Dramatic Activities Collection, 1826-ongoing: Scope & Contents of the Collection

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Dramatic Activities Collection documents the history of dramatics at Amherst College, beginning in 1822. The Collection includes surviving programs, scripts, photographs and slides, set and costume designs, publicity material and posters, clippings, audio and video material, and an odd object or two that chronicle the conceptualization, creation, production and review of hundreds of College dramatic performances during the last 180 years. The collection grows as the College creates new productions. The Collection occupies approximately 41 linear feet of shelf space plus 12 flat file drawers.

The breadth of this collection is unusual - documenting all student performances, from the earliest "dialogues" performed at the first commencement in 1822, to the ceremonial prank burnings of mathematics textbooks in effigy after surviving the sophomore year; to complete set and costume designs for the Masquers performances for 30 years; to the extensive photographic documentation of performances beginning in the 1880s; to the masks used in several of the performances. In addition to this documentation of performance, the collection chronicles the history of student dramatic groups, documents the relationship of the theater in the Five College environment, and contains records of courses offered in the dramatic arts at Amherst for 50 years.

While the Dramatic Activities Collection is most useful in its relationship to the history of Amherst College, is it also an excellent source for studying the history of student activities and dramatic expression during the 19th and 20th centuries and the changing attitudes toward such things during that time.