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The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center offers a comprehensive archive along with exhibitions and public programs. But the closest Chicago has come is the Chicago Theater Collection at the Harold Washington Library Center. Squirreled away in a small reading room on the library’s top floor, the collection comprises materials donated by individuals (like the late Warren Casey, who coauthored Grease) and local companies ranging from the Goodman and Steppenwolf to defunct troupes such as Hull House Theater, Body Politic, and David Mamet’s St. Nicholas. Among those materials are programs, posters, production histories, review clippings, budget sheets, box office reports, correspondence, and even bathroom duty rosters. All these holdings are on reserve.
I don’t mean to belittle the collection. It’s a valuable resource for researchers, and the librarians who run it are wise and dedicated public servants. But it doesn’t begin to reflect the richness and diversity of Chicago theater, and it’s inconveniently located at the opposite end of the Loop from our ballyhooed Randolph Street theater district, home to both big commercial houses and intimate nonprofit auditoriums.
Any ideas how to set things in motion?
