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Finding Aid for the Edith Craig Papers, ca. 1884-1939, Bulk 1932-1939
1003
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Title: Edith Craig Papers,
Date (inclusive): ca. 1884-1939, Bulk 1932-1939
Collection number: 1003
Creator: Craig, Edith, 1869-1947
Extent:
2 boxes (1 linear ft.)
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Abstract: Edith Craig (1869-1947) was a member of the Lyceum Theatre Company for many years, working with her mother and brother, Edward
Gordon Craig, under the direction of Henry Irving. She designed and made costumes for many London productions, but in later
years became engaged in stage management and play productions. In 1929, she converted an Elizabethan barn adjacent to her
mother's house at Small Hythe, Tenterden, Kent into a memorial theatre and directed yearly Shakespearean drama until 1939.
The collection consists of 260 letters, most dated between 1932-39, during Craig's organization of the festivals and programs
for the Barn Theatre, Small Hythe, Tenterden, Kent.
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
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
- Hamill and Barker, purchase, 1962.
- Stevens and Brown, purchase, 1968.
[Identification of item], Edith Craig Papers (Collection 1003). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
4232915
Edith Craig was born in Hertfordshire, England, December 9, 1869; the daughter of actress Ellen Terry, she made her first
stage appearance at the Court Theater in 1878 during a run of
Olivia; was a member of Lyceum Theatre Company for many years, working with her mother and brother, Edward Gordon Craig, under the
direction of Henry Irving; at one time designed and made costumes for many London productions, but in later years became engaged
in stage management and play productions; as stage director of the Pioneer Players from 1911-21, she produced over 150 plays;
in 1929, she converted an Elizabethan barn adjacent to her mother's house at Small Hythe, Tenterden, Kent into a memorial
theatre and directed yearly Shakespearean drama until 1939; formed the Barn Theatre Society, which attracted leading actors
from the London stage; died in 1947.
Edith Craig was born in Hertsfordshire, England, the daughter of the famous Shakespearean actress, Ellen Terry, and the sister
of Edward Gordon Craig. For many years, she was a member of the Lyceum Theatre Company under the direction of Henry Irving,
working with her mother and brother. In later years she became involved with stage management and production in the Little
Theatre movement, founding and directing the Pioneer Players in over 150 productions between 1911 and 1921. After Ellen Terry's
death in 1928, Edith Craig converted the Elizabethan barn adjacent to Ellen Terry's house at Small Hythe into a memorial theatre
where she directed yearly performances of Shakespearean drama in commeration of the anniversary of Ellen Terry's death. In
addition, she formed the Barn Theatre Society, producing plays utilizing the talents of many of London's most prestigious
stage performers. The bulk of the correspondence in the collection is dated from 1932 to 1939 and relates to this period of
Edith Craig's organization of the festivals and programs for the Barn Theatre, Small Hythe, Kent.
Charlotte Payne
May 1976
Collection consists of 260 letters, most dated between 1932-39, during Craig's organization of the festivals and programs
for the Barn Theatre, Small Hythe, Tenterden, Kent. Correspondents include:
Dame Peggy Ashcroft,
Dame Edith Evans, Elsa Lanchester,
Sir Michael Redgrave, and Vita Sackville-West. Also contains Craig's guestbook, a sketchbook, prompt books of Upton Sinclair's
Singing Jailbirds, George Bernard Shaw's
Back to Methuselah, and a presentation copy of Annancy stories by Pamela Colman Smith. Also includes a book written for Craig,
The Golden Book With Prose, Verse and Quotations.
Arranged in the following series:
- Correspondence (Box 1).
- Manuscript materials, prompt books, sketchbook, presentation copy (Box 2).
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Craig, Edith, 1869-1947--Archives.
Stage managers--Great Britain--Archival resources.
Women theatrical producers and directors--Great Britain--Archival resources.