Dates: 1949-2016; n.d.
Size: 3.3 cubic ft.

 

Note on Description and Arrangement:

Series 34 (previously Dramatizations of Welty's Fiction) has greatly expanded from its original scope of three plays and is now arranged by three subseries: Scripts, Productions, and University Productions.

Subseries 34.2 is arranged by the titles of the productions and thereafter chronologically. Materials associated with the productions in this series include correspondence, playbills or programs, photographs, news clippings, and ephemera related to the production. Some correspondence that had been previously placed in Series 29b Russell & Volkening have been returned with the original associated materials in this series.

Subseries 34.3 is arranged by the adaptations' title with the associated materials that were sent to Welty as an album or book. The materials in this series include included scripts, photographs, programs, thank you cards, news clippings, and photocopies of the original order of the materials within each album. The productions at the University of Mississippi and University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana honored Eudora Welty with honorary degrees (see Series 41 Awards, Honors, and Tributes). The production adapted and directed by Emily Helen Evans was part of a graduate requirement for a Master of Fine Arts for Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Original empty envelopes, empty folders, and news clippings have been removed and placed into Box 109.

Productions of interest:

"Bye-Bye Brevoort" written by Eudora Welty was performed as part of The Littlest Revue at the Phoenix Theatre in New York City beginning on May 23, 1956. Series 34 includes materials on the production such as playbills and news clippings. See Series 21: Drama for the carbon typescript of the play.

The Broadway adaptation of The Ponder Heart written by Jerome Chodorov and Joseph A. Fields ran from February 16, 1956, to June 23, 1956, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City. It received the Theatre World Award and the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1956, along with two Tony Award nominations. The New Stage adaptation written by Frank Hains ran from 1972 to 1973 in Jackson, Mississippi. The scripts, reviews, news clippings, programs, playbills, and a photograph of David Wayne and Sarah Marshall are included in this series.

The Broadway musical adaptation of The Robber Bridegroom first ran from October 6, 1975, to October 18, 1975, and was performed by The Acting Company at Harkness Theatre in New York City. The musical received two Tony Award nominations, as well as several Drama Desk Award nominations. It ran again from October 9, 1976, to February 13, 1977, at the Biltmore Theatre in New York City and received the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, in addition to several Drama Desk Award nominations. The musical score with book and lyrics by Alfred Uhry and music by Robert Waldman is available in this series, as well as reviews, news clippings, programs, playbills, and a vinyl record.

A Season of Dreams is a collection of Eudora Welty's stories adapted by Patti Carr Black and Jane Reid-Petty. The play first premiered in 1968 and again in 1985 at New Stage Theatre in Jackson, Mississippi.

Materials from The Shoe Bird ballet in this series include photographs of the cast and playbills from the production by the Jackson Ballet Guild at the Jackson Municipal Auditorium in Jackson, Mississippi on April 20, 1968. See Series 9: The Shoe Bird for related materials on the ballet including the "Narrator's Lines" by Eudora Welty and the libretto by Lehman Engel. See also Series 29b for letters from Engel to Welty discussing the creation of the libretto and ballet. Related MDAH collections include Theo Inman Costume Designs (Z/0928) for costume sketches created by Inman for the ballet and Lehman Engel Manuscript (Z/0929) for Engel's score.

 

Series Identification:

 

Subseries 34.1: Scripts and Associated Materials. 1956; 1969-1972; 1976; 1978-1979; 1984-1986; 1988-1989; 1992; n.d. 1,137 items.

"At the Landing." n.d. 7 pieces.
Film treatment by Jim McGrath for "At the Landing."
Box 483, Folder 1

"Death of a Travelling Salesman." February 1985. 49 pieces.
Television adaptation by Beth Dolan and Luis Remesar for "Death of a Travelling Salesman." Includes a letter from Timothy Seldes of Russell & Volkening to Eudora Welty. 
Box 483, Folder 2

"End of the Road" (No Place for You, My Love). n.d. 44 pieces.
Screenplay by Joyce Battlana for "End of the Road" adapted from "No Place for You, My Love." Includes a letter from Battlana to Eudora Welty with accompanying comments from Professor Diane Borden of the University of the Pacific, California. 
Box 483, Folder 3

An Evening with Eudora Welty and a Few of Her Friends. [1986]. 103 pieces.
Stage dramatizations by Lesley Kent Phillips for An Evening with Eudora Welty and a Few of Her Friends featuring adaptations for "Keela, the Outcast Indian Maiden," "The Petrified Man," "Why I Live at the P.O.," and "Lily Daw and the Three Ladies." Includes a letter from Phillips with an accompanying diagram of the stage. 
Box 483, Folders 4-8

"The Hitch-Hikers." July 20, 1988. 34 pieces.
Screenplay by Lou Anne Wright for "The Hitch-Hikers" with comments by Eudora Welty. 
Box 483, Folder 9

"Keela, the Outcast Indian Maiden." December 1988. 33 pieces. 
Stage adaptation by Benjamin Carney for "Keela, the Outcast Indian Maiden." Includes a letter from Miriam Altschuler of Russell & Volkening to Eudora Welty.
Box 483, Folder 10-11

