Missouri State University Libraries
Theatre and Dance Department Collection
Volume: 29 cubic feet
Dates: 1910-2006 (Bulk 1940s-2006)
Provenance
The collection was acquired mainly in 2004 and in 2006. It was processed in 2006 by Shannon Western.
Copyright
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).
Access
The collection is unrestricted. Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be obtained from the Department of Special Collections and Archives. Citations should be as follows: Identification of the item, box number, Theatre and Dance Department Collection [RG 4/9], Department of Special Collections and Archives, Missouri State University.
Biographical/Historical Sketch
In the early years of the school, plays were performed at Missouri State University (then State Normal School and later Southwest Missouri State Teachers College), but not as a part of any formal department. The senior class did a play each spring, and the Coburn Players, an outside organization, performed here during the summers. It wasn’t until 1915 that the first class in theatre was offered to students, and until 1965, theatre classes were a part of the Department of English and Speech. Theatre became a part of the Speech and Theatre Department in 1965, and the Theatre and Dance Department was established during a 1984 reorganization. At that time, Speech was split into both the Department of Communication and the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Dance, which prior to 1980 was a part of the Health and Physical Education Department, was included in the newly organized department.
Productions performed by the Theatre and Dance Department have included a variety of formats, such as musicals, operas, one acts, interpreters/readers theatre, USO tours, Tent Theatre productions, variety shows, and dance performances. Tent Theatre (plays and musicals performed outdoors under a tent each summer) began in 1963 as an alternative to the non-air-conditioned Carrington Auditorium. Even though air conditioning was added to the theater, however, Tent Theatre still continues as a campus tradition.
NOTE: The information above is taken from the following:
Landon, Donald D. Daring to Excel: The First 100 Years of Southwest Missouri State University. Southwest Missouri State University, 2004.
Scope and Content
The bulk of the collection was transferred from the Theatre and Dance Department in 2004 and 2006. Additional materials gathered by the Library were incorporated into the holdings. More recently acquired materials may also be housed temporarily with the unprocessed record group materials. The information spans 1910 to present. The collection is divided into six series, as outlined below.
Series I: Productions: Materials from the various productions put on by the Theatre and Dance Department, including programs, fliers, photographs, newspaper clippings, and correspondence.
Series II: One Acts: Materials relating to One Act productions (or “World Drama Series” productions), including programs and photographs.
Series III: Tent Theatre: Materials from the summer Tent Theatre productions, such as programs and photographs.
Series IV: Subject Files: Information relating to theatre and to the Theatre and Dance Department, such as season brochures, magazines, and Convocations Series fliers.
Series V: Negatives: Film negatives removed from their corresponding folders in earlier series. Negatives too large to fit in 35mm sleeves were placed in envelopes, as noted in the box list.
NOTE: Separation sheets for this series indicate negatives as being located in Box 7 but are now located in Box 9.
Series VI: Oversized: This series contains materials pulled from other series. A separation sheet for each item will be found in the original location.
Series VII: Audio/Visual: Materials of an audio/visual nature, such as VHS cassettes, ¾” cassettes, and audio cassettes.
Series VIII: Slides: Photographic slides, kept mainly in original storage boxes. The vast majority are slides taken of MSU productions.
Series IX: Photo Albums: Photo albums, primarily relating to Tent Theatre but also of events such as Dr. Byrne Blackwood’s retirement.
Series X: Scrapbooks: Scrapbooks of mainly newspaper clippings but include some photographs and other items. Some cover various productions through certain years while others cover only Tent Theatre or USO tours.
Related materials:
- M006 – Robert Gilmore Collection.
- M012 – Howard Orms Collection.
- A-04-1999 – Leslie Irene Coger Collection. (unprocessed as of 11/2006)
Container List
The container list for this collection is available in PDF format. Adobe Reader is required to view the container list.
