Inside the Roundabout Archives Day 3- THE HOMECOMING
By: BWW Jan. 28, 2012
Roundabout Theatre Company recently announced the theatre organization's permanent archives, which document the company's illustrious 46-year production history. The archives are a resource for the theatre community, Roundabout's audiences, students and researchers. The digital archives showcase selections from Roundabout's general collection, featuring items that chronicle and celebrate the company's impact on the American theatre movement, and BroadwayWorld is excited to share featured pieces from the archives. Featured today:
THE HOMECOMING:
Production image from Roundabout's first season on Broadway. Featuring (l-r): Roy Dotrice, Jonathan Hogan, John Horton and Daniel Gerroll in The Homecoming. Photo credit Martha Swope. Roundabout Theatre Archives.The Homecoming (circa 1991)
In 1991, initiating its first season on Broadway at the Criterion Center located at 1530 Broadway, Roundabout mounted a production of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming. Metaphorically speaking, Roundabout had finally found a home on Broadway and this production – and Roundabout's commitment to producing the works of great living playwrights such as Pinter – set the stage for the company's next phase as a Broadway producer.
Click here to explore additional objects related to Roundabout's production of The Homecoming.
During the last 46 years Roundabout has become one of the country's largest non-profit theatre organizations yet, until 2008, had no central repository for its records. Having re-located several times since 1965, many historical documents have moved to private hands, been collected by souvenir hunters, been thrown out or given away. The materials that exist were scattered among Roundabout's buildings, theatres and off-site storage and were in need of urgent archival care and preservation.
With the establishment of the permanent archives, Roundabout documents and preserves its rich history and offers access to the collection by the theatre community and qualified researchers. Materials connected to staging live theatre, such as scripts, letters and negotiations, marketing publications, photos and memorabilia are carefully preserved and will provide valuable record of Roundabout's legacy and contribution to the American theatre movement.
The physical archives are located at Roundabout's administrative offices at 231 W. 39th Street. Appointments to access the collection must be made in advance. Tiffany Nixon is the on-staff archivist.
Click here to visit the archives.
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