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Westbeth Playwrights' Feminist Collective records

Call Number

MS 3056

Date

1971-2015 (bulk, 1971-1975), inclusive

Creator

Westbeth Playwrights' Feminist Collective

Extent

1.04 Linear feet (in 3 boxes)

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

Records of the short-lived but groundbreaking Westbeth Playwrights' Feminist Collective, one of the earliest feminist theater groups in the United States. Incorporated 1972 and dissolved 1976, the WPFC was headquartered at the historic Westbeth Artists' Housing on West Street, Manhattan, and produced plays by feminist authors focused on issues central to the women's movement like sexual harassment and workplace inequality. The collection includes scripts, publicity material, articles and reviews, some correspondence, ephemera, and photographs of select production scenes and WPFC members.

Historical Note

The Westbeth Playwrights' Feminist Collective (WPFC)—named for its headquarters in the Westbeth Artists' Housing (in the historic Bell Telephone Laboratories Complex at 445-465 West Street, Manhattan)—was one of the earliest feminist theater groups in the United States. Incorporated on 19 October 1972, its founding members included the multitalented playwrights Helen Duberstein, Hélène Dworzan, Patricia Horan, Gwendolyn Gunn, Christina (a.k.a. Chryse) Maile, Sally Ordway, Dolores Deane Walker, and Susan Yankowitz. Its board of sponsors, a who's who of American feminism of the day, included theatre critic Margaret Croyden, activist Florynce Kennedy, poet Muriel Rukeyser, and Ms. magazine cofounder Gloria Steinem.

The plays of the WPFC focused on issues at the core of the women's movement like sexual harassment, workplace inequality, dominance and submission, and the exclusion of female celebrants by the religious patriarchy. Productions were staged in several Manhattan venues, among them the Theatre for the New City, Joseph Jefferson Company, and—at Westbeth—the Westbeth Cabaret and Gallery Theater. Titles include "Rape-In" (May 1971), "Up! An Uppity Revue" (February 1972), "Wicked Women Revue" (January 1973), "? ! A Revue" (May 1973), "We Can Feed Everybody Here" (January 1974), "What Time of Night It Is" (May 1974), "Medea" (January 1975), and "Jumpin' Salty" (April 1975). As publicity for "Jumpin' Salty"—which showcased the lives of notable women in American history like birth control advocate Margaret Sanger and the largely female victims of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire—the WPFC organized a march through Greenwich Village, with stops to hear speakers at sites connected to the women and events.

The WPFC staged a production of the Gertrude Stein-Virgil Thomson opera based on the life of Susan B. Anthony, "The Mother of Us All" (April-May 1976). They also sponsored readings by poets like Judy Grahn and Honor Moore, and hosted screenings of the work of women filmmakers.

The WPFC disbanded in 1976. Its members went on to pursue individual careers. Some continued (and continue) to write for the stage. Others became lawyers, bishops, printmakers, and landscape architects.

[This note is drawn from information in the collection, as well as the WPFC Wikipedia page, which supplies a detailed chronology of productions and credits for writing, directing, cast, and staging support.]

Arrangement

The bulk of the Westbeth Playwrights' Feminist Collective Records came to the New-York Historical Society in generally clearly labeled file folders. Titles or headings supplied by the archivist appear in [brackets]. Some of the original folders—all of which have been retained—bear notations on the contents inside (e.g., "Corrs. Answered NR" for "correspondence answered by Nancy Rhodes, WPFC Administrative Director"; see box 1, folder 3). The file contents have been transferred to archival folders, and the original label text has been transcribed onto the archival folders and repeated in the container list. Only the books and magazines in boxes 1 and 2 arrived loose; they have been grouped under the heading "Print matter." Similarly, the files for WPFC productions, each of which was labeled separately, have been unified under the heading "Productions." In cases where productions had more than one file, those files have been brought together inside a single archival folder—except for "What Time of Night It Is," which fills two (see box 2, folders 10–11). The files are in alphabetical order, with the above-mentioned print matter and productions appearing under those headings.

Scope and Contents

Although the Westbeth Playwrights' Feminist Collective Records contain scattered materials dating from as recently as 2015, the bulk of the collection stems from the period of the organization's existence, 1971–1975. It includes foundational documents (certificate of incorporation; petition for dissolution; see box 1, folder 2), information on grants received from the New York State Council on the Arts (box 1, folder 4), correspondence (box 1, folder 3), and photographs of members and select productions (box 1, folder 5). Most of the other items document WPFC productions through small-format posters, flyers, and programs (box 1, folder 6; box 3, folder 6), press releases (box 3, folder 4), and articles and reviews (box 1, folder 1). Production-specific materials include scripts, box office reports, and, in two cases, tape recordings of music for the performances (box 2, folders 6 and 10). [Note that until these tapes have been preservation reformatted, they may not be played.] Many of the WPFC productions were multi-authored revues, or series of short sketches; some scripts are lacking, and these have been noted by the donor (see the container list, box 2, folders 5–9).

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers.

Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)

Note: Until the audio tapes in box 2, folders 6 and 10 have been preservation reformatted, they may not be played.

Use Restrictions

This collection is owned by the New-York Historical Society. The copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials. Unpublished materials created before 1 January 1978 cannot be quoted in publication without permission of the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as the Westbeth Playwrights' Feminist Collective Records, MS 3056, The New-York Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Dolores Walker, January 2018.

Collection processed by

Joseph Ditta

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:47:09 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information

Archivist Joseph Ditta processed this collection in June 2018.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024