© The contents of this finding aid are the copyright of the University of Chicago Library
© 2012 University of Chicago Library
Series IV includes financial and personnel materials that is restricted until 2032. Series III, Audio-Visual, does not include access copies for the audiotape reels. Researchers will need to consult with staff before requesting material from this series. The remainder of the collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Court Theatre. Records, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Court Theatre was formed in 1954 with staff and actors drawn mostly from the Hyde Park community. The theatre began productions in the summer of 1955 with strong ties to the University Theatre and the less traditional student-run “Tonight at 8:30” series.
University Theatre director Marvin Phillips played a pioneering role in the early years of Court. After completing a year of classical and avant-garde productions at the University Theatre, Phillips, according to a student helper, one day was standing at a window on the second floor of Mandel Hall, overlooking the courtyard when he exclaimed, “We’ve got to have a theatre out there! Right in the middle, we can build a stage on the fountain and use all the walkways, the roofs, and the buildings and windows—we can use this whole, airy courtyard. We can seat them on the grass, right in the middle of the triangle that’s made by the walks."
Phillips quickly assembled a financial prospectus and won approval to use the courtyard used to present outdoor theatre. In the summer of 1955, Court performed its first production, Moliere’s The Doctor in Spite of Himself. Though audience and critical feedback was positive, the artistic team was soon to learn an enduring lesson of performing theatre outdoors. Its second play, Moliere’s The Forced Marriage, opened to four consecutive nights of rain, forcing the production indoors. When the rain passed the productions returned to the court. Having the chance to compare the indoor and outdoor productions, Phillips and the members of the burgeoning Court community realized that outdoor staging of Marriage caused many of the lines to lose their subtlety, and that the best performances of the play were those done indoors..
In subsequent seasons, Court gained increasing attention among the Hyde Park community with its unwavering dedication to performances of the classics. Some of the earliest productions were The Trojan Women, Salome, The Alchemist, Dr. Faustus, and The Imaginary Invalid. In the 1960s, the Court began to reach out to a larger metropolitan audience. Advertisements for the summer season, as well as for the newly-added modern jazz series (which included luminaries such as Duke Ellington) were placed in city newspapers. Increased advertising and publicity aided in attracting the attention of Chicago newspaper critics. In time Court would become the largest performing arts organization on the South Side of Chicago.
In 1962, Robert Benedetti became artistic director. Benedetti was interested in pursuing the sort of controversial theatre which had drawn attention the previous year, when a production of Ulysses in Night Town prompted a campaign within the University to withdraw the play on the grounds that “Court Theatre shows should be something parents can bring their kids to." The 1962 season was artistically adventurous, with performances of The Knight of the Burning Pestle and The Dybbuk. The experimental plays brought little financial support and harsh reviews. The final production of the season, an acclaimed performance of Pantagleize, fared better, pleasing both audiences and critics.
In 1963, Court changed course with a season entirely devoted to productions of classic plays, in particular those of Shakespeare. This season turned out to be the most successful, critically and financially, thus far. In addition to the thematic choice to return to classic plays, the spike in attendance at Court was partly helped by local changes in the Chicago area. Between 1962 and 1963 Chicago’s three daily newspapers added substantial theatre supplements to their pages, supplying Court with free publicity and new patrons. The last production of 1963, King Lear, captured national critical acclaim more so than any previous Court production. Attendance records were broken, and the play was broadcast on the CBS Repertory Theatre.
The 1964 season also marked the last summer that Court was under the overall direction of Benedetti, who resigned his position to join Second City. He was succeeded as artistic director by James O’Reilly, under whom the theatre continued its presentation of classic plays with a few more recent titles, such as Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and began a series of winter productions. One of the most accomplished Court productions of this period was Richard III, in 1969, where O’Reilly directed his successor, Nicholas Rudall, in the lead role.
Rudall became artistic director in 1971. Under his direction, Court became a University-based repertory theatre, and in 1975 an Actors’ Equity theatre. The move cemented Court’s reputation both within Chicago and nationally. In 1981, Court built a new home, the intimate, 251-seat Abelson Auditorium, and in 1983 the theatre incorporated as independent non-profit organization.
The Court Theatre Records are organized into four series: Series I: Court Theatre; Series II: University Theatre; Series III: Audio-Visual; Series IV: Restricted. The collection contains correspondence; memos; cast lists; call sheets; rehearsal schedules; programs; theatre fliers; posters; diagrams and drawings; prop lists; costume material; scripts; press releases; newsletters; newspaper reviews and clippings; magazines; royalties; contracts; budgetary information; audiotape reels; audio cassettes; videotapes; photos; and negatives. The collection primarily documents the stage productions of the respective theatres from the 1940s to the 1980s.
Series I, Court Theatre, primarily contains materials documenting the stage productions of Court Theatre from its inception in the mid-1950s to the early 1980s. Correspondence, memos, cast lists, call sheets, rehearsal schedules, diagrams and drawings, prop lists, costume material, scripts, and related materials make up a significant portion of the series. Series I also contains press releases, programs, fliers, posters, newsletters, magazines, and newspaper clippings. Lastly, the series contains materials related to finances, workshops, special performances at Court, and scholarship programs such as "ACT 1."
Series II, University Theatre, contains materials that related to the stage productions of the University Theatre from the late-1940s to the early 1980s. Series II is made up mostly of correspondence, memos, cast lists, call sheets, rehearsal schedules, diagrams and drawings, prop lists, costume material, scripts, and related materials. Series II also contains press releases, programs, theatre fliers, posters, newsletters, and newspaper clippings, as well as materials related to UT’s finances, special performances, and workshops.
Series III, Audio-Visual, contains images and recordings from both the Court Theatre and the University Theatre. These include audio tape reels, audio cassettes, videotapes, photographs, and negatives. The series is divided into three subseries: Subseries 1, Assorted Audio Visual, contains audio- and videotapes of interviews, panel discussions, productions, and workshops. Subseries 2, Court Theatre Photos, contains photographs and negatives of the stage productions of Court Theatre. Subseries 3, University Theatre Photos, contains photographs and negatives of the stage productions of University Theatre.
Series IV, Restricted, contains financial and personnel documents, restricted until 2032.