| Description |
19.5 linear feet (12 boxes ) |
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Arranged in series: I. Professional papers, 1843-2002; II. Scripts, 1964-1997; III. Publicity materials, 1951-2001. Oversized materials, 1824-1996. |
| Summary |
The Paul Cranefield Papers, 1824-2002 (bulk 1951-2002), document medical doctor and theater enthusiast Paul Cranefield's interest and contribution to New York City's theatrical world, and in particular the Off-Off Broadway movement. The collection consists of administrative files created by the La Mama Experimental Theatre Club and the Circle Repertory Theatre, in which Cranefield served as a board member for several years. They include correspondence, meeting minutes, notes and agendas, legal and financial records, grant applications, leaflets and brochures, production inventories, and Cranefield's writings on subjects related to theater and collecting. There are also scripts, photographs, clippings, and a considerable number of programs and posters from productions created by La Mama and Circle Repertory Theatre, as well as from productions of the 1800s, the bulk years of this collection span from 1951-2002, there are several items collected by Cranefield that date from as early as 1824. They are mainly posters and programs of productions from the 1800s, as well as an original sketch of the mid-nineteenth-century actress Anna Cora Mowatt, which Cranefield obtained together with the first edition of Mowatt's Autobiography of an Actress, or Eight Years on the Stage, 1854. A large part of this collection consists of scripts, several of them annotated or inscribed by the authors. These inscriptions and attached correspondence indicate his support on several of the works represented here. In particular, Paul Foster's The Madonna in the Orchard and Lanford Wilson's The Rimers of Eldritch include substantial research materials or comments by Cranefield. This collection does not contain materials related to Paul Cranefield's career as a doctor, with a few exceptions where the subjects of theater and medicine overlap. |
| Biography |
Paul F. Cranefield Jr. (born in 1925) was a medical doctor and professor at Rockefeller University. In addition to his medical career, Paul Cranefield was a great bibliophile and collector, and an avid theater lover. His administrative thoroughness was also applied for the benefit of the Off-Off Broadway theater since the beginning of the movement in the 1960s. In the 1960s and 1970s Cranefield was a founding director and supporter of La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, where he served as chairman of the Board of Directors. Later, he also became the first chairman of the Circle Repertory Theatre. He served in the selection committee of the Playwrights' Conference for the Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theatre Foundation, and was involved in initiatives such as The Working Theater and the New York Theatre Strategy. He also wrote articles and features on theater and collecting. Cranefield's patronage and support for theater also had a personal dimension. Having formed close ties with many of the playwrights, actors, and directors who became an integral part of La Mama and Circle Repertory Theatre, Cranefield generously offered his support, valuable feedback and encouragement to them. Apart from financial support through sponsorship to new plays, correspondence and numerous dedications of completed scripts to Cranefield indicate his contribution as a respected critic and mentor. Notable among the playwrights who enjoyed Cranefield's friendship and support were Paul Foster and Lanford Wilson. Paul Cranefield died at the age of 78 on May 31, 2003, after a brief illness in New York City. |
| Indexes |
Collection guide available in repository and on internet. |
| Subject |
Cranefield, Paul F. (Paul Frederic), 1925-
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Cranefield, Paul F. (Paul Frederic), 1925- -- Correspondence.
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Foster, Paul, 1931- -- Correspondence.
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Wilson, Lanford, 1937- -- Correspondence.
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Ritchie, Anna Cora Ogden Mowatt, 1819-1870 -- Biography.
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Theater -- New York (State) -- New York -- History.
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Theater -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York.
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| Genre/Form |
Correspondence.
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Clippings.
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Photographs.
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Leaflets.
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Brochures.
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Continuities.
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Theater programs.
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Posters.
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| Occupation |
Collectors and collecting. |
| Added Author |
Foster, Paul, 1931-
Madonna in the Orchard.
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Wilson, Lanford, 1937-
Rimers of Eldritch.
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Ritchie, Anna Cora Ogden Mowatt, 1819-1870.
Autobiography of an actress, or, Eight years on the stage.
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La Mama Experimental Theatre Club.
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Circle Repertory Company.
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| Call No. |
*T-Mss 2006-006
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| Research Call Number |
*T-Mss 2006-006
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