Chicago on Stage Lecture Series

Dates: 1981-1982
Size: 1 linear foot in two boxes, includes 37 audio cassettes and 4 reel-to-reel audio recordings
Repository: Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, 400 S. State Street, Chicago, IL 60605
Collection Number: spe-ctc-cos
Immediate source of acquisition: Recordings were made by Chicago Public Library.
Conditions governing use: Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection.
Conditions governing access: Materials are open without restrictions.
Physical location note: Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please request materials at least 24-hours prior to your research visit to coordinate access.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements: Access to some audiovisual material may not be possible due to available replay equipment or to state of physical media. Tapes have not been checked to ensure content or playability. Titles and other descriptive information is as transcribed from packages. Please contact the archives before your visit.
Preferred citation: When quoting material from this collection the preferred citation is: Chicago on Stage Lecture Series, [Box #, Recording #], Special Collections, Chicago Public Library
Finding aid author: Original author unknown. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Sarah Zimmerman, 2022.

Abstract

Chicago Public Library put on a series of 25 lectures and panel discussions devoted to the history and development of theater in Chicago. The programs were held jointly by the Lake View Branch of Chicago Public Library and the CPL/Cultural Center, and made possible in part through grants from the Illinois Humanities Council and Illinois Arts Council.

Biographical / Historical

During the period October 1981 to April 1982 the Chicago Public Library put on a series of lectures and panel discussions devoted to the history and development of theater in Chicago. The programs were held jointly by the Lake View Branch of Chicago Public Library and the CPL/Cultural Center. The programs were made possible in part through grants from the Illinois Humanities Council and Illinois Arts Council.

The series consisted of 25 scheduled lectures and panel discussions which presented a “comprehensive history of the development of the unique trends in Chicago Theater.” The series was recorded, and recordings are available for further research.

Scope and Contents

The Chicago on Stage Lecture Series includes recordings from events hosted jointly by the Lake View Branch of Chicago Public Library and the CPL/Cultural Center in 1981 and 1982. The majority of the recordings were converted to audio cassette sometime in the 1990s. There are multiple copies for some presentations, and some partial recordings for others. Four recordings: Development of the Art Theater Movement by James F. Coakley, Specialized Theater in Chicago by Anne Thurman, Off-Loop and Regional Theater by June Pyskacek and Early TV by Fred MacDonald remain in their original reel-to-reel audio format. There are no known recordings of the lecture Chicago Theater Influences American Theater by Yuri Rasovsky nor for the panel discussion The Critics and Their Influence on Chicago Theater

Arrangement

Recordings are arranged chronologically by presentation / recording date.

Subject Headings

  • Chicago Public Library
  • Illinois Arts Council
  • Illinois Humanities Council
  • Theater – Illinois – Chicago – History – Sources.
  • Theater – History – Sources.

Collection Inventory

Box 1 Recording 1-2 Lecture: Theater on the Frontier by Arthur Bloom (2 copies) 1981 October 5
Box 1 Recording 3-4 Lecture: The 1885 Season by Jane Stedman (2 copies) 1981 October 12
Box 1 Recording 5-8 Lecture: Part I, 19th Century Drama in Chicago and Part II, John Blake Rice Company in Chicago by Arthur Bloom (2 copies) 1981 October 19
Box 2 Recording 41 Lecture: Development of the Art Theater Movement by James F. Coakley 1981 October 26
Box 1 Recording 9-10 Lecture: Yiddish Theater in Chicago by Danny Newman (2 copies) 1981 November 2
Box 1 Recording 11-14 Lecture: Chicago’s Neighborhood and Ethnic Theaters by Gertrude Grisham, Stuart Hecht and Alfred Staraumanis (in two parts) (2 copies) 1981 November 9
Box 1 Recording 15-16 Lecture: Radio Theater by Fred MacDonald (2 copies) 1981 November 16
Box 1 Recording 17-18 Lecture: Early Films and Chicago Theater by William Grisham (2 copies) 1981 November 23
Box 1 Recording 19-20 Lecture: WPA Movement by Patrick Schmitt (2 copies) 1981 November 30
Box 1 Recording 21-22 Lecture: Vaudeville & Burlesque by Robert Brubaker 1981 December 7
Box 1 Recording 23-24 Lecture: Opera in Chicago by Jane Stedman (2 copies) 1981 December 14
Box 1 Recording 25-26 Lecture: Second City and Improvisational Theater by Jeff Sweet (2 copies) 1981 December 21
Box 1 Recording 27-28 Lecture: Women’s and Gay Theater in Chicago by Linda Walsh Jenkins (2 copies) 1982 January 18
Box 2 Recording 29 Lecture: Black Theater in Chicago by Edward Robinson 1982 January 25
Box 2 Recording 40 Lecture: Specialized Theater in Chicago by Anne Thurman 1982 February 1
Box 2 Recording 30 Panel Discussion: Artistic Directors Look to the Future 1982 February 22
Box 2 Recording 31 Panel Discussion: Playwrights Evaluate Local Theater 1982 March 1
Box 2 Recording 32 Panel Discussion: The Role of the Director 1982 March 8
Box 2 Recording 33 Panel Discussion: Acting in Chicago 1982 March 15
Box 2 Recording 34-35 Panel Discussion: Technical Aspects of Chicago Theater (2 copies) 1982 March 22
Box 2 Recording 36-37 Panel Discussion: Future Support for Chicago Theater: Funding, Audience Development, etc. 1982 April 5
Box 2 Recording 39 Lecture: Early TV by Fred MacDonald 1982 April 12
Box 2 Recording 38 Lecture: Off-Loop and Regional Theater by June Pyskacek 1982 April 19
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