The Community Playhouse Association of Pasadena was formed in 1917 to contribute to the cultural and educational life of the community. The Association included the Pasadena Playhouse (1925) and the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theater Arts (1928). The collection consists of correspondence, ephemera, and the financial and business records of the Community Playhouse Association and the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theater Arts. The bulk of the collection consists of the financial records of the Association from 1965 to 1970.

The Community Playhouse Association of Pasadena was formed in 1917 to contribute to the cultural and educational life of the community; the Pasadena Playhouse opened in May 1925 under the direction of Gilmor Brown; the Association was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1937 and was accorded the honorary title of State Theater of California; the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theater Arts was founded in 1928, granting BAs and MAs in combination with study at another academic institution, and helped launch the careers of many Hollywood actors, including Dustin Hoffman, William Holden, and Gene Hackman; due to the ensuing proliferation of theaters in Los Angeles, the establishment of other drama schools, and the advent of television, the audience for the Playhouse dwindled and it was forced to close in the late 1960s; the Playhouse was later restored and reopened in 1986. The Pasadena Playhouse Association began in 1917 with the formation of the Community Playhouse Association dedicated to the idea of a cultural and educational contribution to the community. Opening in 1925 under the direction of Gilmor Brown, the theater gained international stature in 1929 with the presentation of Eugene O'Neill's "Lazarus Laughed." In 1937, the Pasadena Playhouse Association was incorporated as a non-profit organization and was accorded the honorary title of State Theater of California.

28 boxes (14 linear ft.) 1 oversize carton

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