Labor Theater Records
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Abstract
This collection contains the records of the Labor Theater (1973-1987?), which was a theater group that worked to bring plays to the American working class. The collection contains correspondence, grant proposals, and confirmations, by-laws, reports, contracts, touring agreements, theater locations, resumes, programs, scripts, press reviews, questionnaires, photographs, and financial records that relate to the fundraising and productions of the Labor Theater.
Historical/Biographical Note
The Labor Theater was founded in 1973 by Bette Craig and Chuck Portz to provide theater to working class people and produce plays based on contemporary social and economic problems. Craig and Portz were given a grant from the endowment for the Arts in 1978, which allowed them to travel to England and explore the labor theater community there. The Theater was at its most active in the early 1980s, producing plays such as "Bandits," "Jack London," "The Bottom Line," "Ragged Trousered Philanthropist," and others, often written by Portz and Craig. In addition to working out of their permanent location in New York (336 W.20th Street), the theater also toured around the country from early in its inception. The Theater received funding by both endowment funds and labor unions, like the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers and the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. By 1987, the Labor Theater turned into Realization Productions.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series:
Series I: General
Series II: Productions
Series III: Unprocessed Materials
Series IV: Photographs
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of correspondence, grant proposals, and confirmations, by-laws, reports, contracts, touring agreements, theater locations, resumes, programs, scripts, press reviews, questionnaires, and photographs. These materials reflect the establishment, development, and operations of The Labor Theater since its foundation by Bette Craig and Chuck Portz in 1973. Photographs in this collection consist mostly of headshots and production stills. The Labor Theater's relationship with the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, St. Peter's Performing Arts Center, and the American Theater Association is reflected in these records. A large portion of Series III is related to funding, fundraising, and other financial records of the Theater.
Subjects
Organizations
People
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by the Labor Theater was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Labor Theater Records; WAG 033; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Bette Craig and Charles Portz in 1985. The accession numbers associated with this gift are 1985.016, 1985.017, NPA.2000.302 and NPA.2008.009.
Separated Materials
Seven cans of partially edited footage of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union, filmed in 1974, were separated to the Tamiment/Wagner Moving Images Collections under the tape numbers 254-260. (FILMS 001).
About this Guide
Processing Information
Material in this collection was re-housed in new record cartons. Photographs were separated from this collection during initial processing and were established as a separate collection, the Labor Theater Photographs (PHOTOS 148). In 2013, the photograph collection was reincorporated into the Labor Theater Records (WAG 033). Previous to 2013, Series I, II, and IV have been previously arranged and described by an archivist. Series III has not been arranged by an archivist.
