Archive Record
Metadata
Object ID |
C018-DRAM |
Title |
Washington Dramalites Collection |
Date |
1840-2004 [bulk circa 1940s] |
Extent of Description |
7 document boxes, 1 oversize box (4.51 linear feet, 4.26 cubic feet) |
Scope & Content |
This collection is mostly arranged chronologically and divided into two series: Series I - Administrative Records, Series II - Performances, Series III - Subject File. Series I - Administrative Records This series contains the by-laws, constitutions, and other internal documents pertaining to the organizational history and structure. Series II - Performances This series contains material related to specific plays performed by the Dramalites. The series is arranged chronologically within each file. Occasionally, some plays were performed more than once. Documentation ranges from single playbills to photographs, detailed stage directions, scripts, posters, photographs, posters, stage directions and newspaper clippings. Within this series is File 1 - Performances with Missoula Children’s Theatre. Series III- Subject file This series contains multiple scrapbooks, VHS tapes, and an unidentified sketch of a dress - likely of a costume. |
Admin/Biographical History |
Amateur theater in Washington, Connecticut can trace its heritage back to the mid-1800s with "exhibitions" and "recitations" being presented in churches and local schools. Frederick Gunn, founder of the Gunnery school, was instrumental in producing and presenting actual plays such as "Uncle Tom’s Cabin" and the "Irish Lion" on school grounds. In 1869, the first formally named dramatics society, "The Dramatic and Literary Association", was established, mounting up to five plays a year with the participation of numerous members of the local community. Twenty years later, a fundraising organization, "The Washington Relief Club", was formed to "benefit all public interests in need of a fund", and this combined with the Dramatics Association to become a new entity called the "Poquasset Club". It provided not only entertainment, but also financial programs for the benefit of the community. After the turn of the century and up until 1930, productions were presented not only by the Poquasset Club, but also by the newly established Washington Club, the Washington Green Players, plus several others. In 1930, the members of these groups decided to form a new dramatics society, that was christened by Fanny Emma Davies, the "Dramalites". This community theater has produced performances that have both entertained and benefitted the Washington area community for over seventy years. Chronology " The Rivals"......................................................................................1843 "The Drunkard".................................................................................1849 " Uncle Tom’s Cabin".........................................................................1859 "Dred"..............................................................................................1859 "Neighbor Jackwood".......................................................................1859 "Last Days of Pompeii"..................................................................c.1870s "Box and Cox"...............................................................................c.1880s "Past Redemption".......................................................................c.1880s "Our American Cousin"....................................................................1890 "The Elopement of Ellen"................................................................1907 "The Forty Thieves".........................................................................1915 "The Romaners"..............................................................................1919 "The Jacobite".................................................................................1919 "The Heir Apparent".......................................................................1919 "A Pair of Sixes"...............................................................................1920 "The Rising of the Moon"...............................................................1920 "The Twelve Pound Cook"..............................................................1920 "Marron Melange"..........................................................................1925 "Three Live Ghosts"........................................................................1925 "Rollo’s Wild Oat"...........................................................................1926 "One Will Marry"........................................................................c.1920s "A Cavort without Cavil" and "A Funabout"...................................1926 "Hay Fever"....................................................................................1927 " In the Next Room".......................................................................1927 "Alias the Deacon".........................................................................1928 "One Will Marry".......................................................................c.1920s "Overtones"...................................................................................1929 "Will-O’-The Wisp"........................................................................1929 "Passion, Poison, & Petrifaction"...................................................1929 "Hay Fever"....................................................................................1930 "The Mayor and the Manicure".....................................................1930 "The Wasp"....................................................................................1930 "The Man Upstairs"........................................................................1930 " The Queen’s Husband"................................................................1931 "Remo Bufano and His Marionettes".............................................1931 "The Torchbearers"........................................................................1931 "Rosalind"......................................................................................1931 "The Valiant".................................................................................1931 "The Twelve-Pound Look".............................................................1931 "Phipps".........................................................................................1931 "Two Crooks and a Lady"...............................................................1931 "Such a charming Young Man"......................................................1931 "The Moll".....................................................................................1932 " Rocks and Rills"...........................................................................1932 "The Queen’s Husband" (rev.).......................................................1932 "Holiday".......................................................................................1932 "The Truth about the Blayds"........................................................1932 "The Dover Road"..........................................................................1933 "Maria Rosa".................................................................................1933 "A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing".........................................................1933 "The Londonderry Air"..................................................................1933 "The First Year"..............................................................................1933 "The Enchanted April"...................................................................1933 "The Noble Free"...........................................................................1933 "At 9:45" …………………………………………………………………………………..1934 "The Boor"....................................................................................1934 ‘Highness".....................................................................................1934 "A Budapest Salesman Should Not Read French Illustrated"…..