Finding Aid for the Community Playhouse Association of Pasadena Records, 1955-1970, bulk 1965-1970
Processed by Charlotte Payne; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé
© 2003
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Finding Aid for the Community Playhouse Association of Pasadena Records, 1955-1970, bulk 1965-1970
Collection number: 1184
UCLA Library Special Collections
UCLA Library Special Collections staff
Los Angeles, CA
- Processed by:
- Charlotte Payne, January 1977
- Encoded by:
- Caroline Cubé
- Online finding aid edited by:
- Josh Fiala, October 2003
© 2003 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Community Playhouse Association of Pasadena Records,
Date (inclusive): 1955-1970, bulk 1965-1970
Collection number: 1184
Creator:
Community Playhouse Association of Pasadena
Extent: 28 boxes (14 linear ft.)
1 oversize carton
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Abstract: 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.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary 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.
Restrictions on Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Lee Korf, purchase, 1976.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Community Playhouse Association of Pasadena Records (Collection 1184). UCLA Library Special Collections,
Charles E. Young Research Library.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
964502
Biography
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.
Biographical Narrative
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.
The Pasadena Playhouse College of Theater Arts was founded in 1928, granting Bachelor of Arts and master of Arts degrees in
combined study with work at another academic institution. Areas of instruction at the College included acting, speech, directing,
production, and the history and literature of the drama.
The Pasadena Playhouse Association (including the College of Theater Arts) was dissolved in 1970, due to financial difficulties.
The papers of the Association consist of correspondence, ephemera, pamphlets, and the financial and business records of the
Playhouse and the College. The bulk of the collection consists of the financial records of the Association from 1965 to 1970.
Scope and Content
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.
Organization and Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
- Correspondence (Box 1).
- Theater and College records (Boxes 2-9).
- Accounts payable and received (Boxes 10-19).
- Taxes and payroll records (Boxes 20-23).
- Petty cash (Boxes 24-25).
- Banking and insurance records (Boxes 26-27).
- Ledgers (Box 28).
- Programs, Players magazine issues, ephemera (Box 29).
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Community Playhouse Association of Pasadena--Archives.
Community theater--California--Pasadena--Archival resources.
Small colleges--California--Pasadena--Archival resources.
Financial records.
Boxes 2-9
Theater and College records.
Boxes 10-19
Accounts payable and received.
Boxes 20-23
Taxes and payroll records.
Boxes 26-27
Banking and insurance records.
Box 29
Programs - main stage productions, Pasadena, 1954-1962.
Box 29
Beaumont, Fletcher, et. al.
The knight of the burning pestle. Pasadena, 1937.
Physical Description: 34 leaves, mimeographed.
Players Magazine. Peru, Nebraska. Official publication of National Collegiate Players.
Abstract: Issues contain notices of Pasadena Playhouse productions or advertisements for the Pasadena Playhouse Theatre program.
Box 29
vol.10, no.2 (November-December 1933).
Box 29
vol.15, no.5 (May-June 1939).
Box 29
vol.16, no.7 (April 1940).
Box 29
vol.17, no.4 (January 1941).
Box 29
vol.18, no.7 (April 1942).
Box 29
vol.21, no.7 (April 1945).
