TLA in 2018!
2018 has been a promising year for the Theatre Library Association. This year we welcomed board members Matt DiCintio, Suzanne Lipkin, David Nochimson, Rachel Smiley, Dale Stinchcomb, Scott Stone, and Joseph Tally. TLA recognized Kenneth Schlesinger, this year’s recipient of the Louis Rachow Distinguished Service in Performing Arts Librarianship Award. We awarded the Brooks McNamara Performing Arts Librairan Scholarship to Jeannie Chen (UCLA). We celebrated the outstanding service of our outgoing Book Awards co-chair, Diana Bertolini. We also convened our first membership meeting via social media!
In an unexpected turn of events our annual co-conference with the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) was canceled. ASTR recalled its contract with the Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter due to an ongoing hotel workers labor strike. TLA supports the courageous decision of ASTR, and we are hopeful that this advocacy for contingent workers continues to build in our own academic and professional fields.
We were very excited about the field conversation on Primary Sources and Online Tools, as well as the conference plenary that had been planned. It represented many of the best qualities of our organization. The intended panel highlighted not only the wealth of collections across institutions, but also the scholars and practitioners that contextualize them and make their legacy meaningful:
ASTR/TLA Plenary: The Thrill of Performing Arts Research
Research heightens our senses, through the thrill of “detective work,” following clues, discovering new facts, and engaging with people and places. This session discusses how theatre practitioners, researchers and archivists/librarians dynamically work together, weaving together research and creativity.
Moderator:
Dr. Francesca Marini, Associate Dean for Special Collections, Texas A&M University Libraries
Thrill Seekers in Paradise: Living with The Living Theatre
Susan Brady, Archivist, Beinecke Library and Kate Bredeson, Associate Professor of Theatre, Reed College
Archivists and theater historians share a passion for documenting and preserving the work of theater makers. This is a case study of the collaboration between an archivist and a theater historian, and the thrills they seek and experience through their work with the people and the records of The Living Theatre. Discovering previously unknown records, using known sources, interviewing key players: this dynamic collaboration helps preserve the legacy of the legendary Living Theatre.
Untold Stories from the Center Opera
Kathryn Hujda, Assistant Curator for Performing Arts and Literary Archives, University of Minnesota
H. Wesley Balk was the Stage Director and Co-Artistic Director of the Center Opera Company (now Minnesota Opera) for nearly 20 years. There exists no published history of the opera company or biography of Balk. By knitting together archival resources and questioning conflicting personal accounts, this paper explores the thrill of discovering untold stories and how they shape both our understanding of the past and our vision for the future.
Bringing Research to Life on the Stage: A Performing Arts Librarian’s Role in the Production Process
Scott Stone, Performing Arts Librarian, University of California, Irvine
Typically, a dramaturg assists directors, designers, and actors research historical and societal issues that pertain to a play’s production: but what happens if there is no dramaturg? Enter the performing arts librarian. Academic performing arts librarians can help faculty members and students with their stage work. From answering simple questions (“How much did a pack of cigarettes cost in 1905?”) to assisting with complex societal analysis, they can help bring a play to life on the stage.
Half-Buried Treasures: Extra-Illustrated Books in the Harvard Theatre Collection
Matthew Wittmann, Curator of the Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Some of the most underutilized resources at the Harvard Theatre Collection are extra-illustrated books: published texts that have been expanded upon through the addition of prints, autographs, playbills, letters, photographs, artwork, and other material. An example is Joseph Ireland’s Records of the New York Stage (1867): originally two volumes, now sixteen. The additional materials bring the published text to life, providing contextual information that is usually hard to find in one place. This paper discusses ways to make extra-illustrated books widely known and available to all researchers.
2019 will be an exciting year for TLA. We anticipate an extraordinary Performing Arts Resources volume on Theatre Architecture co-edited by Nancy Friedland and John Calhoun. We are also thrilled that Francesca Marini will begin her term as the incoming Board President. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve in that capacity, but I look forward to returning to the ranks of membership as Past-President. TLA sends a heartfelt thank you to all of the Board Members rotating off of the Board this year, and we especially acknowledge the steadfast leadership of Nancy Friedland. Under Nancy’s presidency (and past presidency) TLA has enjoyed many remarkable achievements such as the SIBMAS-TLA Symposium and the publication of its proceedings, the development of this website and our social media footprint, and outstanding participation in the discipline through traditional and innovative conference formats.
I first joined the TLA Board in 2010, and was welcomed by colleagues that I did not know I had. My early career crossed between academia and archives, and while these seemed very connected to me, it had not been my experience that these professions co-existed or collaborated with mutual respect and understanding. The Theatre Library Association changed that for me.
The Theatre Library Association exists because its members recognize a need for community among archivists, librarians, practitioners, and scholars. I encourage you to become as involved as you can- like I did. Become a member, join a committee, serve as a reviewer, login to a social media membership meeting, or just keep reading. Thank you for being a part of our important work.
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