Research Catalog

Lucille Lortel papers

Title
  1. Lucille Lortel papers, 1902-2000.
Supplementary content
  1. Finding Aid
Author
  1. Lortel, Lucille

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Containerr. 40 - Box 15. Series I: Correspondence-Individuals, Robert Kalfin-Jan MinerFormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 39 - Box 14. Series I: Correspondence-Individuals, Jose Ferrer-Jacob JavitsFormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

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Containerr. 38 - Box 13. Series I: Correspondence, 1999; Correspondence-Individuals, Edward Albee-Drew EliotFormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

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Containerr. 37 - Box 12. Series I: Correspondence, Jan. 1997-Dec. 1998FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

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Containerr. 36 - Box 11. Series I: Correspondence, Dec. 1995-Jan. 1997FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 35 - Box 10. Series I: Correspondence, Aug. 1994-Nov. 1995FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 34 - Box 9. Series I: Correspondence, July 1993-July 1994FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 33 - Box 8. Series I: Correspondence, July 1992-June 1993FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

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Containerr. 32 - Box 7. Series I: Correspondence, May 1991-June 1992FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 31 - Box 6. Series I: Correspondence, Jan. 1990-Apr. 1991FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

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Containerr. 30 - Box 5. Series I: Correspondence, Oct. 1988-1989FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606 Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

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Containerr. 29 - Box 4. Series I: Correspondence, July 1987-Sept. 1988FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 28 - Box 3. Series I: Correspondence, July 1985-June 1987FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 27 - Box 2. Series I: Correspondence, 1972-June 1985FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 26 - Box 1. Series I: Correspondence, 1921-1971FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 25 - Box 148 (f. 2) & 149-150. Series XI: Scrapbooks, The Balcony, Lucille Lortel 1960-1969, Waldo Mayo 1918-1976FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 24 - Box 147 (f. 2) & 148 (f. 1). Series XI: Scrapbooks, ANTA Matinee Series 1966-1971, 1971-1975FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

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Containerr. 23 - Box 146, 147 (f. 1). Series XI: Scrapbooks, ANTA Matinee Series 1958, 1960-1966FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 22 - Box 145. Series XI: Scrapbooks, ANTA Matinee Series 1956-1960FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
Status

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Containerr. 21 - Box 144. Series XI: Scrapbooks, White Barn Theatre, 1988FormatArchival MixAccessUse in libraryCall number*ZC-606Item locationPerforming Arts Research Collections - Theatre
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Details

