The Playwrights' Center records
Scope and Content Note
The collection includes reference files on individual playwrights and donors that have been associated with The Playwrights' Center since 1978. These files contain correspondence, clippings, production notes and photos, programs, and other materials. The collection also contains materials related to fellowships awarded, including applications, selection panelists, contracts, and files regarding scripts produced by fellowship recipients. Of the events and programs offered by the Playwrights' Center, the Playlabs series, Roundtable, Hothouse, and the annual Young Playwrights Summer Conference are the most heavily documented in the collection. The collection also contains documentation of grade school residencies that took place in the 1980s, and administrative files concerning writer membership, governance, financials, other organizations and partnerships, and fundraising. Many of the individual files' contents are grouped by The Playwrights' Center's fiscal year, which runs from July through June. For example, Fiscal Year 1999 includes the dates July 1, 1998 - June 30, 1999.
Dates
- Creation: 1978-2013
Language of Materials
English
Restrictions on Access
The collection is open and available for use by researchers in the Andersen Library Reading Room.
Restrictions on Use
Copyright is retained by the copyright holders.
History
The Playwrights' Center is a resource center founded in Minneapolis in 1971 by Greg Almquist, Erik Brogger, Tom Dunn, Barbara Field, Gar Hildenbrand, and Jon Jackoway. Initially named the Minnesota Playwriting Laboratory, the organization was conceived as a means to give playwrights the opportunity to have new work performed, to receive feedback from peers, and to gain professional support in the development of new scripts. In 1979 the organization moved to the Olivet Lutheran Church in South Minneapolis, and it continues to operate out of this building. In 1981, founding member Tom Dunn left his leadership position at The Playwrights' Center. Since his departure, the Center has operated under the leadership of David Moore Jr., Carlo Cuesta, Polly Carl, and Jeremy Cohen. The Center is involved with supporting emerging playwrights at both the local and the national level, by offering numerous grants and fellowships, appointing core writers and apprentices, offering private membership, and through their Playlabs new play development series. The Playwrights' Center also regularly partners with other arts organizations in Minnesota and at the national level.
Extent
48 Cubic Feet
Abstract
Collection contains programs, flyers, press releases, clippings, correspondence, newsletters, production records, audio/visual materials, and administrative records.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in eight series, two of which have been further arranged into subseries. The series arrangement is as follows:
- Series 1. Playwrights and Donors
- Series 2. Events
- Series 3. Fellowships
- Series 4. Press
- Series 5. Publications
- Series 6. School Residencies
- Series 7. Audio/Visual
- Series 8. Administrative
Physical Location
High Bay, Mezzanine
Acquisition
The collection was donated to the Performing Arts Archives The Playwrights' Center in January 2014.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Kathryn Hujda, 2014, with generous support from Creative Heritage Initiative donors.
Subject
- Playwrights' Center (Minneapolis, Minn.) (Organization)
- Title
- The Playwrights' Center records
- Author
- Kathryn Hujda
- Date
- April 2014
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Performing Arts Archives Collecting Area
