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Childsplay Records 1976-2008

MSS-222

Historical Note

Childsplay, a non-profit professional theatre for young people and their families, began producing theatre in 1977 in Tempe, Arizona with six actors, Founding Artistic Director David Saar, and as much set as would fit into the trunk of a 1967 Chevrolet. When the company toured, they performed in open spaces with the audience seated around them and on formal stages. David Saar, playwright, director, administrator, Arizona Artist-in-Education, Arizona State University adjunct faculty, guest director at other American professional theatre companies, and actor has been the Artistic Director since the beginning of the company.

Will Today Be Yesterday Tomorrow?, Childsplay's first show, was a collection of whimsical scenes from children's stories, folk tales, and other materials that portray a child's view of time. For the first several seasons, all of the plays were musical reviews based on a theme and were created by the company. For a complete list of Childsplay plays, please see the Scope and Content section of this finding aid.

Childsplay received many prestigious awards which helped it to gain recognition in Arizona, nationally, and internationally. Following are some of these awards:

The Yellow Boat, a play authored by David Saar, based on the true story of David and Sonja Saar's son Benjamin and told through Benjamin's eyes and artwork, played a significant role in the development of Childsplay and in the creation of a quality canon of plays for young audiences in the world. This play received the following recognitions:

In 1985 Childsplay introduced its logo, the Pied Piper, a figure that has appeared in many colors and costumes for Childsplay's celebrations throughout the years.

In 1988 Childsplay began its 17-year run of The Velveteen Rabbit, a "24-carrot production" with puppets and actors. This show became a holiday tradition for Arizona families and ran through 2004 at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts and various venues in Tucson and was revived in 2008.

In 1991 Childsplay was the first Arizona theatre to be invited to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. They presented The Masquerade of Life/La Mascara de la Vida, a bi-lingual play that celebrated the Mexican Day of the Dead Festival. This play was a collaboration between playwright Mary Hall Surface and Mesa mask maker and musician Zarco Guerrero.

Childsplay was featured as one of the top four American theatre companies for young audiences in the April 2000 cover story in American Theatre, published by Theatre Communications Group (TCG) in New York City.

Childsplay's commissioned play Tomas and the Library Lady was performed for First Lady Laura Bush in Phoenix in 2006. This play was also performed throughout the United States in 2007-2008, making it Childsplay's first national touring production.

Childsplay has always been committed to producing new plays and to innovative approaches to traditional stories. By 2007 Childsplay had developed or commissioned 50 new plays for young audiences, many of which were produced again by theatre companies around the world. Through the Whiteman New Plays Program, Childsplay provides theatrical artists with the time and financial support to dream and create for young people. Over the years several writers have served as playwrights in residence collaborating with Childsplay to create new plays. Monica Long Ross, an original company member, was Childsplay's playwright in residence from 1980-1991, creating six plays. Pennsylvania playwright Barry Kornhauser created four plays, California playwright José Cruz González created 5 new plays and Mary Hall Surface created three new plays. Childsplay Associate Dwayne Hartford created four new plays in the 2000s.

These premieres included:

Childsplay believes that young people deserve to experience challenging, thought-provoking theatre of the highest artistic quality. They constantly challenge the notion of what theatre for young people can and should be by presenting plays on such important and difficult subjects as the Holocaust, AIDS, teen suicide, and adult literacy. They received the Shofar Zakhor Award in 2000 for the play And Then They Came for Me, based on interviews with two Holocaust survivors who were friends of Anne Frank. In 2002 the play Eric and Elliot chronicled a family's journey through depression and suicide. This play was performed in partnership with the Mental Health Association of Arizona and was followed by a discussion with mental health professionals. Childsplay regularly provides ASL and/or Audio Description to audiences with special needs.

To elevate the artistic quality of its productions, Childsplay employs the leading playwrights, directors, designers, composers, and choreographers from adult, educational, foreign and from other professional children's theatres. Artists working with Childsplay have been from Norway, Honolulu, Seattle, Chicago, Canada, New York City, Germany and the Netherlands and include Linda Hartzell, Artistic Director of Seattle Children's Theatre and Graham Whitehead, former Artistic Director of Mermaid Theatre in Canada.

From the beginning Childsplay was committed to employing an ensemble of actor-teachers twelve months per year and is one of the few professional theatres for young audiences in the United States that has an ensemble of talented adult actors working together at the height of their creative powers. Some have been with the company for more than 20 years. Kyle Lawson, Theatre Critic for the Arizona Republic, called the company the "Finest Acting Ensemble in the Southwest" in a December 5, 2002 article. Some of the long-term associates are Katie McFadzen (1993-2009+), F. Scott Withers (1989-2008), Dwayne Hartford (1990-2009+), Jon Gentry (1981-2009+) and Debra K. Stevens (1983-2009+).

