Z 2013.000 Jackson Little Theatre Collection

Z 2013.000
JACKSON LITTLE THEATRE COLLECTION

The Little Theatre (1925-1978) of Jackson, Mississippi, was inspired by the American little-theatre movement. An outgrowth of a similar European theatre movement of the 1880s and 1890s, the little-theatre movement had its genesis in 1911 and 1912 with the formation of theatres in Boston, Chicago, and New York City. Fifty more little theatres had been organized across the country by 1917. This movement reached Jackson in 1924 in the person of Margaret P. Green, recent widow of Dr. S. Gordon Green. She organized the Little Theatre Players of Jackson in 1925. For many years, the mission statement of the Little Theatre was as follows: "a non-profit organization, the purpose of which is to cultivate, advance, and promote education in dramatic literature, dramatic expression, and dramatic art." The new theatre raised funds by advance ticket sales to a limited number of patrons, and to many of those, by invitation only. In the early years, most of the people joining the membership of the Little Theatre shared duties on the board of directors, behind the scenes and on the stage, and as directors of the plays. Casting auditions, however, were not limited to Little Theatre members.

Since the membership of the Little Theatre was by subscription only, the plays that were performed reflected the tastes of that membership. A list of proposed plays would be sent out to all members, and the final selections would be made by committee. Such practical considerations as availability of performance rights for more recent hits also determined the final play list. Most of the seasons were filled with light comedies (The Goose Hangs High by Lewis Beach) or suspense thrillers (Angel Street by Patrick Hamilton), but some experimental or controversial plays (Where the Cross Is Made by Eugene ONeill and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams) were also selected. The Little Theatre also encouraged playwrights from among their membership. In particular, the Little Theatre enjoyed a close relationship with writer Eudora Welty, who premiered her stage version of The Ponder Heart simultaneously at the Little Theatre and at Le Petite Theatre du Vieux Carre, in association with Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, between October 17 and 27 of 1956.

Until the Little Theatre built its own playhouse in 1932, plays were performed at different Jackson auditoriums, including the Blind Institute, the Century Theatre (an opera house also used as a motion-picture theatre), and Millsaps College. The group gave frequent benefit performances and staged "road shows" across the state. The name of the organization was shortened from the Little Theatre Players of Jackson to the Jackson Little Theatre in the 1940s. The Little Theatre launched the Mississippi Little Theatre Association in 1956, hosting an annual conference and play competition and publishing a newsletter. The Little Theatre playhouse burned in 1961. Once again, the Little Theatre players used auditoriums at local high schools and at Millsaps College while they began building a new playhouse on the site of the old one. The new brick playhouse was completed in 1963.

A breakaway group of Little Theatre members formed New Stage Theatre as Mississippis first regional professional theatre group in 1965. Across the South, similar groups had founded successful professional theatres: the Arena Theatre in Dallas, Texas; the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas; the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia; and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival Theatre in Anniston (later moved to Montgomery). While Little Theatre supporters faced rising production costs, even as they were paying off the mortgage of the new playhouse, New Stage supporters streamlined their shows and their production costs by leasing an abandoned church building. New Stage audiences began to grow, while Little Theatre audiences began to shrink. The Little Theatre sold its playhouse and property to New Stage Theatre in 1978, effectively ending a fifty-three-year run. New Stage earned its Actors Equity Association membership in 1980. New Stage became Jacksons link between the amateur little theatre and the regional professional theatre movements.

This collection contains correspondence, minutes, financial and legal records, galley proofs of a one-act play, graphic art, membership rolls, photographs, programs, and scrapbooks of the Jackson Little Theatre, spanning a thirty-five-year period.

1. Correspondence. 1926; 1930-1933; 1939. 1 folder.

This series includes a Little Theatre meeting notice on a postcard, newsletters to members, and a draft of a letter from Margaret P. Green to a committee in charge of building the new playhouse in 1932. The one incoming item is a reply from a vendor to Margaret P. Green.

2. Minutes. 1929. 1 folder.

This series includes copies of minutes from the annual meeting of the Little Theatre Players of Jackson on June 3, 1929.

3. Lease Agreement. 1929. 1 folder.

This series consists of a copy of a lease agreement of October 22, 1929, between Kennington Saenger Theatres, Inc., and the Little Theatre Players of Jackson for rental of the Century Theatre on November 21, 1929.

4. Membership Notebook. 1925-1932. 1 folder.

This series consists of a notebook listing the officers, members, and committees of the Little Theatre Players of Jackson for the years 1925 to1932.

5. Photographs. ca. 1933; n.d. 1 folder.

This series consists of two groups of photographs. One group is a set of exterior views of the new Little Theatre playhouse in 1932. The other group is of several different poses of Margaret P. Green that were taken at various times.

6. Graphic Art. 1932; n.d. 1 folder.

This series contains one original pen-and-ink drawing by Marie Hull that was used as the cover design of Little Theatre programs for many years. The other item is a 1932 rendering of the new playhouse by the architectural firm of R. W. Naef.

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7. Theatre Programs. 1933-1968. 0.33 cubic ft.

This series contains many Little Theatre programs for the seasons from 1933 through 1968. One notable program is for two one-act plays written by members of the Little Theatre playwriting workshop. Finders by Mrs. A. E. Saums and Anima Rerum (The Spirit of Things) by Bertha (Cid) Ricketts Sumner were performed on June 1 and 2 of 1938.

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8. Scrapbooks. 1924-1939; 1943; n.d. 0.90 cubic ft.

This series consists of four Little Theatre scrapbooks that include correspondence, financial and legal records, newsclippings, newsletters, photographs of members and productions, programs, and tickets. The first scrapbook contains the constitution and bylaws. It also contains a program for a presentation by the Dramatic Art Class and Little Theatre Players of the Womans Club at the Majestic Theatre in Jackson on November 21, 1924. This class was the origin of the Little Theatre Players of Jackson. The second scrapbook contains galley proofs of an original one-act play entitled Help Yourself by Bertha (Cid) Ricketts Sumner, Mrs. E. W. Stevenson, and Mrs. Charles Scott. While there is some overlapping of dated materials, the scrapbooks are in approximate chronological order.

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9. Miscellany. 1932; n.d. 1 folder.

This series includes two blank postcards and a magazine. There is one color postcard of the S. S. President Hoover and the S. S. President Coolidge. The other is a black-and-white postcard of the John Lindsey residence in Laurel, Mississippi. The magazine is entitled Little Theatres of the South Magazine (October 1934), in which is featured an article by Reba Stevenson on the Jackson Little Theatre.

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