Betsko-Koenig Women Playwrights Collection, 1955-1990: Collection Overview

Abstract:

Source material for book, Interviews with Contemporary Women Playwrights compiled by Kathleen Betsko and Rachel Koenig (1987), featuring thirty women playwrights, including Rosalyn Drexler, Beth Henley, Marsha Norman, Ntozake Shange, Megan Terry, and Kathleen Betsko. Materials include audio tapes, edited and unedited interview transcripts, biographical materials, play scripts, reviews, programs, correspondence, and photographs.

Terms of Access and Use:

Restrictions on access:

With the exception of closed tapes and transcripts, the material is open to research according to the rules of the Sophia Smith Collection.

Access to the tapes and unedited transcripts varies. There are signed agreements from 28 of the 30 playwrights regarding access to their tapes and unedited transcripts, and 20 of the 30 are open for use. The 2 for which no agreements were received have been closed. The release forms are found with the unedited transcripts, and copies of the agreements from those 8 women who wanted their unedited transcripts closed are also filed with their edited ones. This collection contains numerous unpublished plays for which copyright restrictions apply particularly in relation to photocopying.

Access to audiovisual materials may first require production of research copies.

Restrictions on use:

The Sophia Smith Collection does not own the literary rights to this material. Rights to the edited transcripts are owned by Kathleen Betsko and Rachel Koenig, and rights to the tapes, unedited transcripts, and plays are owned by the individual playwrights. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.