Federal Theatre Project Playscripts listed by Author and Production Location
The following table lists the 68 playscripts that have been digitized for the online collection to date. The playscripts are selected from the Federal Theatre Collection Playscripts File, a subseries of the Library Records series. The Finding Aid to the Federal Theatre Project Collection provides a complete listing of the contents of the Playscript File.
The Playscripts File (1936-39 and undated) comprises over 2,500 play titles covering the classics, musicals, vaudeville scenarios, comedy sketches, living newspaper scripts, plays for children, and marionette scripts, by well-known or established authors, as well as plays by unknown authors. Included are some directors' and prompters' scripts, actors' sides (sheets, usually a half page, containing lines and cues for a single role), and varying versions of entire scripts or single acts. While most scripts are in English, there are some in French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Yiddish. The Playscripts File consists of 292 containers (Finding Aid Boxes 572-863).
| Author | Playscript | Production Location |
|---|---|---|
| Arent, Arthur | Power | San Francisco, CA Chicago, IL New York, NY Portland, OR Seattle, WA |
| Ballard, Frederick | Believe Me, Xantippe Script One (Prompt book; produced at Thirty-Ninth Street Theatre in New York City; probably FTP-sponsored) |
|
| Barton, Andrew | The Disappointment Script One (Original draft; from National Service Bureau; oversize script) Script Two (Clean script; minor corrections; no other details) Script Three (Clean script; from National Service Bureau; no details) Script Four (Clean script; no details) |
New Haven, CT New York, NY |
| Belasco, David | Heart of Maryland Script One (typed 6/2/39) |
|
| Fitch, Clyde | Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines Script One |
Roslyn, NY |
| Galsworthy, John | The Silver Box Script One (Working copy; from National Service Bureau; no details) Script Two (One marked passage only; belonged to Henry Stillman) |
|
| Gilbert, William S. | The Mikado Script One (Clean script; no details) Script Two (Clean script; National Service Bureau copy; typing finished 3/28/39; no details) Script Three (Clean script; illegible name of Newark, N.J. resident in upper-left) Script Four (Working copy; belonged to John Tate; includes names of actors; typing finished 5/11/39) |
San Francisco, CA Wilmington, DE Chicago, IL New York, NY Cincinnati, OH Seattle, WA |
| Herne, James | Sag Harbor Script One (Working copy; poor condition) |
Detroit, MI Hackensack, NJ |
| Shore Acres Script One (Working script; adapted by Betty Smith (?)) Script Two (Clean script; different from adapted version; no details) |
New York, NY | |
| Hopwood, Avery | Fair and Warmer Script One (Director's copy; no other details) |
New York, NY |
| Hoyt, Charles H. | A Texas Steer Script One (Clean script; from National Service Bureau; no details) Script Two (Working copy; copyright problems resolved) |
Los Angeles, CA Chicago, IL |
| MacKaye, Percy | The Scarecrow Script One (Working copy; belonged to Henry B. Harris of the Hudson Theatre in New York City) Script Two (Working copy; appears to have been used by Federal Theatre's Classical Program; illegible name of owner on inside of cover; from New York City; poor condition) |
|
| Marlowe, Christopher | The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus | San Francisco, CA Denver, CO Atlanta, GA New Orleans, LA Boston, MA Detroit, MI New York, NY Philadelphia, PA Seattle, WA |
| Nirdlinger, Charles F. | The First Lady of the Land or Dolly Madison Script One (Clean script; property of Henry B. Harris, Hudson Theatre, N.Y.C.) |
|
| Shakespeare, William | As You Like It Script One (Clean script; produced at Blackstone Theatre in Chicago, beginning 6/8/39, directed by Russell Spindler; (index card backs up place and date information) Script Two (Clean script; possibly performed in California; no details) |
Chicago, IL |
| Comedy of Errors Script One (Working script; no other details) Script Two (Clean script; no details) |
New York, NY | |
| Julius Caesar Script One (Clean script; says "revised" on cover) Script Two (Some scattered comments; also says "revised" on cover) |
Wilmington, DE New York, NY |
|
| Macbeth Script One (Clean script; Detroit) Script Two (Prompt book (includes lighting instructions); Lafayette Theatre, New York City; 4/14/36; Welles version) Script Three (Working copy; adapted by Harold Vrees) Script Four (Clean script; "Negro version" (appears to be Welles's adaptation)) Script Five (Clean script; Los Angeles regional office; Play Bureau library copy; no details) Script Six (Clean script; "Adaptation for The Colored Unit"; Los Angeles regional office; appears to Welles version; from FTP Play Bureau library) Script Seven (Working script; Welles "Negro version"; Lafayette Theatre, New York City, 4/14/36; extremely similar Script Six (they even have many identical stage directions pencilled in)) |
Los Angeles, CA Oakland, CA Bridgeport, CT Hartford, CT Boston, MA New York, NY Cincinnati, OH Dallas, TX |
|
| Othello Script One (Includes director's and stage manager's notes; Blackstone Theatre, Chicago, 4/11/39©4/27/39; edited for stage by Ian Keith) |
Chicago, IL | |
| Shaw, George Bernard | Androcles and the Lion Script One (Clean script; no details) Script Two (Clean script; dated 2/10/39; time notations in margins; no other details) Script Three (Clean script; no details) Script Four (Cast of Characters has first names of actors in pencil; scattered staging notes) Script Five (Created by same company that used Script Four, but this version was found faulty and not used) Script Six (National Service Bureau script; dated 1/24/39; clean script) Script Seven (Prompt book, with staging and sound directions; no other details) Script Eight (Folder contains 19 playscript sides) Script Nine (Folder contains 21 playscript sides) |
Los Angeles, CA Denver, CO Atlanta, GA New York, NY Seattle, WA |
| Arms and the Man Script One (Clean script; from Midwest Regional Service Bureau of WPA; no details) Script Two (Prompt book; Detroit) Script Three (Prompt book) |
San Diego, CA Des Moines, IA Salem, MA Detroit, MI |
|
| The Devil's Disciple Script One (Clean script; from National Service Bureau; no other details) Script Two (Prompt script; back cover is pricelist of other FTP plays and ordering information) Script Three (Working script; Los Angeles regional office) |
Denver, CO Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL New Orleans, LA Newark, NJ |
|
| Great Catherine Script One (Scattered comments (working script?); no other details) Script Two (Clean script; from National Service Bureau; no other details) |
New York, NY Roslyn, NY |
|
| Sheridan, Richard Brinsley | The Rivals Script One (Working copy; possibly belonged to George LeGuere of 130 W. 44th Street; actors' names included; New York City; "Announcement" with information about the play is folded inside) |
New York, NY |
| The School for Scandal Script One (Working copy; appears to have been used by Federal Theatre's Classical Program; illegible name of owner on inside of cover; from New York City; poor condition) Script Two (Clean script; from National Service Bureau; no details) |
New York, NY | |
| Smith, Winchell, and Hazzard, John | Turn to the Right Script One (Working copy) Script Two (Working copy) Script Three (Clean script; from National Service Bureau) |
Los Angeles, CA San Diego, CA Indianapolis, IN New York, NY |
| Strong, Austin | Three Wise Fools Script One (Working copy) Script Two (Clean script; no details) |
Los Angeles, CA San Diego, CA Tampa, FL Chicago, IL Omaha, NE Milwaukee, WI |
| Veiller, Bayard | The Thirteenth Chair Script One (Working copy) |
Hackensack, NJ Palisades Park, NJ Rutherford, NJ |