…1934 "Bird in Hand"...............................................................................1934 "The Trial of Mary Dugan"............................................................1934 "Aren’t We All"..............................................................................1935 "The Ghost Train".........................................................................1935 "Wedding Bells"............................................................................1935 "The Dover Road".........................................................................1936 "Outward Bound".........................................................................1937 "The Tavern".................................................................................1938 "Three-Cornered Moon"..............................................................1938 "The Pot-Boiler"...........................................................................1938 The Monkey’s Paw"......................................................................1938 "The Sire de Maletroit’s Door".....................................................1938 "Caesar and Cleopatra"................................................................1938 "Whistling in the Dark"................................................................1939 "The Beaux Stratagem"................................................................1939 "The Bishop Misbehaves"............................................................1939 "Nothing But the Truth"...........................................................c.1930s "The Spider"............................................................................ c.1930s "Romany Road"............................................................................1940 "Ceiling Zero"...............................................................................1940 "Meet the Wife"...........................................................................1940 "Death Takes a Holiday"...............................................................1940 "The Beggar’s Opera"...................................................................1940 "Bicentennial Pageant"................................................................1941 "The Scarecrow Creeps"..............................................................1941 "Gold in the Hills"........................................................................1941 "It Pays to Advertise"...................................................................1941 "Mr and Mrs. North"....................................................................1942 "The Still Alarm"...........................................................................1943 "The Rising of the Moon".............................................................1943 "Trifles".........................................................................................1943 "The Merchant of Yonkers"...........................................................1945 "George Washington Slept Here"..................................................1945 "Arsenic and Old Lace"..................................................................1946 "The Night of January Sixteenth"..................................................1946 "Patience or Bunthorne’s Bride"...................................................1947 "The Trysting Place"......................................................................1948 "Trial By Jury"................................................................................1948 "Ten Little Indians"........................................................................1948 "Nick of the Woods"......................................................................1949 "Pirates of Penzance"....................................................................1949 "The Coiner"..................................................................................1949 "The Open Window"......................................................................1949 "The Suitcase"................................................................................1950 "Room Service"..............................................................................1950 "Gone Away"................................................................................. 1950 "Candida".......................................................................................1950 "The Gondoliers"............................................................................1950 "Fight to the Death".......................................................................1950 "The Dark Tower"...........................................................................1950 "The Plays the Thing".....................................................................1951 " Iolanthe or The Peer and the Peri"..............................................1951 "The Male Animal".........................................................................1951 "Good News"..................................................................................1952 "Angel Street".................................................................................1953 "You Can’t Take it With You"...........................................................1953 "The Man Who Came to Dinner"...................................................1954 "The Mikado".................................................................................1954 "The Little Foxes"...........................................................................1955 "Green Grow the Lilacs"................................................................1955 "Time out for Ginger"...................................................................1956 "Kind Lady"...................................................................................1956 "The Mousetrap"..........................................................................1957 "Ah, Wilderness"...........................................................................1957 "Bell, Book and Candle"................................................................1957 "The Rainmaker"..........................................................................1958 "The Glass Menagerie".................................................................1958 "Kickerbocker Holiday".................................................................1958 "Light Up the Sky".........................................................................1958 "Life With Father".........................................................................1959 "The Corn is Green"......................................................................1959 "The Crucible"...............................................................................1959 "Blithe Spirit"................................................................................1960 "White Sheep of the Family"........................................................1960 "The Zeal of Thy House"...............................................................1961 "Gigi".............................................................................................1961 "Tiger at the Gates"......................................................................1961 "See How They Run".....................................................................1962 "The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker".............................................1962 "The Second Shepherd’s Play"......................................................1962 "Auntie Mame".............................................................................1963 "The Deadly Game"......................................................................1963 "H.M.S. Pinafore"..........................................................................1964 "The Great Big Doorstep".............................................................1965 "Green Grow the Lilacs"................................................................1965 "Once Upon a Mattress"...............................................................1966 "Kiss Me Kate"..............................................................................1967 "Yeomen of the Guard"................................................................1968 "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf"................................................,.1969 "Little Mary Sunshine"..................................................................1969 "The Fireman’s Flame".................................................................1972 "Guys and Dolls"...........................................................................1972 "Bells are Ringing"........................................................................1973 "Twenty-seven Wagons"...............................................................1974 "Full of Cotton".............................................................................1974 " The Fantastiks"...........................................................................1974 "Brigadoon"..................................................................................1974 "Plaza Suite".................................................................................1975 "Small War on Murray Hill"..........................................................1976 "The Pajama Game"......................................................................1976 "The Mouse That Roared"..........................................................c.1976 "You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown"...........................................1977 "Applause"....................................................................................1978 "Mary, Mary"................................................................................1978 "God’s Favorite"............................................................................1979 "Community of 2".........................................................................1980 "Night Watch"...............................................................................1980 "Washington Follies".....................................................................1981 "Marriage Go Round"....................................................................1982 "Once Upon a Mattress"................................................................1983 "Anything Goes"............................................................................1984 "Guys and Dolls"............................................................................1985 "Judea Controversy"......................................................................1985 "Damn Yankees"............................................................................1986 "Godspell".....................................................................................1987 "Annie Get Your Gun"....................................................................1989 "Gammer Gurton’s Needle".......................................................c.1980s "Brigadoon"...................................................................................1990 "Little Shop of Horrors".................................................................1991 "The Judea Controversy"...............................................................1992 "Wizard of Oz"...............................................................................1992 "The Threepenny Opera"...............................................................1993 "Oliver"..........................................................................................1995 "The Plays the Thing".....................................................................1996 "Once Upon a Mattress".................................................................1996 "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".............................................1998 "The Wiz of the West"....................................................................1999 "The Fisherman and His Wife"........................................................2001 "Scenes from G.B. Shaw"................................................................2001 "Hansel and Gretel"........................................................................2002 "Treasure Island"............................................................................2003 "The Jungle Book"..........................................................................2004 |
Search Terms |
Amateur plays Amateur theater Community theater Dramalites Play bills Scrapbooks Theater Washington (Conn.) Missoula Children’s Theatre |
Copyrights |
Materials believed to be under copyright or other restrictions are available for limited noncommercial, educational and personal use only, or for fair use as defined by United States copyright law and with proper citation. Please note that the Gunn Memorial Library & Museum may not hold the rights to all items in this collection. Users assume responsibility for identifying all copyright holders and for determining whether permission is needed to make any use of the content. |
Access Conditions |
Due to the fragile condition of some items, physical use may be restricted. |
Finding Aids |
A complete finding aid is available upon request (museum@gunnlibrary.org). Physical copies are also kept in the Connecticut Room of the Gunn Memorial Library. |
Collection |
Washigton Dramalites Collection |
Object Name |
Collection |