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Finding Aid for the William Wolf Melnitz Papers, ca. 1920-1989
516
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Title: William Wolf Melnitz Papers,
Date (inclusive): ca. 1920-1989
Collection number: 516
Creator:
Melnitz, William W.
Extent: 11 cartons (17 linear ft.)
1 document box
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Abstract: William Wolf Melnitz (1900-1989) was a theater director in Europe (1923-1939), a professor in the Theater Arts Department
at UCLA (1947-60), author, and the first Dean of the College of Fine Arts at UCLA (1961-67). In 1967/68 he became a Professor
of Communications and Director of Performing Arts in the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania and later, a Professor
of Theater and Director of the Max Reinhardt Archive at SUNY Binghamton (1969 to 1973). The collection consists of Melnitz's
correspondence, research notes, drafts, books and theater reviews, education and employment documents, photos, playbills,
production notes, course material, lectures, materials about Max Reinhardt and other material relating to Melnitz's career.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department
of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Language:
English.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of 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.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.
Additional Physical Form Available
A copy of the original version of this online finding aid is available at the UCLA Department of Special Collections for in-house
consultation and may be obtained for a fee. Please contact:
- Public Services Division
- UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections
- Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
- Box 951575
- Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
- Telephone: 310/825-4988 (10:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m., Pacific Time)
- Email: spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
[Identification of item], William Wolf Melnitz Papers (Collection 516). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
William Wolf Melnitz was born in Cologne, Germany on April 14, 1900; he studied Theater Arts at the universities of Cologne
and Berlin (1920-23); was director in various German theaters (Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Frankfurt/Main, Kassel, Münster) from
ca. 1923 to 1935; then became director in Vienna, Austria (1935-38) and later, director in St. Gallen, Switzerland (1938-39).
He emigrated to New York City and married Ruth Alice Beyer Nathanson in 1939, then moved to Los Angeles to work with Max Reinhardt
(1941). He started at UCLA as a teaching assistant and lecturer in the Department of Germanic Languages (1942-ca. 1947), then
received his MA (1943) and Ph.D. (1947) in German from UCLA. He became instructor, professor and Chair of new Theater Arts
Department at UCLA, where he taught courses in theater history, German Expressionism, Brecht, Reinhardt; worked with Kenneth
Macgowan to add Film to the Department (1947-61); during this period, he co-authored two plays with Kenneth Macgowan,
The living stage (1956) and
Golden ages of the theater (1959). He was Acting Dean of the new College of Fine Arts at UCLA in 1960/61 and started the Theatre Group with John Houseman
around 1960 as well. From 1961 to 1967 he was the first Dean of the College of Fine Arts, UCLA, which was expanded to include
the Dance Department; in 1967/68 he was Professor of Communications and Director of Performing Arts, The Annenberg School,
University of Pennsylvania; was Professor Emeritus of UCLA in 1968/69 and was Professor of Theater and Director of the Max
Reinhardt Archive at SUNY Binghamton from 1969 to 1973. Melnitz died on January 12, 1989.
Collection consists of correspondence, research notes, drafts, books and theater reviews, education and employment documents,
photos, playbills, production notes, course material, lectures, materials about Max Reinhardt and other material relating
to Melnitz' career as theater director, student, professor, author and university administrator.
Portions of the collection are in German.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Melnitz, William W.--Archives.
Reinhardt, Max, 1873-1943.
University of California, Los Angeles--Dept. of Theater Arts--Faculty--Archival resources.
Theatrical producers and directors--Archival resources.
College administrators--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources.
Scene Change, Role Change [oral history transcript] / William W. Melnitz, interviewee. UCLA Oral History Department interview,
1976. Available at Department of Special Collections, UCLA.