Records of the Theatre and Arts Foundation of San Diego County, a non-profit corporation founded in 1954 to promote the county's cultural development through educational lecture programs, special events, international friendship programs, and the performing arts, especially the La Jolla Playhouse. Materials include correspondence with funding organizations; prominent San Diego supporters of the arts, including James S. Copley and William F. Black; and Hollywood supporters Gregory Peck, Mel Ferrer and Vincent Price. The administrative functions of the Foundation are well documented through fundraising materials for the La Jolla Playhouse; financial reports; photographs of committees, benefits and buildings; project files, such as the Yokohama Friendship Commission materials; and legal documents related to incorporation and litigation. Also included are reel-to-reel audiorecordings (1958-1961) of the Meet the Scientist Lecture Series, a program to encourage careers in science. The bulk of the records date between 1954 and 1980, although several files relate to the early development of the La Jolla Playhouse beginning in 1947. The records are arranged in nine series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) FUNDRAISING MATERIALS, 3) LEGAL MATERIALS, 4) LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE, 5) MEET THE SCIENTIST LECTURE SERIES, 6) YOKOHAMA FRIENDSHIP COMMISSION, 7) PHOTOGRAPHS, 8) FINANCIAL MATERIALS, and 9) MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS.

The Jolla Playhouse was established in the spring of 1947 by Hollywood actors Mel Ferrer, Gregory Peck and Dorothy McGuire under the management of producer David Selznick of the Actors Company of Hollywood. The Playhouse was created to showcase motion picture actors and actresses and to fulfill a public desire for legitimate professional theatre in San Diego. The Playhouse soon enlisted the financial sponsorship of the La Jolla Kiwanis Club. Between 1947-1954, the Playhouse featured classic and new plays, as well as modified versions of Broadway successes. Celebrites such as Vincent Price, Eva Gabor, Vivian Vance, and Charleton Heston performed on stage with the La Jolla Playhouse.

10.92 linear feet (26 archive boxes and 4 oversize folders)

Use of original recordings located in boxes 15-20 is restricted, listening copies for research use are prepared on demand.