San José State University Theater Arts Collection, 1909-1982 (bulk 1945-1959)

Summary

Title:

San José State University Theater Arts Collection

Dates:

1909-1982 (bulk 1945-1959)

Abstract:

The San José State University Theater Arts Collection, 1909-1982 (bulk 1945-1959) documents theatrical plays and ballets arranged and presented by the university's Speech and Drama Department. The departmental material consists of theater programs, photographs, magazines, mailers, flyers, and various other print materials. Production material from the Spartan Revelries are available as well. In addition, the collection includes materials from national and international opera, orchestra, ballet, and theater productions.

Extent:

6 boxes (3.29 linear feet)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

San José State University Theater Arts Collection, MSS-2009-09-01, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The San José State University Theater Arts Collection, 1900-1988 (bulk 1950-1957) documents theatrical plays and ballets arranged and presented by the university's Department of Speech and Drama. The collection consists of department theater programs, production photographs, mailers, flyers, and posters. Materials for the preparations for the Spartan Revelries are available, including scripts, schedules, and promotional materials. In addition, the collection includes materials from national and international theater productions, such programs from opera and orchestral performances, souvenir theater and ballet programs, and performing arts magazines.

Biographical / historical:

In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes, Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations, and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.

The history of the San José State University Theater Arts Department is well documented by former professors Hugh Gillis and Robert Jenkins. According to Gillis and Jenkins, while some of the first main stage plays on campus can be traced to the years 1898 and 1899, it was not until 1927 that the Speech Arts Department was formally founded by Dr. Thomas MacQuarrie, the sixteenth president of the college. Initially chaired by Virginia Sanderson, the small department rapidly evolved. In 1936, the Speech Arts Department, at that time headed by Elizabeth Jenks, was divided into two separate areas of speech and drama, which resulted in growing enrollment numbers, especially after an upper division course for Radio Speaking was added to the curriculum. After World War II, the Speech and Drama Department reached new heights with professionally arranged main stage plays, which were sold to the public as an entire season. In the late 1940s a curriculum for Radio and Television was added, and the 1950s saw the addition of a Master of Arts degree in Drama. The department is now known as the San José State University TV-Radio-Film-Theatre Department, offering students a skilled learning environment that consistently arranges well-received productions, as well as providing news and entertainment via its own campus radio station (KSJS-FM).

Acquisition information:

This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008.The Project Director is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.

Processing information:

Collection processed by Silke Higgins. Finding aid EAD encoded by Silke Higgins. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen. Accruals were added to Series I, and collection housing was consolidated, by Stephanie Watson, June 2016. Accurals were added to Series I, and the collection was reprocessed by Eilene Lueck, Febuary 2023.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into two series: Series I. Speech and Drama Department Production Materials, 1924-1982; and Series II. National and International Theater Production Materials, 1909-1969.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Ballet Programs
Theater Periodicals
College theater -- California -- San Jose
Education -- California -- San Jose
Education, Higher -- California -- San Jose
Theater Programs
Drama

Names:

San José State University -- History
San José State Teachers College -- History
San José State University -- Speech and Drama Dept
California State University, San José -- History
San José State Normal School -- History
San Jose State College

About this collection guide

Date Encoded:

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-02-02 12:05:23 -0800 .

Access and use