Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1956-2012 (Creation)
Extent
24.96 linear feet [32 boxes]
Name of creator
Administrative history
St. Cloud State University began producing plays as early as 1956; however, a drama department does not appear in the directories until the 1966/67 school year, where it is listed as Speech and Dramatic Art.
The department was part of Speech Communication, splitting off as the Department of Theatre in 1969.
Below are listed the years, name of department, and chairs, all taken from the campus directory.
1969-71: Theatre, Keith Michael
1971-72: Theatre, Dale Swanson
1972-73: Theatre, Walter Eysselinck
1973-76: Theatre, Dale Swanson
1976-82: Theatre, Ronald Perrier
1982-88: Theatre, Dale Swanson
1988-91: Theatre, Dick Cermele
1991-94: Theatre, Lin Holder
1994-97: Theatre, Brad Chisholm
1997-98: Theatre and Film Studies, Brenda Wentworth
1998-99: Theatre and Film Studies, Andrew Vorder Brugge
1999-02: Theatre, Film Studies, and Dance, Andrew Vorder Brugge
2002-06: Theatre, Film Studies, and Dance, R. Bruce Hyde
2006-08: Theatre, Film Studies, and Dance, Eva Honegger
2008-11: Theatre, Film Studies, and Dance, Jeffrey Bleam
Name of creator
Administrative history
St. Cloud State University was established by the state of Minnesota in 1869 as the Third State Normal School.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection contains records from the Department of Theatre, Film Studies, and Dance at St. Cloud State University. There are 32 boxes and five oversized folders in the collection; the items date from 1956-2007 with the vast majority of the items pertaining to the theatre division. Additions to this series may be ongoing.
The collection is arranged into three series, which are as follows:
Series 1: Administrative Records, 1961-2007
This series includes minutes from staff meetings, building plans, correspondence, and the theatre department’s newsletter, amongst other items.
Series 2: Play Files, 1956-2011
Here is where the bulk of the collection can be found. The play files, which are alphabetical order by play title, include photographs, posters, and programs for productions that were performed at St. Cloud State University. There are also records in this series that pertain to SCSU theatre students and producers who took their performances overseas. The first performances abroad were at military outposts located in Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, and Baffin Island in 1961. They would go on to perform in Germany for the military in 1964. And in 1987, actors traveled to China to perform in Universities throughout the country. The larger production posters are located in the oversize cabinets, drawer 17, and are in chronological order. In addition, there is a folder of material from the County Stearns Theaterical Company.
Series 3: Publications, 1978-2001
This series includes newsletters and student handbooks.
Series 4: Costume Sketches, 1970s-early 1990s
Theatre faculty member Harvey Jurik created 502 costume sketches for theatre productions sponsored by St. Cloud State University, 500 which are digitized. The sketches illustrate the character costume designs as well as several scenes for various plays performed from the 1970s through the early 1990s.
System of arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series, which are as follows:
Series 1: Administrative Records, 1961-2007
Records are organized alphabetically.
Records are located at 30B.3a-6e, ovesize drawer 17, and 1B.1a-2a.
Series 2: Play Files, 1956-2011
Records are organized by play in alphabetical order. Posters are organized by date.
Series 3: Publications, 1978-2001
Records are organized in alphabetical order by type of publication.
Series 4: Costume Sketches, 1970s-early 1990s
Sketches are organized by play and then by character.
Records are located at 30B.3a-6e, oversize drawer 17, and 1B.1a-2a.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
There are no access restrictions.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Permission to publish, quote, and reproduce must be secured from the copyright holder.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
A08-003, A12-015, and A18-014
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Processed by Alissa LaChapelle, July 2010-April 2011. Additions by Marissa Kritzeck (June 2012) and Josh DeRoode (February 2020).