Research Catalog

Kenn Freeman papers

Title
Kenn Freeman papers, 1930-1988.
Author
Freeman, Kenn, 1917-1991.
Supplementary Content
Finding Aid

Items in the Library & Off-site

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3 Items

StatusContainerFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
Box 1Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 262 Box 1Offsite
Box 2Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 262 Box 2Offsite
Box 3Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 262 Box 3Offsite

Details

Additional Authors
  • Micheaux, Oscar, 1884-1951.
  • Yordan, Philip.
  • Brewster, Townsend, 1924-
  • Mason, Cliff.
Description
2.5 lin. ft. (3 boxes)
Summary
The Kenn Freeman Papers, 1930-1988 document Freeman's life as an actor, singer/dancer, writer/director, and costume and set designer. The collection consists of three series; Personal Papers, Professional Papers, and Family Papers, and include correspondence, programs, flyers, contracts, writings, scripts, sheet music, scrapbooks, and autograph albums. Correspondence between Kenn and Bea Freeman forms an important part of both the Personal Papers and Family Papers series. The letters show the close personal and professional relationship between mother and son. The bulk of the correspondence covers the years, 1937 to 1950, and was written primarily during the years Kenn was in the United States Navy or in England or when either of them was on tour with a production.
Donor/Sponsor
Schomburg NEH Blacks on Stage: African-American Theater Arts Collections Project.
Subjects
Note
  • Photographs transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division.
  • Phonograph records transferred to the Moving Images and Recorded Sound Division.
Source (note)
  • Kenn Freeman
Biography (note)
  • Kenn (Kenneth) Freeman (1917-1991) was a versatile performing artist during the 1940s and 1950s. In addition to his acting career, he was a singer/dancer, writer, director, and also designed costumes and sets. His exposure to the theatre occurred when, as a young boy, he toured with his mother, the actress, Bee Freeman.
Indexes/Finding Aids (note)
  • Finding aid available.
Provenance (note)
  • Kenn Freeman.
Processing Action (note)
  • Processed
  • Cataloged
Call Number
Sc MG 262
OCLC
NYPW02-A106
Author
Freeman, Kenn, 1917-1991.
Title
Kenn Freeman papers, 1930-1988.
Biography
Kenn (Kenneth) Freeman (1917-1991) was a versatile performing artist during the 1940s and 1950s. In addition to his acting career, he was a singer/dancer, writer, director, and also designed costumes and sets. His exposure to the theatre occurred when, as a young boy, he toured with his mother, the actress, Bee Freeman.
Kenn Freeman began performing in high school, and in the early 1940s secured his first professional acting roles in a number of theatrical productions, including "Hell's Half Acre." After World War II, he appeared in the Broadway and British productions of "Anna Lucasta," and during the 1950's he directed several productions of "Anna Lucasta" in Great Britain. He also appeared in off-Broadway and off-off Broadway productions, including "Because I Am Black," a play performed by the Birmingham Repertory Company in England. In the 1950s Freeman began his directorial career and worked with the Carib Singers, the New Lafayette Players, and the Stanley Woolf Players. Freeman's career also included roles in films and television.
In addition to acting and directing, Freeman wrote several dramatic plays and sketches including: "Tis Cricket," "Imoinda," "Calypso Carnival," "Blessed Are the Fruits," and also designed the scenery and costumes for his own plays as well as others. In later years, he became the drama critic and theatre columnist for the "West Indian American" newspaper, and was the historian for the Negro Actors Guild. In the 1980s due to ill health, Freeman became a resident of the Actors Fund Nursing Home in New Jersey, where he died in January 1991.
Indexes
Finding aid available.
Provenance
Kenn Freeman.
Processing Action
Processed 200104 2.5 lin. ft.
Cataloged 20020404
Source
SCM88-62
Kenn Freeman Gift 198810
Connect to:
Finding Aid
Occupation
Scrapbooks.
Added Author
Micheaux, Oscar, 1884-1951. Lying lips.
Yordan, Philip. Anna Lucasta.
Brewster, Townsend, 1924- Rudens.
Mason, Cliff. Sister Sadie and the sons of Sam.
Research Call Number
Sc MG 262
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