"Lily Daw and the Three Ladies." n.d. 22 pieces.
Teleplay by Chandler Warren for "Lily Daw and the Three Ladies." 
Box, Folder 12

"The Petrified Man." n.d. 33 pieces.
Teleplay by Jim McGrath for "The Petrified Man." 
Box 483, Folder 13

The Ponder Heart. [1956]. 116 pieces.
Stage adaptation by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov for The Ponder Heart. Includes comments and revisions by Eudora Welty. 
Box 483, Folders 14-18

The Ponder Heart. [Circa 1969-1972]. 55 pieces.
Stage adaptation by Frank Hains for The Ponder Heart for New Stage Theatre. Includes notes from Eudora Welty. 
Box 483, Folder 19-20

The Ponder Heart. February 24, 2000. 120 pieces. 
Screenplay by Gail Gilchriest for The Ponder Heart adaption by A.L.T. Films as part of ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theater's American Collection. 
Box 483, Folders 21-22

The Ponder Heart. 1979. 49 pieces.
Libretto and music by Alice Parker for The Ponder Heart opera. 
Box 483, Folder 23

The Robber Bridegroom. March 19, 1976. 6 pieces.
Book and lyrics by Robert Waldman and Alfred Uhry for The Robber Bridegroom musical performed by the Acting Company. 
Box 484, Folders 1-4

A Season of Dreams. [1985]. 78 pieces.
Stage adaptation by [Patti Carr Black and Jane Reid-Petty] for A Season of Dreams.
Box 484, Folders 5-6

"Truer than Non-Fiction" (One Writer's Beginnings). 1988. 19 pieces.
A one-act play by Lisa Foster for "Truer than Non-Fiction" adapted from One Writer's Beginnings. Includes a letter from Lisa Foster to Eudora Welty and a response from Welty to Foster requesting for the play to be stopped. 
Box 484, Folder 7

"The Trumpet of the Swan" (The Wanderers). [1985]. 5 pieces.
Music for the chorus by Samuel Jones for "The Trumpet of the Swan" adapted from "The Wanderers," and commissioned by Millsaps College for the 50th Anniversary of the founding of The Millsaps Singers. 
Box 484, Folder 8

"Why I Live at the P.O." n.d. 19 pieces. 
Includes an undated stage adaptation by Benjamin Carney for "Why I Live at the P.O." 
Box 484, Folder 9

"Why I Live at the P.O." 1986. 2 items. 
Screenplay by Gigi Grimes for "Why I Live at the P.O." April 16, 1984. Includes a letter from Grimes to Eudora Welty dated March 8, 1986. 
Box 484, Folder 10

"Why I Live at the P.O." [1992]. 87 pieces.
Stage adaptations by Neva J. Howell for "Why I Live at the P.O." include a one-woman version and a full-cast version. Includes a letter from Howell to Eudora Welty, an envelope annotated by Welty dated August 21, 1992, and an undated letter from Howell to Welty. Also included are correspondence, letters of recommendation, articles by Howell, a book of poetry chapbook by Howell, reviews of Howell's performances, a resume, and a headshot. 
Box 484, Folders 11-14

"Why I Live at the P.O." 1992. 108 pieces. 
Includes a screenplay by Keith L. Moore for "Why I Live at the P.O." dated December 10, 1992. Also includes a letter from Timothy Seldes of Russell & Volkening to Eudora Welty and a letter from Moore to Seldes dated December 14, 1992, and December 17, 1992. 
Box 484, Folders 15-18

"Why I Live at the P.O." n.d. 24 pieces.
Television adaptation by Chandler Warren for "Why I Live at the P.O." 
Box 484, Folder 19

"The Wide Net." 1985-1986; n.d. 92 pieces.
Includes a screenplay by Anthony Herrera for "The Wide Net" dated October 28, 1985; a revised draft with edits and comments by Eudora Welty dated February 17, 1986; and a third revised, undated draft. 
Box 484, Folders 20-22

"The Wide Net." October 1978. 68 pieces.
Film script by Richard O. Moore for "The Wide Net" with edits by Eudora Welty. 
Box 484, Folders 23-24

"A Worn Path." n.d. 1 item.
Television adaptation by David Kaplan and Brenda Currin for "A Worn Path." 
Box 484, Folder 25

"A Worn Path." March 17, 1986. 15 pieces.
Stage adaptation by Constance Winston and Danielle (surname unidentified) for "A Worn Path." Includes a letter from Winston to Eudora Welty. 
Box 484, Folder 26

 

Subseries 34.2: Productions and Associated Materials. 1949; 1955-1956; 1958; 1965; 1968; 1974-1977; 1979; 1982; 1985; 1987; 1992; n.d. 318 items.

