| Dates: | circa 1965-2004 |
| Size: | .75 linear feet in 2 boxes (including 20 photographs) |
| Repository: | Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, 400 S. State Street, Chicago, IL 60605 |
| Collection Number: | spe-ctc-sja |
| Immediate source of acquisition: | These materials were donated to the Special Collections and Preservation Division by Avidon’s husband Dick Simpson in 2011. |
| 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. |
| Preferred citation: | When quoting material from this collection the preferred citation is: Sarajane Avidon Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections, Chicago Public Library |
| Finding aid author: | Sarah Zimmerman, 2011. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Sarah Zimmerman, 2021. |
Abstract
Sarajane Avidon was a Chicago actress performing at Wisdom Bridge and Orphans Theatre among others. She was also a founding member of Chicago Shakespeare Theater where she appeared in Henry V and Twelfth Night. The Sarajane Avidon Papers include scripts, programs, photographs and notes pertaining to Avidon’s career in Chicago theater.
Biographical/Historical
Sarajane Avidon (b. 1941- d. 2006), was born Sara Jane Levey in Brooklyn, New York. Her family moved to Parkersburg, West Virginia shortly after her birth, where she later attended Parkersburg High School, graduating in 1959. In 1963, she completed her studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois earning a B.S. in Speech and Theatre, having studied with Alvina Krause. After graduation, she moved to Chicago and enjoyed a long career as an actress.
In 1975, Avidon appeared in Under Milk Wood at Orphans Theatre. With Mike Nussbaum as director, the play earned the Jeff Award for ‘Best Ensemble.’ Avidon was a founding member of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and appeared in its first full play, Henry V (1986) and later as Maria in Twelfth Night (1996). Other notable roles include Jessie in ‘night Mother at Wisdom Bridge in 1986. In his review, theatre critic Richard Christiansen wrote: “With the aid of two marvelous actresses – Sarajane Avidon as Jessie and Elizabeth Moore as Mama – Norman’s play manages to make the dilemma of these thoroughly ordinary women tantalizing and engrossing.”
Avidon co-authored two mystery novels with Susan Sussman – Audition for Murder (1999) and Cruising for Murder (2000). The books feature the character Morgan Taylor, a young actress-detective based in Chicago.
In addition to acting and writing, Avidon was an award winning visual artist creating “Corgicards,” a series of postcard-size collages incorporating maps, photographs, postage stamps and rubber stamp images.
Scope and Contents
The Sarajane Avidon Papers includes scripts, programs, photographs and notes pertaining to Avidon’s career in Chicago theater. For preservation reasons, some materials in the collection have been photocopied.
Photographs in this collection represent Avidon’s acting and writing career as well as her political interests and involvements.
Arrangement
Files are organized alphabetically by theater.
Subject Headings
- Avidon, Sarajane – Archives.
- Chicago Shakespeare Theater – Sources.
- Theater – Illinois – Chicago – 20th Century – Sources.
- Theater – Illinois – Chicago – 20th Century – Photographs.
- Drama.
- Theater Programs.
Collection Inventory
| Box 1 | Folder 1 | Bailiwick Repertory -- Celebrity Beat by Cheryl Lavin and Marilynn Preston - Script, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | Chicago Academy for the Arts -- Dogg’s Hamlet by Tom Stoppard and An Evaporated Macbeth adapted and directed by Geoffrey Baer –Program, undate |
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | Chicago Dramatists Workshop -- Making Rounds, A Play About Anna O. by Harold L. Klawans. Directed by Sherry Narens – Marked script, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 4 | Chicago Dramatists Workshop -- Making Rounds, A Play About Anna O. – Marked script, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 5 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater -- RSC Willpower – Marked script, circa 1989-1993 |
| Box 1 | Folder 6 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater -- RSC Willpower – Notes, circa 1989-1993 |
| Box 1 | Folder 7 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater -- RSC Willpower – Notes, circa 1989-1993 |
| Box 1 | Folder 8 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater -- Twelfth Night or What You Will by William Shakespeare, – Marked script, 1996 |
| Box 1 | Folder 9 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater -- Twelfth Night or What You Will – Notes, 1996 |
| Box 1 | Folder 10 | Roosevelt University -- The Locomotive by Frank Galati – Script, circa 1970 |
| Box 1 | Folder 11 | Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn, New Jersey) -- Everybody Loves Opal. Directed by Vernon Schwartz, produced by Hugh Fordin, setting and lighting by Robert T. Williams – Program, circa 1965 |
| Box 1 | Folder 12 | Other Theaters (Location unknown) -- Lou Gehrig Did Not Die of Cancer by Jason Miller – Script, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 13 | Other Theaters (Location unknown) -- Taken in Marriage by Thomas Babe; Animal by Olivia Hailey; Pantagleize by Michel de Ghelderode – Partial scripts, [1979] and undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 1 | Other Theaters (Location unknown) -- The Time of Your Life by William Saroyan – Marked script, undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 2 | Other Theaters (Location unknown) -- What Every Woman Knows by J. M. Barrie – Marked script, undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 3 | Other Theaters (Location unknown) -- [Play List] – Notes, undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 4 | Other Theaters (Location unknown) -- [Scene Studies] - Outline, notes, partial scripts, undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 5 | Sarajane Avidon - Headshots (8), undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 6 | Under Milk Wood (1 photograph), 1975 |
| Box 2 | Folder 7 | Henry V (1 photograph), 1986 |
| Box 2 | Folder 8 | Twelfth Night (4 photographs), 1996 |
| Box 2 | Folder 9 | Audition for Murder (4 photographs), 1999-2000 |
| Box 2 | Folder 10 | Political interests of Avidon (2 photographs), undated |
