The Don Boros Theatre Collection have been donated to University Archives from alum Don Boros (who received an undergraduate degree in 1966 and a graduate degree in 1967) over the course of many years. The collection consists of five separate series: Programs, Scrapbooks, Theatre Magazines, Autographs, and Miscellaneous.
Series 1. Programs
This series makes up the majority of the collection and consists of programs for plays and musicals, many of which include newspaper or magazine clippings that discuss the performances. Most of the programs are for performances in the United States, especially on Broadway in New York City, but also include theaters in, among other cities, San Francisco; Chicago; Ann Arbor; Boston; Philadelphia; and Washington, D.C. Most of the foreign programs are for performances in London and other cities in the United Kingdom, with a smaller number coming from the major cities in France, Germany, Austria, and Scandinavia, and several from Canada as well. The collection covers a wide range of performances, and many of them include programs for different productions over the years. This is especially the case with plays by Shakespeare. The programs range in date from 1783 to 2000, with most coming from the 20th century. Where known, the writer, lead, and director are provided. This part of the collection is organized into seven different sub-series.
Sub-Series 1. Single play programs
This sub-series covers programs for single performances and is the bulk of Series 1.
Sub-Series 2. Multiple play programs
This sub-series consists of programs for multiple performances.
Sub-Series 3. Dance companies
This sub-series covers programs for dance companies, most of which are ballet.
Sub-Series 4. Orchestra / Musical performances
This sub-series includes programs for orchestra/musical performances, most of which are orchestral.
Sub-Series 5. Festivals
This sub-series consists of programs and informational booklets for festivals from around the world with subjects that include drama, dance, film, opera, puppets, and folk.
Sub-Series 6. Theatre specific
This sub-series includes programs and informational booklets for specific theaters or people. It has three groupings: items in the first provide information about performances for a specific theater for a single season. Items in the second provide information either about the theater in general or about performances over several years. Items in the third are about specific artists or specific theater events.
Sub-Series 7. Oversize
This sub-series contains oversized programs and flattened posters.
Series 2. Scrapbooks
This series consists of 17 scrapbooks. Most of these are filled with only theater programs or pages from programs, though some include newspaper clippings. One includes programs for special events and ceremonies, and three of them consist of notebooks of handwritten descriptions of theater and opera programs/performances. The dates for the items in these scrapbooks range from 1885 to 1956, with much of them coming from the 1920s.
Series 3. Autographs and Manuscript Material
This series includes of autographs, photographs or printed images, and correspondence from actors, writers, directors, critics, and others from the entertainment industry. Also included here are some published and unpublished material related to individuals and not signed. A few letters with unidentified signatures and some miscellaneous items are also included.
Series 4. Miscellaneous
This series contains miscellaneous items, mainly play reviews fromTime magazine from the 1940s and 1950s, a few foreign language items related to theater, and a variety of miscellaneous items related to theater activities, such as guides and conferences.
