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Mitchell (Mona) Theater Program Collection
MS-0166
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & University Archives
Title: Mona Mitchell Theater Program Collection
Creator:
Mitchell, Mona
Identifier/Call Number: MS-0166
Physical Description:
1.68 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1925-1991
Date (bulk): 1925-1950
Language of Material:
English
.
The
Mona Mitchell Theater Program Collection dates from 1925 – 1991, and documents theatrical productions especially in New York City throughout those years, particularly
the 1930s. Alphabetized by production title, the collection consists mainly of theater programs, but also includes newspaper
clippings relevant to a particular production. Any clippings relevant to a particular show are filed with that production's
program. The collection includes programs from
A Streetcar Named Desire starring Jessica Tandy and Marlon Brando, and numerous other performances by noted actors and actresses including Laurence
Olivier, Katherine Hepburn, Bob Hope, Orson Wells, Humphrey Bogart, Lillian Gish, Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye, Paul Newman and
Walter Matthau, among others. The majority of the programs in this collection are from New York theaters, but programs from
London, Heidelberg, Paris, Washington DC, Oregon, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego are also included. Most programs
are The Playbill or Playbill programs.
This collection is open for research.
The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with
the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections
is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be
submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
Mona Mitchell
Identification of item, folder title, box number, Mona Mitchell Theater Program Collection, Special Collections and University
Archives, San Diego State University Library.
A lifelong lover of the theater, Mona Mitchell collected over 200 theater programs, playbills, and related press clippings
during her lifetime. The first play she attended was
Hamlet starring Walter Hampden and Ethel Barrymore at the Hampdens Theater in New York City, 1925.
Theater programs are usually booklets that outline a performance and provide general background information about a production.
They can also include photos of the production, a cast list, biographies of actors and production staff, the name of the production's
theater, background information about the show, and advertisements.
The term "playbill" is sometimes used interchangeably with "theater program." Program companies, including Playbill, usually
pay theaters for the rights to produce a production's program. The Playbill focused on Broadway and off-Broadway theaters
through most of the twentieth century. In the 1990s Playbill expanded into dance, opera, symphony, and other performing arts.
1991-003