Additional authors
  1. Black, Kitty, 1914-
  2. Cotes, Peter, 1912-
  3. Grew, Mary, 1902-1971
  4. Halligan, Maureen
  5. Wanamaker, Sam, 1919-1993
  6. Wax, Emanuel
  7. White, Leonard
  8. Acker, Sylvia
  9. Allison, Michael
  10. Berman, Lois
  11. Brown, Tina Tippit
  12. Sargent, Edith Drake
  13. Drake, Ervin
  14. Farrell, Minerva
  15. Hodges, Gil
  16. Hodges, Lonnie
  17. McConnell, Maryanna
  18. Martin, Elliot
  19. Montevecchi, Liliane
  20. Oakie, Victoria Horne
  21. Lewis, Abby
  22. Seymour, John D., 1897-
  23. Sosenko, Anna
  24. Stevenson, Isabelle, 1915-2003
  25. Taylor, Robert
  26. Tompkins, Robert
  27. Volle, Danielle, -2000
  28. Williams, Maggie
  29. Albee, Edward, 1928-2016
  30. Blessing, Lee
  31. Dalrymple, Jean
  32. Fugard, Athol
  33. Havoc, June
  34. Hiss, Alger
  35. Kingsley, Sidney, 1906-1995
  36. Lawrence, Jerome, 1915-2004
  37. Lee, Robert Edwin, 1918-1994
  38. Le Gallienne, Eva, 1899-1991
  39. Mason, Marshall W.
  40. O'Casey, Eileen
  41. O'Casey, Sean, 1880-1964
  42. Rainer, Luise, 1910-
  43. Saddler, Donald
  44. Strasberg, Anna
  45. Strasberg, Lee
  46. Wallace, Hazel Vincent, 1919-
  47. Curcio, Vincent
  48. Eliot, Drew
  49. Glenn, Robert
  50. Henderson, Mary C., 1928-2012
  51. Marvin, Blanche
  52. Wilson, Edwin, 1927-
Description
  1. 49.61 lf. (121 boxes)
Summary
  1. The papers of Lucille Lortel relate the details of her life and career from teen years to her death in 1999, and include correspondence, production files, scripts, programs, production photographs, personal and family photographs, organization files, clippings, memorabilia, and scrapbooks. Lucille Lortel's life spanned the twentieth century, so in addition to providing details of her family and personal life her papers encompass many aspects of the theatrical history of her era. Lortel is credited with fostering the Off-Broadway movement and providing a forum for avant-garde and experimental work at her Theatre de Lys. Lortel's productions at the White Barn and the ANTA Matinee Series at the Theatre de Lys brought works by Jean Genet, Sean O'Casey, Athol Fugard, and others to a wider audience. Many of these productions are represented in the collection by correspondence, programs, photographs and clippings. Over the years Lortel also worked closely with several non-profit theaters as a donor and mentor. Her affiliations with Circle in the Square, Circle Repertory Company, Goodspeed Opera House, Yale Repertory Theatre, and other companies are documented in the organization files.
  2. In addition to documentation of her theatrical enterprises, the Lucille Lortel papers also contain material concerning her family and her husband Louis Schweitzer. Louis Schweitzer's papers include some correspondence, clippings, and a few documents relating to his work with the Vera Institute of Justice. There is also material on Lortel's mother, Anna Wayo Wadler, her brothers, Seymour Wadler and Waldo Mayo, and her sister Ruth Cugat. Waldo Mayo's files contain programs, clippings, and writings which detail his early career as a violinst in the United States and Europe. Ruth Cugat and her husband, Francisco Coradal Cugat were artists, and some examples of their work can be found in the collection.
Subject
  1. Theater > New York (State) > New York
  2. Lortel, Lucille
  3. Sargent, Edith Drake > Correspondence
  4. Rainer, Luise, 1910-2014 > Correspondence
  5. Glenn, Robert > Correspondence
  6. Hodges, Gil > Correspondence
  7. Blessing, Lee > Correspondence
  8. Wanamaker, Sam, 1919-1993 > Correspondence
  9. Le Gallienne, Eva, 1899-1991 > Correspondence
  10. Stevenson, Isabelle, 1915-2003 > Correspondence
  11. Wax, Emanuel > Correspondence
  12. Curcio, Vincent > Correspondence
  13. Martin, Elliot > Correspondence
  14. White Barn Theatre
  15. Lortel, Lucille > Correspondence
  16. Strasberg, Anna > Correspondence
  17. Lortel, Lucille > Friends and associates
  18. Saddler, Donald > Correspondence
  19. O'Casey, Sean, 1880-1964 > Correspondence
  20. Oakie, Victoria Horne > Correspondence
  21. Eliot, Drew > Correspondence
  22. Cotes, Peter, 1912- > Correspondence
  23. Musical theater > United States
  24. Farrell, Minerva > Correspondence
  25. McConnell, Maryanna > Correspondence
  26. White, Leonard > Correspondence
  27. Taylor, Robert > Correspondence
  28. Lawrence, Jerome, 1915-2004 > Correspondence
  29. Marvin, Blanche > Correspondence
  30. Lewis, Abby > Correspondence
  31. Correspondence
  32. Off-Broadway theater
  33. O'Casey, Eileen > Correspondence
  34. Wilson, Edwin, 1927- > Correspondence
  35. Lee, Robert Edwin, 1918-1994 > Correspondence
  36. Brown, Tina Tippit > Correspondence
  37. Kingsley, Sidney, 1906-1995 > Correspondence
  38. Lucille Lortel Theatre/Theatre de Lys (New York, N.Y.)
  39. Wallace, Hazel Vincent, 1919- > Correspondence
  40. Montevecchi, Liliane > Correspondence
  41. Theater > New York (State) > New York > History > 20th century
  42. Volle, Danielle, -2000 > Correspondence
  43. ANTA (Organization)
  44. Hiss, Alger > Correspondence
  45. Albee, Edward, 1928-2016 > Correspondence
  46. Drake, Ervin > Correspondence
  47. Grew, Mary, 1902-1971 > Correspondence
  48. Havoc, June > Correspondence
  49. Scrapbooks
  50. Tompkins, Robert > Correspondence
  51. Strasberg, Lee > Correspondence
  52. Black, Kitty, 1914- > Correspondence
  53. Clippings
  54. Acker, Sylvia > Correspondence
  55. Sosenko, Anna > Correspondence
  56. Williams, Maggie > Correspondence
  57. Allinson, Michael > Correspondence
  58. Photographs
  59. Hodges, Lonnie > Correspondence
  60. Seymour, John D., 1897- > Correspondence
  61. Fugard, Athol > Correspondence
