Search Results: Performing Arts from Classic Books and Ephemera

Lansdowne, PA: King's Daughters of Lansdowne, 1935. Very Good +. The 3 programs each consist of 1 sheet folded (13.5 x 8.5 cm.), printed in black. The musical and tea took place in March of the respective year, in 1935 at the Baptist Social Hall in Lansdowne, and in 1936 and 1937 at the Twentieth Century Club in Lansdowne. The performers included: Dorothy Johnstone Baseler (1880-1964), harpist for the Philadelphia Orchestra in the early 20th century, who recorded with Columbia in 1911 and taught at the Curtis Institute of Music; actress and singer Marjorie Maxwell, who did a dramatic reading; and luthier Thomas Elmer playing the cello with the Newton Coal Trio. The members of the Willing Workers' circle are listed inside in the first 2 programs and on the back of the 1937 program. Former owner's name written inside: "Frances D. Swaim." The 1935 program is in Very Good- Condition: lightly soiled; lower corner creased; back is scraped. The 1936 and 1937 programs are in Fine Condition: clean and bright.

New York: Claire Nichtern Productions, 1975. Paperback. Near Fine. [104] leaves; 29 cm. Screwbound green duplicating service wrapper with gilt wrapper title and typed paper label taped on spine. In clear acetate cover. Xerographic duplication, rectos only. "#168" written in ink at upper edge of title page. In pencil on title page: "a few changes"; "65" [crossed out]; and "1975" [crossed out]. The changes consist of several cuts and possible cuts, and several small corrections and changes in dialogue. Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson starred in the North American premier in 1976 and in the Kennedy Centre production in 1977, both produced by Claire Nichtern. The planned Broadway opening later in 1977 did not happen. In Near Fine Condition: edges are slightly rubbed; pages are clean and solid.

London: John Stockdale, 1800. Very Good. Printed by Thomas Gillet, Salisbury Sqaure, London. xi, [2], 10-78 p.; 20 cm. Disbound from a miscellaneous volume. Includes Prologue by William Sotheby and Epilogue by J. Taylor. First edition. Lists the cast from the 1800 production at the Drury Lane Theater, including Messers Aickin, Kemble, Barrymore, C. Kemble, and Mrs. Siddons. Scarce. Disbound; in Very Good Condition: occasional light foxing and browning; otherwise clean and tight.

Philadelphia: Antrim Lyceum, 1926. Good. 1 ticket (56 x 99 mm.) for admission to any of five productions on dated in Oct. and Nov. and Jan., Feb., and March. The dates indicate that these were in 1926 and 1927. The Antrim Lyceum Bureau was located at 1001 Chestnut St., Philadelphia under the management of Clarence D. Antrim (1859-1937). It was one part of his "plan for human betterment." The performers listed on the ticket are: The Frazers; Allpress All Star Co.; Gypsy Girls; lexander Novelty Four; and C. L. Burgerfer. In Good Condition: lacking lower corner without loss of text; slightly soiled and creased.

Lausanne: Editions Payot, 1992. Paperback. Fine. 126, [2] p.: illustrations; 26 cm. Paperback with illustrated cover. Gift inscription on half title page to architects Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi: "To Denise Bob with admiration j__ Les Armures 28 04 07." Six essays on the work of Swiss architect and stage designer Adolphe Appia (1862-1928). Scarce. In Fine Condition: clean and bright.

New York: Robert M. De Witt, 1882. Paperback. Very Good -. 36, [4] p.: plans; 20 cm. Off-white wrapper. Publisher's advertisements on wrappers and on 4 unpaginated pages following text. No date of publication. Although the imprint is "Robert M. De Witt," which should not have been used after he died in 1877, the series listing goes up to no. 317, which was published around 1882. Scarce. In Very Good- Condition: wrapper stained along spine and on back wrapper; pages are clean and tight.

New York: National Publishers, 1965. Paperback. Very Good. [40] p. (1 folded): color illustrations; 32 cm. Stapled. This is the souvenir program for the opening of the movie about Michelangelo, The Agony and the Ecstasy, based on the book by the same name by Irving Stone. Includes maps of Rome and Florence; a chronology of Michelangelo's life; photographs of Charlton Heston as Michelangelo, Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II, and other cast members, as well as others responsible for the lavish production. In Very Good Condition: cover is lightly soiled and creased; stain at upper edge of one page; otherwise, clean and tight.

Boston: Walter H. Baker & Co, 1905. Paperback. Good. 50, [2] p.; 19 cm. Brown wrapper printed in black. "Baker's Edition of Plays" -- on front wrapper. Publisher's advertisements for a variety of plays on final 2 pages; for plays by A. W. Pinero inside front and back wrappers; and for the William Warren Edition of Plays on back wrapper. Anthony E. Wills (1879-1912) was the author of several popular plays in the early 20th century; three short films were based on his plays in 1913 and 1914. This part was used by an actor who played the role of Harry Dodsworth and retains various related pencil marks. Scarce. In Good Condition: wrapper is separating at spine; wrapper is detached from text block; a few pages corners creased; pencil marks as described above; otherwise, clean and solid.

Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Français, 1924. Paperback. Very Good -. 44, [2] p.; 16 cm. Plain wrappers printed in black. Front wrapper reproduces title page; back wrapper bears series list for Répertoire du Vieux-Colombier, of which this title is no. 22. "Acheve d'imprimer le 7 Juin 1924 par F. Paillart a Abbeville (France)." -- colophon. A few pages are unopened. The author, Bengali author, artist, and composer Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (in 1913). This is a translation of his 1912 play Dak Ghar, known in English as The Post Office. This edition is scarce. In Very Good- Condition: wrappers are lightly creased; some pages were opened carelessly; clean and tight.

Philadelphia: Academy of Music, 1924. Very Good. 16 p.: illustrated advertisements; 26 cm. Grey wrappers printed in dark green. This is the program for the Nov. 19, 1924, performance of Anna Pavlova (spelled Pavlowa) with Laurent Novikoff, Alexandre Volinine, Hilda Butsova, and others. They performed Don Quixote (Novikoff/Minkus), with Pavlova dancing Kitry and Dulcinea, and seven Divertissements, including Pavlova in her most famous role, the Swan (Fokine/Saint-Saens). The program includes many advertisements for Philadelphia businesses, some of them illustrated. The advertisements include: a Thanksgiving performance at the Academy of Music by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra (with a photograph of the orchestra); and competing dance studios led by two former Denishawn dancers, Jerrie Meyer and Sara D. Ferris. Also contains an article by the composer and Chautauqua performer Clay Smith about the origin of the word "jazz," tracing it back to western mining town honkytonks where he played… Read More

Philadelphia: Apollo Orchestra, 1917. Pamphlet. Fine. [4] p.; 13 cm. Folded card printed in black. Program for an open rehearsal on Dec. 16, 1917, at "Broad Street Drawing Rooms," 715 N. Broad St., Philadelphia. "Invitation Rehearsal" -- on front cover. Conducted by J. W. F. Leman. Founded in 1870, the orchestra consisted of professional musicians, music students, and amateurs. This program included La Nuit et L'Amour by Augusta Holmes, and soprano Florence Yerger. The conductor, J. W. F. Leman, also conducted at this time the West Philadelphia Orchestral Society. Later he conducted the Steel Pier Orchestra in Atlantic City in the 1920s; the Women's Symhony Orchestra, and the Civic Symphony Orchestra (created by the Federal Music Project of the Works Progress Administration) in the 1930s; and the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra from 1941 to 1952. He also was a violinist with the Philadelphia orchestra under Leopold Stokowski. In Fine Condition: clean and bright.

Philadelphia: Apollo Orchestra, 1918. Pamphlet. Fine. [4] p.; 13 cm. Folded card printed in black. Program for an open rehearsal on May 5, 1918, at "Broad Street Drawing Rooms," 715 N. Broad St., Philadelphia. "Invitation Rehearsal" -- on front cover. Conducted by J. W. F. Leman. Founded in 1870, the orchestra consisted of professional musicians, music students, and amateurs. This program included soprano Bertha Hirshberg singing an aria from Verdi's Rigoletto, and violinist John Richardson playing Allegro Brilliant, the most well-known work by Dutch composer Ten Have. The conductor, J. W. F. Leman, also conducted at this time the West Philadelphia Orchestral Society. Later he conducted the Steel Pier Orchestra in Atlantic City in the 1920s; the Women's Symhony Orchestra, and the Civic Symphony Orchestra (created by the Federal Music Project of the Works Progress Administration) in the 1930s; and the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra from 1941 to 1952. He also was a violinist with the Philadelphia… Read More

New York: Brentano's, 1931. Hardcover. Near Fine. xlii, [2], 118 p.; 19 cm. Dark green cloth with paper spine label printed in green. No dust jacket. A satirical comedy about politics, written by Shaw shortly after finishing his nonfiction The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism. Former owner's inscription at lower edge of half title page, indicating the book was purchased on April 24, 1931. Pencilled notations about the character Proteus on blank leaf following front endpapers, with small marginal notes next to that character in the play. In Near Fine Condition: minor former owner's marks, as noted above; otherwise, clean and tight.

New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1965. Hardcover. Near Fine/good. 264 p.: illustrations; 24 cm. Black cloth with silver spine title. Illustrated dust jacket, in clear cover. Translated by Richard Winston. Includes bibliography and index. Stated First American edition. "Vividly illustrated with 293 photographs, and dramatically narrated, Archaeology of the Cinema is the definitive history of the cinema before 1897." -- dust jacket. Book is in Near Fine Condition: text pages are age-toned, as is typical of this book; otherwise, clean and tight. Dust jacket is in Good Condition: edges rubbed; closed 2-cm. tear from upper edge of front section; chipping at head of spine; clean and bright.