"Bye-Bye Brevoort." 1949; 1955-1956; 1958; 1993 n.d. 10 pieces.
Photograph taken by E. Kingsley Walter annotated by Eudora Welty on verso of the Summer Theatre production directed by Paul Lammers with music by Brown Furlow, [1949]. Playbills for "The Littlest Revue," from the Phoenix Theatre in New York, New York, and news clippings, including a review of the off-Broadway production 1955-1956. Programs for "Summer Players ‘58" presenting "Bye-Bye Brevoort" at the Jackson Little Theatre Jackson, Mississippi, and newspaper clipping of Eudora Welty with the cast, August 1958. (See Series 21: Drama for related materials). 
Box 485, Folders 1-8

The Ponder Heart. 1952; 1955-1957; 1962; 1970; 1973; 1982; 1992; 1999-2001; n.d. 234 items.
Promotional materials for New Stage Theatre including a headshot of Eudora Welty, William Partlan, and Alice Parker. News releases. Playbills for the Playwrights' Company Broadway production at the Music Box in New York, New York, February 1956; Jackson Little Theatre in Jackson, Mississippi, October 1956; Players Ring Gallery in Los Angeles, California [November 1956]; the Famous Artists' Country Playhouse in New York, New York [circa 1956-1957]; the Carousel Theater in Knoxville, Tennessee [June 1957]; Highland Park Tenthouse in Chicago, Illinois, July 31, 1957; Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas, August 1962; New Stage Theatre in Jackson, Mississippi, May 1970, April-May 1973, and September 1982; and Ellisville High School in Ellisville, Mississippi, n.d. Announcements and invitations. Newspaper clippings and box office reviews. Some news clippings were sent to Eudora Welty from Chestina Andrews Welty, 1956.
Box 485, Folders 9-55

The Robber Bridegroom. 1974-1977; 1982; 1997; 2016; n.d. 126 items.
Playbills for Musical Theatre Lab at St. Clement's Church Off-Broadway production in New York, New York, 1974-1975; The Acting Company's production at the Saratoga Festival in Saratoga Springs July-August [1975], New York, the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois August [1975], Broadway production at Harkness Theatre New York, New York October 1975, and Macauley Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky March 1976; Centre Theatre Group at Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, California July 1976; Broadway production at the Biltmore Theatre in New York, New York October 1976; Broadway Theatre Series at Jackson Municipal Auditorium in Jackson, Mississippi, October 27, [1977]; and Purple Masque Production at Guerry Auditorium at University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee April-May 1982. Newspaper clippings and reviews, including a handwritten review by an unidentified person to "Uncle Timothy" regarding the Saratoga Festival production dated August 7, 1975. Materials on the City Center Acting Company, schedules, biographies on the Musical Theatre Lab, Eudora Welty New Play Series, newspaper clippings, and reviews.
Box 486, Folders 1-27
Box 488 Vinyl record (restricted)

A Season of Dreams. 1968; 1970; 1985. 35 items.
Playbills for New Stage Theatre production in Jackson, Mississippi for the premiere in 1968 and the restaging in 1985. Newspaper clippings including a clipping of Eudora Welty with Elizabeth Welty, Mary Alice Welty, and Mittie Creekmore Welty at the 1968 premiere. 
Box 486, Folders 28-36
Box 464, Folder 9 (news clipping)

The Shoe Bird. 1968. 24 pieces.
Photographs of the Jackson Ballet Guild cast. Playbills from the April 20, 1968, world premiere at the Jackson Municipal Auditorium in Jackson, Mississippi. Newspaper article by Frank Hains. (See Series 9: The Shoe Bird for related materials). 
Box 486, Folders 37-42

"A Visit of Charity." n.d. 10 pieces.
Photographs by an unidentified photographer and production. 
Box 486, Folder 43

"Why I Live at the P.O." April 16, [1992]. 1 item.
Program for the Contemporary Performing Arts of Chattanooga (CoPAC) production at Barking Legs Theatre in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 
Box 486, Folder 44

"The Wide Net." January 1987. 3 items.
Program for Anthony Herrera's adaptation of "The Wide Net" World Premiere presented by Biloxi Film Commission at Saenger Theater, Biloxi, Mississippi. Postcard for "The Wide Net" screening invitation at the Mark Goodson Theater, New York, New York. 
Box 486, Folders 45-46

 

Subseries 34.3: University Productions and Honors. 1965; 1977; 1979. 331 items.

"The Petrified Man" and "A Piece of News." 1965. 90 pieces.
Plays adapted and directed by Emily Helen Evans for M.F.A requirement at Western Reserve University. Production prompt book includes scripts, photographs, rehearsal schedules, and news clippings. 
Box 487, Folders 1-7
Box 489 (audio reel; restricted)

The Ponder Heart. November 1977. 155 items.
Symposium honoring Eudora Welty held at the University of Mississippi on November 10, 1977 (see Series 41: Awards, Honors, and Tributes for related materials). The original album included a script, photographs, thank you cards, programs, and news clippings. 
Box 487, Folders 8-14

"The Petrified Man" and "Why I Live at the P.O." May 20, 1979. 85 items.
Special performances honoring Eudora Welty during her presentation of a Doctor of Letters Honorary Degree held at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on May 20, 1979 (see Series 41: Awards, Honors, and Tributes for related materials). Includes a program and photographs with captions. 
Box 487, Folders 15-18

 

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