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Cheryl Crawford Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 1978-002

The Cheryl Crawford Papers document her career in theater from almost the beginning in the 1920s through the years immediately preceding the sale of her collection to the University of Houston. Items date between 1862 and 1981, with the bulk of the items dated 1940 through 1978. There are 3,335 items in the collection.

The collection includes correspondence, production materials, scripts, programs, playbills, audio tapes, posters, sheet music, sound recordings, clippings, budgets, tax returns, legal agreements, contracts, audits, reviews, speeches, and miscellaneous items such as postcards and receipts.

The series are arranged as follows: Correspondence, Productions, Scripts, Programs, Playbills, Serials, Audio Tapes, Sheet Music, Sound Recordings, a General series for miscellaneous items, and Posters. The finding aid includes a complete container listing. Item listings of correspondence, production materials, playbills, programs, and general items are available upon request.

Some printed items have been removed from the collection and incorporated into the library's cataloged holdings. These materials include books and some sheet music. The materials can be found by searching for "Cheryl Crawford Collection" in the UH Libraries catalog.

Dates

  • 1862-1981

Creator

Conditions Governing Access:

Open for research.

Conditions Governing Use:

Special Collections owns the physical items in our collections, but copyright normally belongs to the creator of the materials or their heirs. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, obtaining permission to publish from copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form. For more information, consult the appropriate librarian. Reproduction decisions will be made by Special Collections staff on a case-by-case basis.

Extent

11.50 linear feet

Biographical Information:

Producer and director Cheryl Crawford was born September 24, 1902, in Akron, Ohio to Louella E. (Parker) and Robert K. Crawford. Crawford died on October 7, 1986, in New York City.

Although involved in at least one high school dramatic production, Crawford began her formal acting career while at Smith College, when she became involved with Smith College Dramatic Association. While a student, she produced Shakuntala, a Sanskrit drama. During the summer of 1924 Crawford was associated with the Provincetown Players of Cape Cod. In 1925 she graduated from Smith College, cum laude.

Following graduation, Crawford attended a school managed by the Theatre Guild in New York City. She worked with the Theatre Guild until 1930, working first as a secretary and a third assistant manager. Later she worked as a casting director and general assistant on Theatre Guild productions.

In 1930, Crawford left the Theatre Guild to form the Group Theatre, sharing the responsibilities as director of the group with Harold Clurman and Lee Strasberg. During this period she directed Big Night (1933), Till the Day I Die (1935), and Weep for the Virgins (1935) as well as assisting with the direction of the first production by the Group Theatre, The House of Connelly (1931). She left the Group Theatre in 1937 to begin directing on her own.

Between 1937 and her death in 1986, Crawford was involved in the production of more than 100 shows. From 1937 through 1945 Crawford worked primarily on Broadway. While working at the Maplewood Theatre in New Jersey, 1940-1942, she produced different shows on a weekly basis and worked with such stars as Tallulah Bankhead, Ingrid Bergman, Gloria Swanson in productions such as The Time of Your Life and Charley's Aunt.

In 1946, Crawford formed the American Repertory Theatre with Eva Le Gallienne and Margaret Webster. In 1947, Crawford united with Robert Lewis and Elia Kazan to form the Actors Studio. Crawford served as both a member of the board of directors and as an executive producer during the Actors Studio Theatre, which ran during 1963 and 1964.

Crawford was active as a producer for fifty-five years, co-producing So Long on Lonely Street in 1986. During that time she produced musicals such as Brigadoon, Porgy and Bess, Paint Your Wagon, and Celebration. Crawford also produced four Tennessee Williams plays, among them Sweet Bird of Youth, in which Paul Newman starred, and Period of Adjustment. Some of the highlights from productions during the last decades of her life include Yentl, Mother Courage and Her Children, and Do You Turn Somersaults.

Crawford's awards include an honorary Doctor of Literature from Smith College, awarded in 1962, and an Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award in 1951 for Tennessee William's The Rose Tattoo. She was named Woman of the Year in 1959. In 1964 she was awarded an Achievement Medal from Brandeis University.

Acquisition Information:

The collection was purchased from Cheryl Crawford in 1978. A photograph of Crawford and Tennessee Williams was purchased from Ken Lopez Bookseller in 2017.

Separated Materials:

Some printed items have been removed from the collection and incorporated into the library's cataloged holdings. These materials, including books and some sheet music, can be found in the UH Libraries catalog. Scroll down to view search results.

General

Other Information:

Uploaded to TARO, 2005.

Additional information may be found at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/uhsc/00017/hsc-00017.html

Processing Information:

Original processing: 1985

Reprocessing: Andrea Bean, August 1994

Title
Guide to the Cheryl Crawford Papers
Author
Andrea Bean
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the University of Houston Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of Houston Libraries Special Collections
MD Anderson Library
4333 University Drive
Houston TX 77204-2000 USA
713-743-9750