: Twelfth Night, November 2005

Folder 39: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, April 2006

Folder 40: Pinocchio, Spring 2006

Folder 41: Arcadia, November 2006

Folder 42: Caffe a Manoscritti, 2007

Folder 43: Hair, April 2007

Folder 44: Gint, November 2007

Folder 45: Never Have I Ever…, November 2007

Folder 46: Etown ShortsFest, December 2007

Folder 47: Las Madres de la Plaza, Spring 2008

Folder 48: Anne Frank, April 2008

Folder 49: Yearning to Breathe Free, April 2008

Folder 50: Limbo Project, April 2008

Folder 51: Urinetown, November 2008

Folder 52: Tempest, February 2009

Folder 53: In Motion, Spring 2009

Folder 54: Playwright Fest, March 2009

Folder 55: 9 Parts of Desire, April 2009

Folder 56: The Memorandum, October 2009

Folder 57: Etown ShortsFest, November 2009

Folder 58: 5 Women Wearing the Same Dress, February 2010

Folder 59: The Crucible by Arthur Miller, April 2010

Folder 60: Cabaret, Fall 2010

Folder 61: Etown Shorts Fest III, November 2010

Folder 62: Red Herring, February 2011

Folder 63: A Dream Play, April 2011

Folder 64: The Etown New Playwrights Fest, April 2011

Folder 65: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, October 2011

Folder 66: The Etown Shorts Fest IV, November 2011

Folder 67: From Up Here, February 2012

Folder 68: Lysistrata, April 2012

Folder 69: A Streetcar Named Desire, November 2012

Folder 70: Distracted, February 2013

Folder 71: 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, April 2013

Folder 72: New Playwrights Fest, April 2013

Folder 73: A Comedy of Terrors, Fall 2013

Folder 74: The E-town Shorts Fest V, Fall 2013

Folder 75: These Shining Lives, February 2014

Folder 76: A Murder is Announced, April 2014

Folder 77: Company, Fall 2014

Folder 78: The Importance of Being Earnest, February 2015

Folder 79: The Etown New Playwrights Fest IV, March 2015

Folder 80: Ajax in Iraq, April 2015

Folder 81: Twelfth Night or What You Will, Fall 2015

Folder 82: Unnecessary Farce, February 2016

Folder 83: Shorts Fest VI, November 2015

Folder 84: A Bright Room Called Day, April 2016

Folder 85: Spring Awakening, November 2016

Folder 86: Gravedigger’s Tale, November 13, 2016

Folder 87: Pop-Up Shakespeare, November 2016

Folder 88: Fuddy Meers, February 2017

Folder 89: Gathering Blue, March 18, 2017

Folder 90: Playwright’s Fest, March 2017

Folder 91: Getting Out, April 2017

Folder 92: Medea, Fall 2017

Folder 93: The Etown Shorts Fest VII, December 2017

Folder 94: Dead Man’s Cell Phone, February 2018

Folder 95: Rat’s Tales, Spring 2018

Folder 96: If/Then, November 2018

Folder 97: Love and Information, February 2019

Folder 98: Playwright’s Fest VI, March 2019

Folder 99: The Cripple of Inishmaan, April 2019

Folder 100: Romeo & Juliet, Fall 2019

Folder 101: Etown Shorts Fest VIII, Fall 2019

Folder 102: Certificate of Merit from Kennedy Center, 2007-2008

Folder 103: 2013-2014 Alpha Psi Omega Theatre Calendar

Folder 104: “A Season of Setbacks…” LNP article, October 2019

Folder 105: The Voice of Moses by Elizabeth H. Emerson Script

Folder 106: Photographs

Folder 107: The Cotter’s Saturday Night by Robert Burns

Folder 108: Caught Between Script in notebook

Folder 109: Honor Society Materials

Folder 110: Outside Programs and Playbills, 1952-1979

Item 1: Our Town, Manchester College, 1952
Item 2: The Glass Menagerie, Manchester College, 1953
Item 3: Zion Passion Play, Zion Auditorium, Zion, Illinois, 1955
Item 4: Lute Song, Bridgewater College, 1955
Item 5: The Eternal Light, The National Broadcasting Company, 1956
Item 6: Time Out for Ginger, Bridgewater College, 1956
Item 7: The Importance of Being Earnest, Manchester College, 1956
Item 8: Kenneth Sawyer Goodman Memorial Theatre booklet, 1956-57
Item 9: The Playgoer, 1962 Season, “Critic’s Choice”, Allenberry Playhouse
Item 10: Shakespeare Guide, American Shakespeare Festival Theatre and Academy, 1963
Item 11: Here’s Love Shubert Theatre, 1963
Item 12: Beekman Place, Allenberry Playhouse, 1965
Item 13: “Meet the Press” America’s Press Conference of the Air, 1969
Item 14: Mazowsze Polish State Song and Dance Company, 1973
Item 15: The Oresteia, Franklin and Marshall College, 1974
Item 16: “Meet the Press” America’s Press Conference of the Air, 1974
Item 17: Benito Cereno Franklin and Marshall College, 1975
Item 18: “Meet the Press” America’s Press Conference of the Air, 1976
Item 19: “Meet the Press” America’s Press Conference of the Air, 1976
Item 20: Death of a Salesman, Franklin and Marshall College, 1976
Item 21: Buchanan Dying, Franklin and Marshall College, 1976
Item 22: “Theatre PA” booklet, 1979

Folder 111: Outside Programs and Playbills, undated

Item 1: Enter Joseph Papp: In Search of a New American Theater, Eaves Costume Company
Item 2: Diary of a Scoundrel, Manchester College
Item 3: A Thousand Clowns, Allenberry Playhouse
Item 4: The Playgoer Erlanger Theatre
Item 5: Macbeth, Playwrights Theatre Club
Item 6: Othello, the Moor of Venice, The Antioch Area Theatre
Item 7: Oklahoma, Elizabethtown Area High School

Folder 112: Nellie Jarbol photos

Folder 113: Dish Mishler photos

Folder 114: Pat Thomas photos

Folder 115: Marge Culkosky photos

Folder 116: Anticipation, No date