Alvin Colt designs, 1935-1990.

Links

• View catalog record
• View PDF finding aid (92.63 KB)

Creator

Colt, Alvin.

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division

Extent

• 14 boxes: col.; 25 in. x 31 in. and smaller.

Scope/Contents Note

The collection consists of twelve boxes of costume designs(357 plates) for television productions (1961-1990), beginning with THE ENCHANTED NUTCRACKER but primarily fromthe 1970s and 1980s, and two boxes of sketches (18) for set designs for the theater from an earlier period of Colt's career (1935-1953). The designs are both sketches and watercolors and many of the costume designs have fabric samples attached. The collection also includes photographs of stage sets and scenery. Of the theater productions mentioned above, only MUSIC IN MY HEART is documented in this collection.

Biographical/Historical Note

Alvin Colt (1915-), award-winning costume and scenic designer for theater, film and television was born in Louisville, Kentucky, studied at Yale, began his design work in ballet, and made his Broadway debut designing costumes for ON THE TOWN in 1944. This was followed by design work for Orson Welles' AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS,MUSIC IN MY HEART (1947) and GUYS AND DOLLS (1950) among others. He won a Tony award for costume design for PIPE DREAM in 1956 and designed costumes for both the Broadway and film version of LI'L ABNER. His first work in television was THE ENCHANTED NUTCRACKER (1961), but it wasin the 1970s and 1980s that he truly focused on that medium. His work included various awards shows such as the Emmys as well as an historical drama, THE ADAMS CHRONICLES. He returned to theater work in the 1990s and designed for the off-Broadway review FORBIDDEN BROADWAY beginning in 1994. In 1996 he received the Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award in Costume Design and in 2001 he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.

Controlled Access Terms

• Costume design.
• Theaters -- Stage-setting and scenery.
• Costume design drawings.
• Set design drawings.