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Edith K. Wolk Playbill Collection

 Collection
Identifier: ufwolk

Scope and Content

Most of the major Broadway hits (musicals, dramas and comedies) of the represented period (1937-2004) are included (THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, LIFE WITH FATHER, PAL JOEY, Du BARRY WAS A LADY, CARMEN JONES, FINIAN'S RAINBOW, SOUTH PACIFIC, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, PICNIC, HELLO, DOLLY!, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, THE BOYS IN THE BAND, HAIR, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, THE ELEPHANT MAN, EQUUS, FENCES, LES MISERABLES, MASTER CLASS, etc.) as well as many lesser known and forgotten titles (SMART SPOT VARIETIES, PRIORITIES OF 1942, SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING, HOW NOW DOW JONES, CAFÉ CROWN, THE HAPPY TIME, REX, THE JAIL DIARIES OF ALBIE SACHS, THE ACT, SAY GOODNIGHT GRACIE, ROCKABYE HAMLET, etc.). Concerts and other theatrical events are also included (THE ANDY WILLIAMS SHOW, DANNY LARUE AT THE PALACE, BOB AND RAY: THE TWO AND ONLY, BURT BACHARACH IN CONCERT, THE JOFFREY BALLET, LANA TURNER: A TRIBUTE TO A LEGENDARY LADY, A PARTY WITH BETTY COMDEN AND ADOLPH GREEN, THE ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATRE, etc.), as is the early directing and writing career (ORACLES, WHAT THE BUTLER SAW, THE THREE SISTERS, etc.) of screenwriter Andy Wolk (son of Edith K. Wolk).

Dates

  • Creation: 1937-2004

Creator

Access

The collection is open for research.

Usage Restrictions

Researchers should speak with the curator prior to using the materials.

Biographical/Historical Note

Edith Kress Wolk had a life-long passion for the theater. Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1921, she was a woman with a true delight in words and storytelling. Edith worked for many years as a reporter, editor, and advertising copywriter in New Jersey and New York, but in many ways this love of words, of writing, and of story showed itself most in her great and abiding love of theatre. She acted in amateur productions and wrote skits for many of them, but it was as a consumer of plays and musicals that this was most evident. She began attending plays as a teenager and thereafter saw everything she possibly could on Broadway and off-Broadway and in London and regional theatres. She saw musicals and straight plays and revues and experimental work. And she collected the Playbills from every single one of them which you can see in this collection which spans the years 1938 to 2004. Her love of theatre was also passed down to her sons, Andy and Peter. Andy worked for many years in the New York Theatre as a writer and director, moving on to an extensive career writing and directing in film and television. Peter, a lawyer, also became a writer and has many television credits. That love continues to be passed down to her grand-daughter Susanna who is a young director working on Broadway today. Edith passed away in 2005, but we hope you can experience some of that passion as you look through these lovingly collected Playbills.

Extent

7.5 Linear feet (12 Boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Edith K. Wolk, reverently preserved a lifetime of theatre (New York, London, Los Angeles, etc.) in this chronologically-filed collection of Playbills and programs dating from 1937 through 2004 (a year before her death). The collection represents both professional and amateur productions and is a time capsule of most of the major Broadway stage landmarks of the mid-to-late 20th Century. Through her devotion to theatre and collecting, Edith K. Wolk has preserved a Golden Age of modern theatre in 12 archival boxes.

Arrangement

The playbills are arranged in chronological order.

Physical Location

University of Florida Smathers Library Building

Acquisition Information

Donated by Andy and Peter Wolk (Sons of Edith K. Wolk) in March of 2017.

Related Material

For additional theatrical Playbill and program information, the researcher may also be interested in these University of Florida Department of Special and Area Studies collection finding guides:

THE BELKNAP PLAYBILL AND PROGRAM COLLECTION

THE LILLIAN SCHNEIDER BARTELL PLAYBILL COLLECTION

Processing Notes

The Edith K. Wolk Playbill Collection arrived in 34 custom-made PLAYBILL collecting binders. For archival preservation reasons, each item was transferred to individual acid free folders to be housed in 12 acid free archival boxes (approximately 50 folders in each box).

Title
A Guide to the Edith K. Wolk Playbill Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid created by Jim Liversidge
Date
September 2017
Description rules
Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository

Contact:
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755