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NEWSLETTER OF THE THEATRE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION - - -- Volume 14, Number 4/Volume 15, Number 1 SprindSummer 1987 SPECIAL DOUBLE ISSUE THEATRE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION PRESENTS ANNUAL BOOK AWARDS The Theatre Library Association pre- sented its annual awards at a reception at Lincoln Center on May 22, 1987. The George Freedley Award, representing ex- cellence in writing about the theatre, was given to Mary C. Henderson for her book, Theatre in America: Two Hundred Years of Plays, Players, and Productions (Harry N. Abrams). The presentation was made by producer Alexander H. Cohen, who praised Dr. Henderson for her dedication to the theatre community. Dr. Henderson, who is Curator of the Mulholland Library of Con- Production Design at the American Mu- a former Curator of the Theatre'Collection juring and the Allied Arts in Los Angeles. seum of the Moving Image in New York. of the Museum of the City of New York, is In his book one meets Harry Kahne, the The presentation was made by Broadway also the author of The City & The Theatre: Multiple Mental Marvel, who could write set designer Robin Wagner, whose credits New York Playhouses from Bowling Green five words simultaneously with pieces of include A Chorus Line and Dream Girls. to Times Square (James T. White, 1973), chalk held in each hand, each foot, and The Freedley Award is named for which has become indispensible to re- in his mouth. One also encounters Max George Freedley, the first Curator of the searchers of New York theatre. Malini, who could sit at a dinner table for Theatre Collection of The New York Public The Theatre Library Association Award many hours, never leave, then lift his hat Library and first President of the Theatre for excellence in writing about film, televi- to reveal a large block of unmelted ice. Library Association, which he was instru- sion or radio, was presented to Ann M. That one also reads about Toby, the Amaz- mental in founding in 1937. In this, the Sperber for her book, Murrow: His Life and ing Pig of Knowledge, is obvious from Mr. Association's 50th year, TLA is proud to Times (Freundlich). CBS News correspon- Jay's title, and there are dozens of other have been able to add cash prizes to the dent Charles Osgood made the presenta- characters too strange to mation in this awards. The Freedley and TLA Award win- tion and spoke of his great admiration for publication. Appropriately enough, the ners received cash prizes of $250. The Murrow and for Ms. Sperber's remarkable, award to Mr. Jay, who has been called the Honorable Mentions received 5100. comprehensive work. "scholar of the unusual," was presented The Theatre Library Association pre Two honorable mention awards were by Avner Eisenberg, also known as "Avner sents its awards to bring attention to signi- presented this.year. The Freedley Award the Eccentric." ficant contributions in the fields of theatre Honorable Mention was presented to The Theatre Library Association Award and live entertainment, film and broad- Ricky Jay for his extraordinarily informa- Honorable Mention was given to Donald casting. The Chairperson of this year's tive and delightful work, Learned Pigs and Albrecht for Designing Dreams: Modern awards committee was Martha Mahard, Fireproof Women: Unique, Eccentric and Architecture in the Movies (Harper & Row). TLA Vice-president and Assistant Curator Amazing Entertainers (Villard). Mr. Jay is Mr. Albrecht, an architect, is Curator of of the Harvard Theatre Collection. TLA MEMBERS CELEBRATE AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS Front Row, from Left: Ann Sperber, Mary Henderson, Charles Osgood, Robin Wagner Mary Henderson Lucille Lortel, Martha Mahard, Mary Ann Jensen Ann M. Sperber and Charles Osgood Paul Myers and Brooks McNamara Lucinda Ballard ANOTHER BRITISH THEATRE COLLECTION MOVES The movers -or removers -of theatre archives in London are doing good busi- ness these days, thanks to the relocation of the Mander and Mitchenson Collection, the Victoria and Albert's Theatre Museum and the British Theatre Association. This is good news, for although these projects were in progress for some time and came up against what seemed to be insurmount- ' able obstacles, the moves indicate a recognition that growing theatre collec- tions require adequate housing and com- fortable study areas. The British Theatre Association, which moved to Regent's College last Septem- ber, was founded in 1919 and has been housed at Fitzroy Square since 1935. In its 50 years there the collection grew more than tenfold-from 30,000 to 300,000 vol- umes, in addition to press cuttings, peri- odicals and index systems. The loss of Arts Council funding also necessitated the re- location, since the BTA had to sell the Fitz- roy Square building in order to alleviate a serious financial situation. The new