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Inventory of the Footlight Players Collection, 1885-1975

Descriptive Summary

Abstract: Collection contains histories, scrapbooks, programs, copies of the Footnotes newsletter, scripts, photographs, posters, costume and set design sketches by Emmett Robinson, and other ephemera relating to the Footlight Players of Charleston, South Carolina.
Title: Footlight Players collection
Creator: Footlight Players (Charleston, S.C.)
Date(s): 1885-1975  (bulk 1925-1964)  
Extent: 7.5 linear feet
(13 document boxes, 2 slim document boxes, 1 oversize flat box)
Repository: Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424
Phone: (843) 953-8016
Fax: (843) 953-6319
URL: http://archives.library.cofc.edu
Call Number: Mss 0016
Language of Material: Materials in English

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Historical Note

Oldest community theater group in Charleston, South Carolina, organized in 1931. Most early plays were presented at the Academy of Music until 1936. In 1936 and 1937 plays were presented al fresco and at the Victory Theatre. In November 1937 the Footlight Players opened the reconstructed Dock Street Theatre (until May 1938 owned by the city and leased by the Carolina Art Association). The Footlight Players were affiliated with the Carolina Art Association from 1938 until 1941. At that time the Footlight Players remodeled their "Workshop" at 20 Queen Street and began seasonal productions.


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Collection Overview

Collection contains histories, scrapbooks, programs, copies of the Footnotes newsletter, scripts, photographs, posters, costume and set design sketches by Emmett Robinson, and other ephemera relating to the Footlight Players of Charleston, South Carolina. Histories include the pamphlet The Footlight Players from 1946 and the typescript Historical Summary: Twenty-Five Years of Community Theatre by Paul R. Weidner. The collection also includes information about membership and meetings and a reprinted clipping of a letter from 1948 to the editor concerning the Dock Street Theatre lease. Scrapbooks contain clippings about the Footlight Players. The personal scrapbook of Eola Willis contains Willis's essay "Origin of the Footlight Players, Charleston's Little Theatre," clippings, reviews of her book The Charleston Stage, and other items. The collection also includes programs from 1931 to 1958, the Footnotes newsletter from 1937 to 1970, annotated scripts, nine black and white photographs of costumes and set designs, and ephemera including publicity materials and assorted materials related to the Film Society, the Family Agency, the Dock Street Theatre, and the Dock Street Theatre School. Oversized items include 15 small posters from 1951 to 1957 and six sketches of costumes (with fabric swatches) and set designs by Emmett Robinson.

Collection Arrangement

Materials are described at the folder level.


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Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person, family, or organization, by topical subject, by place, and by types of material.

    Names

    • Footlight Players (Charleston, S.C.)--History--20th century
    • Dock Street Theatre (Charleston, S.C.)
    • Carolina Art Association

    Subjects

    • Theater--South Carolina--Charleston--History--20th century
    • Theater programs--South Carolina--Charleston
    • Theater--Production and direction--South Carolina--Charleston
    • Theatrical posters--South Carolina--Charleston
    • Theaters--Stage-setting and scenery--South Carolina--Charleston
    • Costume design--South Carolina--Charleston

    Types of Material

    • Scrapbooks
    • Scripts (documents)
    • Theater programs
    • Newsletters
    • Posters
    • Printed ephemera
    • Watercolors (paintings)
    • Black-and-white photographs
    • Catalogs (documents)
    • Pamphlets

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    Related Resources

    Related Material

    Related materials in Special Collections include the Emmett Robinson papers, 1931-1977 (Mss 0039), the Patricia Anne Colbert Robinson papers, 1922-1998 (Mss 0107), and the pamphlet The Footlight Players.

    Separated Material

    The pamphlet The Footlight Players inscribed "Paul R. Weidner gift 1961" has been removed and cataloged separately.


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    Inventory




    The Footlight Players pamphlets, 1946   box 1 | folder 1



    Historical summary, "Twenty-Five Years of Community Theatre" by Paul Weidner, 1957   box 1 | folder 2



    "Association's Policy: The Dock Street Theatre Lease," 1948   box 1 | folder 3



    Manuscripts deposited by the Footlight Players, 1950 April   box 1 | folder 4

    List of play manuscripts deposited in the College of Charleston Library.




