Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Atkinson, Brooks, 1894-1984.
2. Atkinson, Oriana.
3. Sheratsky, Rodney E.
4. New York Times Company.

Description

1. 1.75 linear feet (2 boxes )

Summary

1. The Clara Rotter papers consist mainly of correspondence from Brooks Atkinson and his wife, the writer Oriana Atkinson, to Clara Rotter, as well as two scrapbooks of Atkinson's Critic at Large columns.

Subject

1. Secretaries
2. Administrative assistants
3. Atkinson, Brooks, 1894-1984 > Correspondence
4. Secretaries > New York (State) > New York
5. Theater > New York (State) > New York
6. Scrapbooks
7. Rotter, Clara
8. Atkinson, Oriana > Correspondence
9. New York Times Company
10. Sheratsky, Rodney E > Correspondence
11. Off-Broadway theater
12. Theater critics > United States > Correspondence
13. Correspondence
14. Administrative assistants > New York (State) > New York

Genre/Form

1. Correspondence.
2. Scrapbooks.

Call number

1. *T-Mss 1993-011

Access (note)

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

Location of other archival materials (note)

1. Berg Collection, New York Public Library.

Biography (note)

1. Long time secretary for the drama department of the New York Times, Clara Rotter, (1910-1992), was an influential fixture within the New York theatrical community for many years.

Indexes/finding aids (note)

1. Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Author

1. Rotter, Clara.

Title

1. Clara Rotter papers, 1961-1984.

Restricted access

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

Biography

1. Long time secretary for the drama department of the New York Times, Clara Rotter, (1910-1992), was an influential fixture within the New York theatrical community for many years. Rotter started working for the newspaper in 1945. She developed a close professional relationship with Brooks Atkinson, who was the chief drama critic of the Times throughout much of her own career. Among her many duties was the compilation of an annual list of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater productions, which was published under her byline for nine years. Atkinson, who died in 1984, bequeathed $2,500 to Miss Rotter, who donated the money to a fund to help emerging playwrights, which had been named in the critic's honor. In addition to her relationship with Atkinson, Rotter's position enabled her to develop friendships with many other notable figures, including the playwright Sean O'Casey, with whom she maintained a lengthy correspondence. She lived in Woodside, Queens, and retired from the Times in 1980, when she was 70. An interview with Rotter is included in The Line King (1997), a documentary about the theater caricaturist, Al Hirshfeld.

Location of other archival materials

1. See also Sean O'Casey collection of papers ( Berg Coll MSS O'Casey) in the Berg Collection, New York Public Library.

Indexes

1. Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Connect to:

1. Request Access to Theatre Division Special Collections material
2. Finding Aid

Occupation

1. Administrative assistants.
2. Secretaries.

Added author

1. Atkinson, Brooks, 1894-1984.
2. Atkinson, Oriana.
3. Sheratsky, Rodney E.
4. New York Times Company.

Research call number

1. *T-Mss 1993-011