premises, whose headlease is H.M. The Queen Mother cuts the symbolic tape at the opening of the BTA on February 17 1987 owned by Rockford College, Illinois, will allow the British Theatre Association to agents of unpublished plays, organizing The move to Regent's College heralds a continue to provide and expand its many evening and full-time courses in all theatre new beginning which will involve compu- services. These include reference facili- skills, and, in general, fulfilling founder terization and the expansion of activities, ties, hiring sets of plays to theatre cbmpa- Geoffrey Whitworth's aim of representing including exhibitions and programs. The nies around the world, answering ques- all those involved in any aspect of the the- new address will be British Theatre Asso- tions regarding copyright and history of atre. There will also be room for a can- ciation, Regent's College, Inner Circle, Re- a play's performance, locating authors' teen, a bar, a bank and a shop. gent's Park, London NW1 4NS, England. The British Theatre Association's new Play Library in Regent's College BOOK REVIEWS ples generously studded with quotes. The emerged in recent years. It discusses films New Yorker's Henry R. Martin provides rather than theories of film. some lively cartoons to underline the au- As the so-called "teen movie" genre American Musician in Germany 1924-1939: thor's points. demonstrates, Hollywood has increasingly Memoirs of the Jazz, Entertainment, and The importance of communications such addressed specific audiences. It has also Movie World of Berlin during the Weimar as letters, brochures, posters, ads, and com- located the commercial potential of a new Republic and the Nazi Era-and in the mercials is surveyed, with emphasis on mak- female consumer. In addition, the women's United States. By Michael Danzi, as told ing the right point in the right way to the movement has produced films, offering to Rainer E. Lotz. Hatboro, PA: Legacy target of the message. One hopes many radically different representations of Books, 1986. 292 pp. $32.50. performance groups-not to mentim li- women. Groups of feminists are mobiliz- braries, preservation and conservation ing as filmmakers, distributors, and exhibi- Actually the title tells only half the groups, and charities-will digest this text tors, reflecting diverse concerns and giv- story, as Danzi's memoirs continue in the thoroughly before sending out one more ing a new meaning to the notion of "films United States from 1939 up to the early flyer that is hideous, cluttered, and hard to for women." 1970's. He was a musician and the banjo read. Or one more letter "we never fin- After a general introduction, the book is was his principal instrument. In Berlin he ished reading." divided into groups in which the articles played in the orchestras of several leading While some of Reiss's ideas are very sometimes overlap and sometimes contra- theatres, worked with Kurt Weill on The fresh and exciting, others are just good dict. The films considered in the Docu- Threepenny Opera and Mahagonny, and common sense. But they seem to be un- mentary section together illustrate some worked on the film The Blue Angel. Aside known to a host of arts fund-raisers, as concerns of documentary filmmaking: the from helping to finance the escape of Jew- well as performance public relations and attempt to provide filmic accounts and ish musician friends, he pretty much ig- audience development personnel, who also interpretations of existing social real- nored the political situation and stayed as need to be able to adapt the fund-raising ities. The articles raise questions about long as he dared - until October of 1939. principles and ploys to their own cam- what documentary film-in this case, par- In New York during the war Danzi paign needs, which can range from filling ticularly feminist documentary film--is played in night clubs, theatres and on the the seats to getting schools interested in and can be. The illustration accompany- radio. His description of the tragic end of theatre. ing the piece on Not A Love Story provides Hungarian composer Paul Abraham is one -Glenn Loney food for thought: it shows an advertise of the more poignant moments in the ment for the film with the subtitle "a film book. After the war he performed at Radio Comedy from Shakespeare to Sheridan. against pornography," yet its non-theatri- City, worked again on The Threepenny Edited by A.R. kaunmuller and J.C. Bul- cal study guide in the USA (uncited) calls Opera-having an interesting confronta- man. Newark, DE: University of Delaware it "a film about pornography." tion with Lotte Lenya-and toured with Press, 1986. 290 pp. $37.50. Part I1 discusses Fictions, including the The Boy Friend. Shakespeare and the Victorian Stage. work of Chantal Akerman, Jan Oxenberg, The book has several appendixes and an Edited by Richard Foulkes.

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