    Membership campaign and scheduled meetings, 1952-1953   box 1 | folder 5



    Meeting with the City of Charleston's Ways and Means Committee, 1948 March 15   box 1 | folder 6

    Scrapbooks, 1925-1964



    1925-1937   box 1 | folder 7

    Scrapbook of clippings and other ephemera compiled by Eola Willis. Also contains "Origin of the Footlight Players, Charleston's Little Theatre," a brief history of the Footlight Players written by Willis.




    1932 May-1933 December   box 2 | folder 1



    1933 December-1934 December   box 2 | folder 2



    1934 December-1935 October   box 2 | folder 3



    1935 October-1936 September   box 2 | folder 4



    1936 November-1937 December   box 2 | folder 5



    1937 November-1939 March   box 2 | folder 6



    1939 March-1939 December   box 2 | folder 7



    1939 December-1940 April   box 3 | folder 1



    1940 January-September 1940   box 3 | folder 2



    1940 May-1941 February   box 3 | folder 3



    1941 January-1941 March   box 3 | folder 4



    1941 March-1941 May   box 3 | folder 5



    1941 April-1941 September   box 4 | folder 1



    1941 September-1941 November   box 4 | folder 2



    1941 November-1942 February   box 4 | folder 3



    1942 February-1942 March   box 4 | folder 4



    1942 April-1942 June   box 4 | folder 5



    1942 June -1942 September   box 5 | folder 1



    1942 September-1942 October   box 5 | folder 2



    1942 October-1942 December   box 5 | folder 3



    1942 (duplicates)   box 5 | folder 4

    Annotation on envelope reads "Newspaper Clippings, Duplicates of items already entered in the Scrap Books, 1942."




    1942 December-1943 March   box 5 | folder 5



    1943 March-1943 April   box 5 | folder 6



    1943 April-1943 June   box 5 | folder 7



    1943 June-1943 December   box 5 | folder 8



    1943 (duplicates)   box 5 | folder 9

    Annotation on envelope reads "Newspaper Clippings, Duplicates of items already entered in the Scrap Books, 1943."




    1944   box 6 | folder 1



    1945 January-1945 June   box 6 | folder 2



    1945 June-1945 October   box 6 | folder 3



    1945 October-1946 March   box 6 | folder 4



    1946 March-1947 March   box 6 | folder 5



    1946 April-1951 June (duplicates)   box 6 | folder 6

    Duplicates of newspaper clippings already entered in scrapbooks from 1946 to 1951.




    1951 May-1952 January   box 7 | folder 1



    1952 January-1952 December   box 7 | folder 2



    1953 January-1953 December   box 7 | folder 3



    1954 January-1954 December   box 7 | folder 4



    1955 January-1955 December   box 8 | folder 1



    1956 January-1956 December   box 8 | folder 2



    1957 January-1957 December   box 8 | folder 3



    1958 January-1958 December   box 8 | folder 4



    1959 January-1961 May   box 8 | folder 5



    1960 September-1960 December   box 9 | folder 1



    1961 January-1961 December   box 9 | folder 2



    1962 January-1962 November   box 9 | folder 3



    1963 January-1963 November   box 9 | folder 4



    1964 January   box 9 | folder 5

    Programs, 1931-1975



    1931-1934   box 9 | folder 6



    1934-1936   box 9 | folder 7

    Includes broadside for Twelfth Night; or What You Will.




    1936-1938   box 9 | folder 8

    Includes copy of the rededication ceremonies program.




    1938-1940   box 9 | folder 9



    1938-1940 (duplicates)   box 9 | folder 10



    1940-1943   box 10 | folder 1



    1941-1946 (incomplete)   box 10 | folder 2



    1943-1945   box 10 | folder 3

    Includes a list of plays from 1932 to 1947.