Oakland, NJ: Sidney Kingsley, 1969. Very Good. 123 leaves; 28 cm. Typescript with alterations taped over the original. "Script #3" written at upper edge of title page. American playwright Sidney Kingsley (1906-1995) won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his first produced play, Men in White, in 1934. He went on to have a successful career writing plays and for television and film. In 1969 he announced that he was working on a trilogy to be called The Art Scene. The first play was focused on changes in the current art world and would employ paintings and sculpture by Kingsley himself. The other two parts would focus on modern dance and theater. The same year he copyrighted The Art Scene, Part One: Man with a Corpse on His Back. This script, simply titled Art Scene: A Play, is undated but presumably was created before he arrived at the title Man with a Corpse on His Back. Of interest in particular because of the many changes showing the work in progress. In Very Good Condition: title page is lightly… Read More

Philadelphia: Chestnut St. Opera House, 1926. Very Good. 1 sheet (20 x 16 cm.) printed in two columns, on both sides. Skits and sketches by Harold Atteridge; lyrics by Clifford Grey; music by Alfred Goodman, J. Fred Cootes, and Mourie Rubens; art direction by Watson Barratt; staged and produced by J.J. Shubert. Cast included: 18 Gertrude Hoffman girls; Phil Baker (1896-1963); Sid Silvers (1901-1976), who made his Broadway debut in this production; and many others. The instruments used included "a new invention," the Flex-a-tone (flexatone). In Very Good Condition: creased; clean and intact.

New York: Frank V. Strauss & Co, 1909. Paperback. Near Fine. [24] p.: illustrations; 23 cm. Stapled with chromolithographed front cover. The program for the week beginning Monday, Sept. 13, 1909. "The Man From Home" by Booth Tarkington and Harry Leon Wilson was the play for which American actor William Hodge (1874-1932) was best known; this program is from the second year of production in New York. It had opened in Chicago in 1907. Hodge also wrote several successful plays and novels. The cast also includes Ida Vernon, Henry Jewett, Herbert McKenzie, Echlin P. Gayer, Henry Harmon, George Le Guere, Louis P. Verande, and Ciro Faraone. Includes a full-page illustration captioned "The Program Girl as Little Dutch" by R. Ford Harper; articles on women's and men's fashions and on golf; and advertisements including an illustrated full-page ad for Warner's Rust-Proof Corsets. In Near Fine Condition: light vertical crease; clean and bright.

Paris: Librairie Ch. Delagrave, 1898. Hardcover. Good. Édition Nouvelle a L'Usage des Classes par N.-M. Bernardin." [4], 140, [2] p.; 18 cm. Black cloth spine with printed paper spine label; beige paper over boards printed in black. Back cover and page facing title page contain publisher's advertisements. Stamp in purple ink at head of front cover and title page reading "Philip Bayard" with additional lettering in Arabic; pencilled notations on p. 78 also in what appears to be Arabic. Philip Bayard (1872-1911) was descended from a long line of political and financial leaders in Philadelphia and Delaware -- he was the son, grandson, brother, and nephew of numerous prominent Bayards. From 1906 (or earlier) to 1908 he served as American Vice Consul General in Morocco, where he probably acquired this and a number of other works in French, which he marked with this distinctive stamp combining the Roman and Arabic alphabets. Tragically, he died in 1911, having jumped or fallen from the… Read More

Ithaca, N.Y.: Albert Bernhardt Faust, 1944. Paperback. Good +. x, 86 p., frontispiece & 7 leaves of illustrations; 23 cm. Dark blue paper wrappers with silver spine and wrapper title. Although a well-known German and German-American studies scholar, Albert Bernhardt Faust (1870-1951) wrote this play late in life about the war over the national bank in the United States that occured during the administration of President Andrew Jackson. Very scarce. In Good+ Condition: wrapper starting to separate at ends of spine; lower corner of front wrapper creased; wrapper is lightly soiled, and scraped at upper left-hand corner of front wrapper and inside both front and back wrappers; pages are clean and tight.

S.l.: Barry & Fay's Comedy Co, 1882. Very Good. 1 card (12 x 7.7 cm.) with chromolithograph on the front of a man sitting with two ventriloquist dummies on his lap. The back contains an advertisement for the show "At Opera House, Friday Evening, March 17." No year or city are stated. No date of publication. Barry & Fay's Comedy Co., composed of Hugh Fay and Billy Barry and other performers, opened a show including the two-act sketch Muldoon's Picnic at Haverly's Niblo's Theatre in New York in 1882. March 17 was a Friday in that year suggesting that this card was for a performance at a different theater the same year. Scarce. In Very Good Condition: small scrape on lower left of front; corners are slightly rubbed; 1-x-2-cm. scape at upper edge of back; otherwise, clean and solid.