Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Processing Information
Biography
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Jeff Hagedorn papers
Dates: 1979-1995
Collection number: Coll2008-006
Creator:
Hagedorn, Jeff,
1957-1995
Collection Size: 2 records boxes, 1 oversize box,
1 shoebox. 3.8 linear feet.
Repository:
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives.
Los Angeles, California 90007
Abstract: Scripts, journals, correspondence, flyers,
programs, press releases, reviews, research materials, photographic negatives,
publicity stills, and other materials, 1979 to 1995, relating to playwright
Jeff Hagedorn, his production company, SYZYGY, and his internationally produced
theatrical works and video productions.
Languages: Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access
restrictions.
Publication Rights
Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in
writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the physical owner.
Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in
the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant
copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for
all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Box #, folder #, Jeff Hagedorn Papers, Coll2008-006, ONE National Gay
and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.
Acquisition Information
Collection created from materials from box 104-54; materials found in
the Jeff Hagedorn,
One, and SYZYGY subject files; the Jeff
Hagedorn file in the Performing Arts Collection (Coll2007-016), and the Gay and
Lesbian Drama Scripts Collection (Coll2008-003).
Processing Information
Collection processed from box 104-54; materials found in the Jeff
Hagedorn,
One, and SYZYGY subject files; the Jeff
Hagedorn file in the Performing Arts Collection (Coll2007-016), and the Gay and
Lesbian Drama Scripts Collection (Coll2008-003), by Michael C. Oliveira, April
3, 2008.
Processing this collection has been funded
by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission.
Biography
Jeff Hagedorn was born in Milwaukee, and attended Ripon College and the
University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. He also took courses at Marquette,
University of Wisconsin, Madison, and United States International University,
San Diego. While he initially focused on directing, he soon realized his
calling as a playwright. After relocating to Chicago, he became a founding
member and resident playwright for the Lionheart Gay Theatre. In 1983, his
play,
One, became the first publicly produced
theatrical work concerning AIDS. Hagedorn provided the play to AIDS
organizations across the country as a fundraiser, and in the early years of the
crisis benefit performances raised more than $50,000. He also formed a
production company, SYZYGY, that went on to revive Chicago's pub theater
movement with quick witted plays such as
The Layman's Guide to Safe Sex. Hagedorn
continued to craft seminal AIDS plays as the crisis progressed, from the
desperate search for medication in
Crusaders, to the challenges of testing in
High Risk Romance, and "safe sex" in
Should Have Been A Love Play. SYZYGY actors
in Chicago performed a marathon of 11 his theatrical pieces in 12 days in
1988.
In a search for greater opportunities, Hagedorn moved to Los Angeles,
continuing his community theater work through Celebration Theatre and his
production company, SYZYGY. Hagedorn’s theatrical productions were performed in
over 32 cities in the United States, and internationally in Edinburgh,
Manchester, and Berlin; in addition, he produced and distributed gay themed
videos for a gay audience, including
Jerker and
Dream Man.
Hagedorn dedicated the last years of his life to preservation of gay and
lesbian history, organizing the subject files and updating the database of the
International Gay and Lesbian Archives, now ONE National Gay & Lesbian
Archives.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Hagedorn collection consists of three series: (1) Writings, (2)
Personal papers, and (3) SYZYGY records. The first series contains scripts,
flyers, programs, publicity stills, and reviews, and other materials relating
to Hagedorn's stage and video productions of theatrical works. The second
series contains his resume, biographical information, correspondence, journals,
and professional portfolio. The third series consists primarily of the
correspondence of Hagedorn's production company, SYZYGY.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Hagedorn, Jeff, 1957-1995
Jacobson, Tom
Kuntze, Tilly S., 1952-
McGregor, Proctor Keith,
1949-
Thomas, Colin, 1952-
Tradup, Troy, 1962-
Gay dramatists
Gay theater
Homosexuality and theater
Homosexuality in the theater