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ANTA West records
LSC.1965
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: ANTA West records
Creator:
ANTA West (Organization)
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.1965
Physical Description:
6.75 Linear Feet
(15 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1958-1977
Abstract: ANTA West was a non profit corporation organized in the state of California, in September 1957, to stimulate public interest
in the performing arts and to foster and support live theatrical activity. The collection consists of files related to their
activities and includes meeting minutes, committee reports, correspondence, financial records, and publications.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Box 15 is restricted from access.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue
the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of William Wintersole.
[Identification of item], ANTA West records (Collection 1965). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
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UCLA Catalog Record ID:
9969666813606533
ANTA West (American National Theater and Academy West) was originally chartered as the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the
American National Theatre and Academy, Inc. In the early years, the organization was also known as the ANTA Southern California
Chapter and/or the ANTA Los Angeles-Southern California Chapter. In May 1957, John Angelo and David Bond, along with a group
of about one-hundred West Coast participants, met with ANTA National Executive Director Willard Swire, and it was decided
that a Los Angeles ANTA chapter would be formed. Angelo and Bond were selected as co-chairs of a temporary action committee
to work with ANTA Regional Director Wray Davis. Later that month, the first organizational meeting was held at the Huntington
Hartford Theater with more than 250 people in attendance. Among the panelists at the first meeting were David Bond, Wray Davis,
Jack Morrison (UCLA drama department), Kent Smith, and Grayce Smith. A major outcome of the meeting was a decision that a
California non-profit corporation be formed; Grayce Smith, a prominent theatrical attorney, was to prepare the incorporation
papers. A temporary board of directors was appointed to draw up a constitution and by-laws for the chapter. Seventy-five members
supported the founding of the local Southern California ANTA chapter.
In July 1957, a second meeting was held to update members with progress, aims and requirements. By September 1957, approval
was secured for the non-profit corporation and proposed constitution and by-laws were submitted to the national ANTA for consideration.
A nominating committee was chosen and a new board was elected by popular vote: Helen Ainsworth, Jon Angelo, David Bond, Gilmor
Brown, Dr. James Butler, Wray Davis, Nico Lek de Tachinville, Charles Lane, Kate Drain Lawson, Jack Morrison, Maddie Norman,
Dr. David Sievers, Clarence Straight, Walter Wanger, and Harry Zevin. The first board of directors met in December and elected
officers to serve for 1958: David Bond, president; James Butler and Maddie Norman, vice president; Harry Zevin, secretary;
and Nico Lek de Tachinville, treasurer. An executive committee was elected to be the operating body of the chapter. The greater
Los Angeles chapter of ANTA was now charted, incorporated and functioning. In 1974 the organization renamed itself ANTA West.
Throughout the years, their mandate, to stimulate public interest in the performing arts and to foster and support theatrical
activities, remained constant. Chief among their aims and objectives were the support and production of quality theater events
locally and nationally, the encouragement and assistance to accredited training in the performing arts in colleges and universities,
and facilitating training workshop opportunities for theater professionals. Their many activities over the years included:
the publication of a local newsletter to disseminate information about theatrical activities and opportunities in the Southern
California area, the radio broadcast of ANTA Newsletter-of-the-Air on KUSC to report on the current theater scene to the community,
partnering for the productions of "Our Town" and "I do, I do", the sponsorship of the American College Theater Festival, workshops
and other educational opportunities, the support for Children's theater festivals and other local, state, county and regional
activities, and the innovative operation show bus program, which provided tickets and bus service to students to introduce
them to the theater. Over the years, leadership included: David Bond, Wray Davis, Ludwig Gerber, Arthur O'Connell, Milton
Krims, Francis Lederer, Leon Ames, John Houseman, Dr. Jacob Lichstein, Albert Salmi, Ruth Burch, John Forsythe, Jack Morrison,
Elza Schallert, Grayce M. Smith, Ezra Stone, and Harry Zevin, among others. ANTANS, an auxiliary group of ANTA West, was often
responsible for fundraising for the organization.
The collection consists of files related to the activities of ANTA West (American National Theatre and Academy West), a non-profit
corporation organized in California in 1957 to encourage public interest in the performing arts and to foster and support
live theatrical activity. Included are meeting minutes for the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, and other committees,
committee reports, correspondence, financial records such as budgets and expenses for projects, programs for various productions,
and publications such as the ANTA newsletter. In addition there is a small amount material related to the ANTANS in and among
some of the files. Many of the envelopes found in the collection are addressed to William Wintersole, who served in a number
of capacities within the organization. It should be noted that ANTA West is often noted as ANTA on file folders, not to be
confused with ANTA (American National Theatre and Academy), the national level organization. Notably absent from the records
are materials documenting the closing of ANTA West.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by file titles.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Theater -- California -- History -- Archives.
ANTA West (Organization)--Archives.