Research Catalog

Title

Manhattan Theatre Club records 1964-2004 (bulk 1970-1994)

Author

Manhattan Theatre Club.

Supplementary Content

Finding Aid

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Alper, Jonathan.
• Grove, Barry.
• Meadow, Lynne, 1946-

Description

155 linear feet (305 boxes )

Summary

The Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) records document the development of the successful off-Broadway theater company.

Subjects

• Theatrical producers and directors
• Theatrical producers and directors > New York (State) > New York
• Correspondence
• Administrative records
• Minutes
• Manhattan Theatre Club
• Programs
• Theater > New York (State) > New York
• Off-Broadway theater

Genre/Form

• Administrative records.
• Correspondence.
• Minutes.
• Programs.

Access (note)

• Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Source (note)

• Manhattan Theatre Club

Biography (note)

• The Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC), which has evolved from a small Off-Broadway company into a major theatrical organization, was founded in 1970 by Albert E. Jeffcoat, Margaret Kennedy, Philip Barber and A. Joseph Tandet with the goal of reinvigorating the New York theater scene.

Indexes/Finding Aids (note)

• Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Call Number

*T-Mss 2004-002

OCLC

84647356

Author

Manhattan Theatre Club.

Title

Manhattan Theatre Club records 1964-2004 (bulk 1970-1994)

Restricted Access

Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Biography

The Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC), which has evolved from a small Off-Broadway company into a major theatrical organization, was founded in 1970 by Albert E. Jeffcoat, Margaret Kennedy, Philip Barber and A. Joseph Tandet with the goal of reinvigorating the New York theater scene. Inspired by work of the Arts Theatre Club of London and the Theatre Guild, the company produced and nurtured numerous American playwrights from 1970-1972 in its original site at the National Bohemian Hall at 321 East 73rd Street. This location was comprised of three separate venues: the Cabaret, complete with stage, tables, and licensed bar; Stage 79, a three-quarter-round tiered amphitheatre; and Stage 73, a 174-seat Off-Broadway house (1972-1973 Fact Sheet). In 1972, Lynne Meadow, a young director who had directed one production for the company, was hired as Artistic Director. In 1975, Barry Grove was hired as Managing Director. Due to their working relationship, one of the most long-standing in the non-profit community, the Manhattan Theatre Club developed a reputation for the high quality of its productions and attracted a large subscriber base. In order to expand, the organization moved to City Center in early 1985, but after several years in that facility, subscriber and single ticket sales demands necessitated MTC's need to expand once again. In 2003, the MTC moved its operations to the Biltmore Theatre, a former commercial Broadway house, which was renovated to meet its needs. Among the MTC's most acclaimed productions are: the Tony Award-winning revue, Ain't Misbehavin' (1978), based on the music of Fats Waller, and four Pulitzer Prize-winning original dramas: Beth Henley's Crimes of the Heart (1981), August Wilson's The Piano Lesson (1990), David Auburn's Proof (2001), and John Patrick Shanley's Doubt (2005).

Indexes

Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Connect to:

Request Access to Theatre Division Special Collections material

Finding Aid

Occupation

Theatrical producers and directors.

Added Author

Alper, Jonathan.

Grove, Barry.

Meadow, Lynne, 1946-

pt Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498 WPRC/HK

Research Call Number

*T-Mss 2004-002