Free Street Theater Collection 2042013.FSTC.TJSDF Finding Aid Prepared by T.J
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Free Street Theater Collection 2042013.FSTC.TJSDF Finding aid prepared by T.J. Szafranski and Dominique Fuqua This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit December 24, 2013 Describing Archives: A Content Standard Chicago Public Library: Harold Washington February 4, 2013 400 S State St Chicago, 60605 (312) 747-4875 [email protected] Free Street Theater Collection 2042013.FSTC.TJSDF Table of Contents Summary Information ................................................................................................................................. 3 Biographical/Historical note.......................................................................................................................... 4 Scope and Contents note............................................................................................................................... 4 Administrative Information .........................................................................................................................5 Related Materials ........................................................................................................................................ 5 Controlled Access Headings..........................................................................................................................6 Cited Sources................................................................................................................................................. 6 Collection Inventory...................................................................................................................................... 7 Series I. Administrative Files,.................................................................................................................7 Series II. Budget Files,..........................................................................................................................65 Series III. Programs and Shows Files,.................................................................................................. 79 Series IV. Touring Files,..................................................................................................................... 143 Series V. Touring Files – Sites,.......................................................................................................... 155 Series VI. Free Street Too,..................................................................................................................186 Series VII. Photographs / Audiovisual Material,................................................................................ 208 Series VIII. Oversize Material, Artifacts,........................................................................................... 223 APPENDIX A......................................................................................................................................230 - Page 2 - Free Street Theater Collection 2042013.FSTC.TJSDF Summary Information Repository Chicago Public Library: Harold Washington Title Free Street Theater Collection Date [inclusive] 1967-1999 Extent 67.0 Linear feet 67 linear feet, 1,467 photographs, 1,224 slides, 10 video recordings, 29 oversize folders Language English Abstract Free Street Theater was founded by Goodman School of Drama graduate, Patrick Henry (1936-1989), in the late 1960s. The grant funded and donation supported theater gave free performances focused on contemporary themes, meant to bring together different ages, races and socio-economic groups. Free Street performed all across Chicago and toured both nationally and internationally. The Free Street Collection includes records illustrating the theater’s productions, budgets, touring activity as well as the performance work of Free Street Too which featured senior citizen actors. - Page 3 - Free Street Theater Collection 2042013.FSTC.TJSDF Biographical/Historical note Free Street Theater’s thriving “theater of the People” was primarily the vision of the late Patrick Henry (1936-1989). A graduate of the Goodman School of Drama, it was Henry that brought the theater to life in 1968 with joint funds from the Goodman and Illinois Arts Council. Free Street Theater’s first mission was “to bring theater to the streets and to people of all ages, social and economic groups.” It successfully met its mission by taking theater out to the communities using “portable ‘showmobiles,’ that toured the parks, alleys and empty lots of city neighborhoods.” Free Street did not charge admission, and created productions on contemporary themes, engendering better communication among races, social strata and age groups. Free Street’s focus on outreach drew not only the regular theater-goer, but also attracted parts of the population that did not normally attend theatrical performances. In 1976, the theater expanded with Free Street Too, a series of shows focusing on senior issues and featuring a cast of senior actors. Scope and Contents note The Free Street Theater Collection documents the theater from plans predating its inception in 1969 through programs and initiatives the theater took on through 1999. Records represent both administrative and artistic aspects of the theater’s workings. Materials range in type, but include: annual reports and reviews; material regarding other arts, cultural and business associations; administrative documents from the board of directors; general historical information about the company; records on fundraising and grants; and press releases and other promotional material. Files also include program descriptions and proposals, performance programs, press releases and promotional material, correspondence, scripts and scores, reviews and clippings, performance evaluations and audience questionnaires that document the production history and artistic development of such Free Street shows as Celebrate the City, Dummy, INK (Interesting News for Kids), Multiples of Man, Project!, Puppets & People, Take the Chance, and Wandering Minstrels, We. Files also document Free Street’s programs, including such initiatives as Arts Literacy, Parenteen, Prison Programs and Teen Street. Also included in the collection are records from Free Street Too. The original donation of records in the Free Street Theater Collection was processed in 1997. A second donation was processed in 2013 by the Black Metropolis Research Consortium. Researchers should be aware that there is considerable overlap in these two donations though the donations have been kept separate. For example, in the Administrative Files Series, the original donation contains records from 1968 through 1993, while the second donation has records from 1968 through 1998. The Free Street Theater Collection is arranged into the following series: Series I. Administrative Files Series II. Budget Files - Page 4 - Free Street Theater Collection 2042013.FSTC.TJSDF Series III. Programs and Shows Files Series IV. Touring Files Series V. Touring Files - Sites Series VI. Free Street Too Series VII. Photographs / Audiovisual Materials Series VIII. Oversize Materials, Artifacts Administrative Information Publication Information Chicago Public Library: Harold Washington February 4, 2013 Restrictions Some material has been redacted or removed for privacy reasons. This collection must be paged 24 hours in advance. Processing Information note Initial accession processed by Andrea Telli in 1997. Supplement 1 processed by CLIR funded Black Metropolis Research Consortium “Color Curtain Processing Project.” By T.J. Szafranski and Dominique Fuqua, February 4, 2013. Related Materials Related Archival Materials note Chicago Theater Videotape Collection, see 3.12, 3.19, and 3.20 - Page 5 - Free Street Theater Collection 2042013.FSTC.TJSDF Controlled Access Headings Subject(s) • Free Street Theater • Free Street Too Cited Sources Christiansen, Richard. A Theater of Our Own: A History and a Memoir of 1,001 Nights in Chicago. Northwestern University Press, 2004. Free Street Theater, http://freestreet.org/, last accessed April 1, 2013 - Page 6 - Free Street Theater Collection 2042013.FSTC.TJSDF Series I. Administrative Files, Collection Inventory Series I. Administrative Files, 1968-1998 Scope and Contents note The Administrative Files trace the development of Free Street from 1968 to 1998. Boxes 1-26 contain material from the original donation and are arranged alphabetically by subseries, then chronologically within each subseries. Supplement 1, the second donation, begins with box 27, and follows the same arrangement as the first. Academic Papers and Theses, Box Folder 1 1 "A Celebration of the Creative Spirit," by Christine Stoyke, 1976 1 2 "Chicago Free Street Theater," by Tom Craft, 1973 Annual Reports and Reviews, Free Street Theater, Box Folder 1 3 1969 1969 1 4 1970 1970 1 5 1973 1973 - Page 7 - Free Street Theater Collection 2042013.FSTC.TJSDF Artistic Director’s (Patrick Henry) Statements, 1 6 1975 1975 1 7 1983 1983 1 8 1984 1984 1 9 1985 1985 Artistic Director’s (Patrick Henry) Statements, Box Folder 1 10 1977 and undated, 1977 and undated Associations, Box Folder 1 11 Actors’ Equity, undated 1 12 Affiliate Artists, Inc., undated 1 13 American Arts Alliance, undated 1 14 American Community Theatre Association (ACTA), undated 1 15 American Council for the Arts, undated 1 16 American Educational Theatre Association (AETA), undated - Page 8 - Free Street Theater Collection 2042013.FSTC.TJSDF Associations, 1 17 American Federation of Musicians, undated 1 18 American Federation of Television