  62. Halligan, Maureen > Correspondence
  63. Dalrymple, Jean > Correspondence
  64. Mason, Marshall W > Correspondence
  65. Theatre de Lys
  66. Berman, Lois > Correspondence
  67. Musicals
  68. Henderson, Mary C., 1928-2012 > Correspondence
  69. Theatrical producers and directors
Genre/Form
  1. Correspondence.
  2. Clippings.
  3. Photographs.
  4. Scrapbooks.
Call number
  1. *T-Mss 2001-006
Access (note)
  1. Collection is open to the public, with some materials only available on microfilm. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.
Additional formats (note)
  1. are also available on microfilm
Source (note)
  1. Lortel, Lucille
Biography (note)
  1. Lucille Lortel (1900-1999) began her theatrical career as a performer, eventually turned producer, founded the White Barn Theatre in Westport, Connecticut, acquired the Theatre dy Lys in Greenwich Village, and became a seminal force in the Off-Broadway movement. Born Lucille Wadler in New York City on December 16, 1900, Lucille Lortel studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and with Arnold Korff in Europe. She had her first notable role in the Theatre Guild's production of Shaw's CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA with Helen Hayes in 1925. Among her motion pictures was the early talking film THE MAN WHO LAUGHED LAST (1929) opposite Sessue Hayakawa. Shortly after marrying wealthy industrialist Louis Schweitzer in 1931, Lortel retired from acting. In 1947, on the grounds of her Westport home, she established the White Barn Theatre, a summer theater which continues to operate. In 1955 Schweitzer purchased the Theatre de Lys for his wife, whose production of THE THREEPENNY OPERA ran there for almost seven years. In 1956 Lortel initiated the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) Matinee Series, which presented plays at her theater for twenty years. Lortel produced more than 500 shows on Broadway, Off-Broadway, at the Library of Congress, at her White Barn Theatre, and elsewhere. The Theatre de Lys was renamed the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 1981. Lucille Lortel died on April 4, 1999, at the age of 98.
Processing action (note)
  1. Cataloged
Author
  1. Lortel, Lucille.
Title
  1. Lucille Lortel papers, 1902-2000.
Restricted access
  1. Collection is open to the public, with some materials only available on microfilm. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.
Additional formats
  1. Scrapbooks are also available on microfilm: The Billy Rose Theatre Collection, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; service copy number: *ZC-606.
Biography
  1. Lucille Lortel (1900-1999) began her theatrical career as a performer, eventually turned producer, founded the White Barn Theatre in Westport, Connecticut, acquired the Theatre dy Lys in Greenwich Village, and became a seminal force in the Off-Broadway movement. Born Lucille Wadler in New York City on December 16, 1900, Lucille Lortel studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and with Arnold Korff in Europe. She had her first notable role in the Theatre Guild's production of Shaw's CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA with Helen Hayes in 1925. Among her motion pictures was the early talking film THE MAN WHO LAUGHED LAST (1929) opposite Sessue Hayakawa. Shortly after marrying wealthy industrialist Louis Schweitzer in 1931, Lortel retired from acting. In 1947, on the grounds of her Westport home, she established the White Barn Theatre, a summer theater which continues to operate. In 1955 Schweitzer purchased the Theatre de Lys for his wife, whose production of THE THREEPENNY OPERA ran there for almost seven years. In 1956 Lortel initiated the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) Matinee Series, which presented plays at her theater for twenty years. Lortel produced more than 500 shows on Broadway, Off-Broadway, at the Library of Congress, at her White Barn Theatre, and elsewhere. The Theatre de Lys was renamed the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 1981. Lucille Lortel died on April 4, 1999, at the age of 98.
Connect to:
  1. Request Access to Theatre Division Special Collections material
  2. NYPL Digital Collections
  3. Finding Aid
Added author
  1. Black, Kitty, 1914-
  2. Cotes, Peter, 1912-
  3. Grew, Mary, 1902-1971.
  4. Halligan, Maureen.
  5. Wanamaker, Sam, 1919-1993.
  6. Wax, Emanuel.
  7. White, Leonard.
  8. Acker, Sylvia.
  9. Allison, Michael.
  10. Berman, Lois.
  11. Brown, Tina Tippit.
  12. Sargent, Edith Drake.
  13. Drake, Ervin.
  14. Farrell, Minerva.
  15. Hodges, Gil.
  16. Hodges, Lonnie.
  17. McConnell, Maryanna.
  18. Martin, Elliot.
  19. Montevecchi, Liliane.
  20. Oakie, Victoria Horne.
  21. Lewis, Abby.
  22. Seymour, John D., 1897-
  23. Sosenko, Anna.
  24. Stevenson, Isabelle, 1915-2003.
  25. Taylor, Robert.
  26. Tompkins, Robert.
  27. Volle, Danielle, -2000.
  28. Williams, Maggie.
  29. Albee, Edward, 1928-2016.
  30. Blessing, Lee.
  31. Dalrymple, Jean.
  32. Fugard, Athol.
  33. Havoc, June.
  34. Hiss, Alger.
  35. Kingsley, Sidney, 1906-1995.
  36. Lawrence, Jerome, 1915-2004.
  37. Lee, Robert Edwin, 1918-1994.
  38. Le Gallienne, Eva, 1899-1991.
  39. Mason, Marshall W.
  40. O'Casey, Eileen.
  41. O'Casey, Sean, 1880-1964.
  42. Rainer, Luise, 1910-
  43. Saddler, Donald.
  44. Strasberg, Anna.
  45. Strasberg, Lee.
  46. Wallace, Hazel Vincent, 1919-
  47. Curcio, Vincent.
  48. Eliot, Drew.
  49. Glenn, Robert.
  50. Henderson, Mary C., 1928-2012.
  51. Marvin, Blanche.
  52. Wilson, Edwin, 1927-
Research call number
  1. *T-Mss 2001-006
  2. *ZC-606
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