Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Repository University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Record Source University of Pennsylvania Online Content Not Available Subject Theater Form Clippings (information artifacts) Form Correspondence

Hedgerow Theatre Company records, 1901-2016 (inclusive)

Extent:: 59.5 linear feet (67 boxes)
Abstract:: The Hedgerow Theatre Company was established in 1923 by Jasper Deeter, a New York based actor and director. Located in the Rose Valley Arts and Crafts Community of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Hedgerow holds the distinction as the longest serving Repertory Theatre in America. The Hedgerow Theatre Company records contains a wide variety of materials, from business records and show materials to member ephemera and photographs. The collection provides both a practical and intimate look into the workings of this repertory theatre.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

H. H. Furness Memorial Library manuscript collection, 1575-1991 (inclusive) 1812-1930 (bulk)

Extent:: 10 linear feet (20 boxes and one oversized folder)
Abstract:: The H.H. Furness Memorial Library focuses on the study of Shakespeare and other Tudor and Stuart dramatists. Horace Howard Furness (1833-1912) and his son Horace Howard Furness Jr. (1865-1930) founded and edited the Variorum Shakespeare and their library was donated to the University of Pennsylvania in 1932. This collection contains personal correspondence to and from Rev. William Henry Furness (1802-1896), Horace Howard Furness, and Horace Howard Furness, Jr., largely relating to Shakespearean study and the H.H. Furness Memorial library; notebooks; copies of speeches and articles; and other assorted items relating to Shakespearean scholarship or to the Furness family.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Joseph E. Gillet collection, 1909-1956 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.6 linear feet (4 boxes)
Abstract:: Joseph E. Gillet (1888-1958), a native of Belgium, was a professor of Spanish at Bryn Mawr College. He directed doctoral dissertations both at Bryn Mawr College and at the University of Pennsylvania, and he achieved several critical editions recognized in the academic world. His papers include photostats, transcripts and translations of Spanish texts, correspondence with his colleagues and libraries in America and Europe, clippings of journals mentioning his publications, and handwritten research notes.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Furness family papers, 1765-1937 (inclusive)

Extent:: 49 boxes
Abstract:: Family records, personal records, and materials related to the publication of the New Variorum editions of Shakespearean texts. The collection includes the work of Furness and his son, as writers, editors, and collectors, but it also includes personal materials related to their non-scholarly interests. Family members include: Horace Howard Furness (1833-1912), Horace Howard Furness (1865-1930), Helen Kate Furness, William Henry Furness, and Louise Brooks Winsor Furness.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Savoy Company records, 1901-2017 (inclusive)

Extent:: 226.2 linear feet (327 boxes)
Abstract:: The Savoy Company is the oldest amateur theater company dedicated to the production of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. The collection contains administrative material, programs, musical and vocal scores, scrapbooks, audio-visual material and photographs which document its annual performance.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Felix E. Schelling papers, 1856-1945 (inclusive)

Extent:: 7.25 linear feet (13 boxes)
Abstract:: Felix E. Schelling (1858-1945) was a professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, an expert on Shakespeare, and an author of scholarly works on Shakespeare and Elizabethan literature. This collection documents Schelling's life as a student, a professor, a scholar, and an author. It also documents the University of Pennsylvania through the eyes of an individual who was a student and a faculty member over a period of more than fifty years.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Charlotte Cushman Club records, 1818-2000 (inclusive) 1907-1998 (bulk)

Extent:: 16.6 linear feet (26 boxes)
Abstract:: Founded in 1907, the Charlotte Cushman Club was originally intended to provide respectable lodgings for actresses appearing in Philadelphia theaters. In the years of World War II the Club ceased to provide residential services, becoming a favorite gathering place of theater lovers as well as of the many actresses and actors visiting the city with their touring companies. The Charlotte Cushman Club Records offer insight into the activities, the administration, and the membership of the Club during the whole life of the organization, until its closure in 1998. The collection also includes part of the holdings of the former Club's museum and library.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Anne Sandwith Drinker scrapbook, 1934-1937 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.4 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:: This collection consists of a scrapbook compiled by Anne "Nancy" Sandwith Drinker (1918-1973), a teenager from a prominent family, and dates from 1934 to 1937. The bulk of materials included are: 1) Theater programs for plays, ballets, and concerts that Drinker attended in Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia, along with magazine and newspaper clippings relating to those events; and 2) Personal correspondence with friends and family. To a more limited extent, this collection also includes photographs and school records.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]