Theatre St. Paul collection
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains programs, flyers, photographs and clippings from an important professional theater operating in St. Paul, MN from 1956 to 1965.
Dates
- 1956-1965
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
Contact the archivist regarding copyright of these materials.
Historical Note
Theatre St. Paul was established in 1956 after the Junior League of St. Paul (Minn.) concluded a survey of the cultural resources of the city, and formed a theater organization, selecting Louis Marcuson as the first Artistic Director of Theatre St. Paul. Marcuson resigned after the first season and his succesor, Rex Henriot, led the theater for the next 10 years.
The theater company transformed a former synagogue building into an intimate thrust-stage theater setting that would seat 180 people. Rex Henriot and his wife, Zoaunne worked together to produce a regular season of from seven to ten plays, along with a childrens' theatre group which often performed up to three plays per season.
Theatre St. Paul seasons included, after 1960, a regular summer stock season and audiences enjoyed productions of such plays as Waiting for Godot , The Taming of the Shrew, and The Threepenny Opera. In 1964 the theater turned professional and moved the newly-built St. Paul Arts and Science Center. The higher operating costs and dimishing audiences for community theaters brought the theatre to a close at the end of the 1965-1966 season.
Notes adapted from "Minnesota Theatre", by Frank Whiting (1988:Pogo Press)
Extent
2 boxes (1 cu. foot (ca.))
Abstract
Collection contains programs, flyers, photographs and clippings from an important professional theater operating in St. Paul, MN.
Arrangement
The collection is organized by performance season and contains the following series:
- Clippings
- Photographs
- Programs/Publicity materials
- Miscelllaneous
Physical Location
Mezzanine
Acquisition
Acquired by donation from Zoaunne LeRoy, October, 2005
Processing Information
The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Barbara Bezat.
- Flyers Subject Source: Local sources
- Henriot, Rex
- Photographs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Theater -- Management Subject Source: Unspecified ingested source
- Theater -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Theater programs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Theatre St. Paul
- Title
- Theatre St. Paul collection
- Author
- Barbara Bezat
- Date
- 2005
- 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