    1946-1947   box 10 | folder 4



    1947-1949   box 10 | folder 5



    1949-1951   box 10 | folder 6



    1949-1951 (duplicates)   box 10 | folder 7



    1949-1957 (incomplete)   box 11 | folder 1



    1952-1975 (incomplete)   box 11 | folder 2

    Footnotes newsletter, 1937-1970



    1937-1948   box 11 | folder 3



    1948-1951   box 11 | folder 4



    1948-1953   box 12 | folder 1



    1951-1957   box 12 | folder 2



    1953-1957   box 12 | folder 3



    1958-1970   box 12 | folder 4

    Scripts, 1937-1974



    Anonymous, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1945   box 13 | folder 1



    de Beaumont, Jeanne-Marie Leprince, Beauty and the Beast, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1948   box 13 | folder 2



    Byars, Glynda, Preppy and Isolde, 1974   box 13 | folder 3



    Byron, Lord, The Cosair, adapted by Edwin C. Holland, undated   box 13 | folder 4



    Colbert, Patricia, Hiddydoddy, undated   box 13 | folder 5



    Colbert, Patricia, Hiddydoddy, undated   box 13 | folder 6



    Colbert, Patricia, Syllabub, 1946   box 13 | folder 7



    Colbert, Patricia, Syllabub, 1949   box 13 | folder 8



    Dumas, Alexandre, Lady of the Camellias, adapted by Patricia Colbert, undated   box 13 | folder 9



    Du Maurier, Daphne, Rebecca, undated   box 13 | folder 10



    Farquar, George, The Recruiting Officer, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1937   box 14 | folder 1



    French, Mary, Salt and Battery, 1942   box 14 | folder 2



    French, Mary, Salt and Battery, 1943   box 14 | folder 3



    French, Mary, Salt and Battery, 1944   box 14 | folder 4



    Grimm, Jakob, Ludwig, Karl, Hansel and Gretel, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1950   box 14 | folder 5



    Rumpelstiltskin, adapted by Elizabeth B. Grimball, undated   box 14 | folder 6



    Snow White and Red Rose, adapted by Elizabeth Grimball, undated   box 14 | folder 7



    Hilton, James, Lost Horizon, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1949   box 14 | folder 8



    Hilton, James, Lost Horizon, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1949   box 14 | folder 9



    Ioor, William, Independence, undated   box 14 | folder 10



    Noah, M. M., Paul and Alexis or The Orphans of the Rhine, undated   box 14 | folder 11



    Perrault, Charles, Cinderella, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1947   box 14 | folder 12



    Red Riding Hood, adapted by Emmett Robinson, undated   box 15 | folder 1



    Pinero, Arthur, The Enchanted Cottage, undated   box 15 | folder 2



    Shakespeare, William, A Midsummer Night's Dream, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1946   box 15 | folder 3



    Shakespeare, William, Much Ado About Nothing, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1949   box 15 | folder 4



    Shakespeare, William, Romeo and Juliet, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1946   box 15 | folder 5



    Shakespeare, William, The Taming of the Shrew, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1943   box 15 | folder 6



    Stevenson, Robert Louis, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1947   box 15 | folder 7



    Stevenson, Robert Louis, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, adapted by Emmett Robinson, 1947   box 15 | folder 8



    Tharin, Benford, Sand-Sprite, 1950   box 15 | folder 9



    Photographs, undated   box 15 | folder 10



    Publicity, 1951-1955, undated   box 15 | folder 11



    Film Society, undated   box 15 | folder 12



    Family Agency, 1951   box 15 | folder 13



    Rededication of Dock Street Theatre program, 1937   box 15 | folder 14



    Dock Street Theatre School catalog, 1948   box 15 | folder 15



    Dock Street Theatre pamphlets, 1975, undated   box 15 | folder 16



    Dock Street Theatre programs (Carolina Art Association), 1946-1951   box 15 | folder 17



    United States post card, 1885   box 15 | folder 18

    Blank postcard found in the rafters of the front lobby of the Footlight Players Theatre in 1950.




    Costume and set design sketches, 1945-1949   box 16 | folder 1

    Assorted watercolor sketches by Emmett Robinson.




    Play posters, 1951-1957   box 16 | folder 2

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    Administrative Information

    Access Restrictions

    This collection is open for research.

    Copyright Notice

    The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

    The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Footlight Players collection, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.

    Acquisitions Information

    Scrapbooks, programs, and scripts were deposited at the College of Charleston in April 1950. A copy of the pamphlet The Footlight Players inscribed "Paul R. Weidner gift 1961" was donated in 1961.

    Processing Information

    Processed by Special Collections staff, date unknown.

    Encoded by Joshua Minor, August 2016.

    Reviewed and uploaded by Joshua Minor, August 2016.

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