Playbill and Program. Collection, 1843-1979

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Theater and Performing Arts

No restrictions. Open for research.

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Playbill and Program. Collection, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

The Playbill and Program Collection represents a diverse body of material which falls under the general heading of 'public performance' in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Approximately two-thirds of the collection can be designated as a "playbill." In the 19th century, this category includes posters, programs, and souvenir books; in the 20th century, the term specifically indicates Playbill or Showbill magazines. The remaining third of the collection is primarily comprised of musical performance programs, ranging from amateur recitals to grand opera and ballet. A small portion of the collection consists of other types of public gatherings, including lectures, memorials, and tributes. A number of scrapbooks are included in this collection and are integrated according to region and content. Finally, some of this collection pertains to newer media such as movie programs, film stills, and radio broadcast transcripts. The majority of this material is from Chicago, New York, and Boston, but the collection spans the entire United States as well as a few foreign countries (primarily England, France, and Germany.)

This collection is particularly interesting for its 19th-century and early 20th-century material. The playbills and programs represented not only include public performances, but also performances given at private homes and clubs. As a group, they reveal much about the development of cultural tastes and habits, particularly in Chicago. The early "playbills" range greatly in size and format, becoming increasingly elaborate until the format is standardized as the Playbill or Showbill magazines.

The collection is divided into five series.

Series I: Playbills and Theater Documents, primarily contains playbills, but also includes theater magazines, play-listings and souvenir programs. It is divided into three subseries. The first includes playbills from Chicago theaters, organized by theater in three overlapping alphabetical groups. Other documents related to Chicago theater may be found at the end of the subseries. Subseries 2 contains scrapbooks of playbills, photographs and clippings from Chicago and other cities. Subseries 3 contains playbills and other items documenting theaters around the world. Boston and New York are particularly well represented.

Series II includes playbills, showbills and musical performance programs, dating from the 1940s through the 1970s, from the collection of Frances Moore. The programs are organized into three alphabetical sequences by name of play or musical. The internal divisions reflect the original order of the collection rather than a systematic sort; hence, some dates overlap and items are duplicated in different sections of the collection.

Series III is primarily made up of programs for music and dance performances in Chicago, New York and Boston. The series also includes documents related to other public events and broadcasts, including radio scripts, university graduation programs and film programs.

Series IV contains oversize items. These include large format playbills, scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, issues of New York theater publications and a set of playbills from theaters in Manchester, England.

Series V contains addenda. It includes playbills from a theaters throughout the United States, including New York, Chicago, Nashville, and Oklahoma City.

The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:

• Subject
  • Theater - United States - History
  • Performing arts