| Description |
38 lin ft. (76 boxes). |
|
Arranged in three series: Series I. Correspondence and other papers; Series II. Promptbooks (alphabetical by playwright); Series III. Photographs. |
| Note |
Photographs from identified productions and programs have been removed and placed in the Library's Photographs and Programs files. |
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A complete list of play titles is available in the Theatre Collection's database. |
| Summary |
The collection is almost entirely bound promptbooks, annotated with notes and cues by Prentice, for the plays he produced. The extensive handwritten staging directions as well as many loose lighting and property plots, cast lists and set design diagrams provide substantial documentation of these productions of the regional British theater in this period (1920s-1950s). There are also some autobiographical writings, notes and drafts for speeches he gave, a small amount of correspondence, mostly with playwrights, photographs from unidentified productions and some photographs of Prentice with colleagues. |
| Biography |
Herbert M. Prentice, British producer, director and designer, staged hundreds of plays during his career including many first productions as well as popular revivals. His focus was on well known playwrights of his time including James Bridie, Noel Coward, St. John Ervine, Ian Hay, Frederick Lonsdale, W. Somerset Maugham, A. A. Milne, Eugene O'Neill, J. B. Priestley, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde. He began his career in 1918 at the Little Repertory Theatre in Sheffield and was associated with the Sheffield Repertory Company, the Festival Theatre, Cambridge and the Repertory Theatre, Northampton before being hired as producer by Sir Barry Jackson for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1932. He was at the Birmingham until 1940 and staged many first productions there. During this period he also produced plays at the Malvern Festivals (1934-1937) including SAINT JOAN with Wendy Hiller on the occasion of George Bernard Shaw's 80th birthday. His first London production was ONCE IN A LIFETIME in 1933. In the 1940s and early 1950s he staged plays at the Sheffield, Southport, Stratford-on-Avon, Birmingham, the Civic Theatre at Chesterfield and the Pitlochry Festival. Prior to his tenure at the Birmingham Rep., Prentice designed most of the settings for his productions. He also wrote a few of the stage adaptations he produced, including one for ALICE IN WONDERLAND. |
| Indexes |
Finding aid available in repository and on Internet: folder level control. |
| Subject |
Prentice, Herbert M, b. 1890.
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Jackson, Barry Vincent, Sir, b. 1879.
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Hiller, Wendy -- Photographs.
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Bridie, James, 1888-1951.
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Coward, Noel, 1899-1973.
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Ervine, St. John G. (St. John Greer), b. 1883.
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Hay, Ian.
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Lonsdale, Frederick, 1881-1954.
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Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset), 1874-1965.
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Milne, A. A. (Alan Alexander), 1882-1956.
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O'Neill, Eugene, 1888-1953.
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Priestley, J. B. (John Boynton), 1894-
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Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950.
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Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900.
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Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
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Civic Theatre at Chesterfield.
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Sheffield Repertory Theatre.
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Theater -- Production and direction -- England.
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| Genre/Form |
Promptbooks.
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| Call No. |
*T-Mss 1964-005
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| Research Call Number |
*T-Mss 1964-005
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