Harvard Theatre Collection playbills and programs from Boston theaters
Overview
Printed playbills and programs from theaters in and around Boston, Massachusetts.
Dates
- 1775-1988
Language of Materials
Collection materials are predominantly in English; also includes some in French, German, one in Armenian, one in Russian, and as well as other languages.
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on physical access to this material. Collection is open for research.
Extent
352 linear feet (272 boxes, 497 volumes, and 8 oversize folders)Printed playbills and programs from theatrical productions presented at theaters in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Addresses for theaters have been provided, when known. Occasionally the same theater name applied to multiple locations and in those cases, we have named the theater and added a (I), (II), (III) etc...
Includes materials for: Boston Museum; Boston Music Hall, Boston Opera House, Boston Theatre, Castle Square Theatre, Colonial Theatre, Columbia Theatre, Cort Theatre, Hollis Street Theatre, Majestic Theatre, Park Theatre, Plymouth Theatre, Shubert Theatre, Symphony Hall, Tremont Theatre, Wilbur Theatre, and many others.
Biographical / Historical
Theater programs and playbills are printed lists of the acts, scenes, selections, or other features composing a play or theatrical entertainment, including the names of the performers. Typically a playbill is a single-sheet listing of acts with a short description, printed on one side of paper and a program is a folded piece printed on both sides, in leaflet, pamphlet, or booklet size.
Arrangement
The finding aid is arranged alphabetically by name of theater, though the materials are arranged physically by size, and therefore the item numbers are not in sequential order in the finding aid.
Physical Location
b, f, pf, bpf, ppf
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Various accession numbers; Gifts of various sources, various dates.
Processing Information
Processed by: Micah Hoggatt and Susan Pyzynski, with the assistance of Bonnie B. Salt.
- Title
- Harvard Theatre Collection. Harvard Theatre Collection playbills and programs from Boston theaters, 1775-1988: Guide.
- Status
- completed
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hou02431
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.
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