In 1986 Childsplay began to offer classes taught by its actor/teachers for pre-school through high school children. In the summer of 2007, the Childsplay Academy offered 21 separate classes in which young people explored the worlds of pirates, the three little pigs, Shakespeare's "Scottish Play", and produced the Tony Award winning musical Urinetown. Childsplay actor/teachers also spend a week, a month, or a year in schools teaching theatre skills encouraging students to use their body, voice, and imagination to discover, create, and communicate - skills that can be applied to any academic area. Its residency activities have grown to include programs that help teachers integrate drama in core subject areas.

Childsplay presents more than 500 performances annually in school cafeterias and auditoriums in Arizona. In fall 2007 three separate ensembles of actors toured three plays throughout the state and one ensemble toured nationally.

After frequently moving its offices, Childsplay relocated its administrative offices and created its first public performance space at the former Rural School (Southern Avenue and Rural Road) in Tempe in 1984. In 1988 Childsplay moved its administrative offices, classes, and performances to the new Tempe Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in downtown Tempe and remained there until 2008. In 2008, a successful capital campaign enabled Childsplay to renovate and establish new headquarters at the former Mitchell School in Tempe. In 2007 they became one of the resident theatres performing at the new Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA).

Childsplay's mission statement is "To create theatre so strikingly original in form, content or both, that it instills in young people an enduring awe, love and respect for the medium, thus preserving imagination and wonder, those hallmarks of childhood that are the keys to the future."

Scope and Content Note

The Childsplay Records, 1976-2008, are comprised of production files, promptbooks, playscripts, play development policy records, play research materials, dramaturgical notes, musical scores, performance evaluations, set models, design renderings, set, lighting and costume construction drawings, cast lists, resumes, rehearsal schedules, calendars, newspaper and periodical articles, correspondence, biographies, photographs, posters, study guides, newsletters, brochures, publicity postcards, press releases, advertising materials, legal documents, handbooks, manuals, staff lists, meeting notes, position and job descriptions, strategic long-range plans, financial statements, fundraising materials, grant applications, reports, scrapbooks, contracts, architectural drawings and schematics, booking materials, school residency and curriculum materials, awards, audio recordings, video recordings, and computer disks. The records, with bulk dates of 1979-2006, document over thirty years of Childsplay's artistic, performance, educational, and administrative work as the leading Arizona professional theatre for young audiences. The collection consists of seven series: Organizational History, Management, Production, Education, Resource Library, Audiovisual Materials, and Ephemera. The series are divided into sub-series and these frequently are sorted into additional groupings.

Series I: Organizational History provides historic overview and ready reference materials and is particularly useful for locating milestones in the company's history. The series consists of the following subseries: Chronological Files, Scrapbooks, Newsletters, Season Brochures, and Recognitions and Awards.

Subseries A: Chronological Files (1977-2008) was artificially assembled to provide overview reference material on the history of Childsplay. The files consist mostly of newspaper clippings, fact sheets, brochures, and some correspondence and photographs. The arrangement is chronological by decade.

Subseries B: Scrapbooks (1977-1989) consists of five scrapbooks. Two of these documenting the 1970s and 1980s were compiled by company member Monica Long Ross and consist mostly of photographs and correspondence as well as some newspaper clippings and fliers. The other three scrapbooks, compiler unknown, 1984-1987, are entirely comprised of newspaper clippings. The arrangement is chronological, both by decade and year.

Subseries C: Newsletters (1982-1997, bulk 1982-1990) mostly provides background, promotes up-coming seasons and individual plays, and gives updates on the artistic and administrative aspects of the company. The arrangement is chronological.

Subseries D: Season Brochures (1978-2008) contains both public performance and school tour brochures and newspaper articles that list and describe the season's plays. Additionally, there are materials dealing with the development of brochures, including photo contact sheets and press kits. The arrangement is chronological, then by type.

Subseries E: Recognitions and Awards (1981-2007) includes nominations and acknowledgements for various awards for either the company or individual company members. They consist of certificates, proclamations, newspaper articles, correspondence, photographs, testimonials, and letters of recommendation. The arrangement is chronological.

Series II: Management documents the business, financial, and marketing aspects of operating a theatre company and staging plays. The series consists of the following subseries: Administrative Files, Strategic Planning, Board of Directors, Financial Records, Fundraising, Grants, Offices and Performance Venues, Promotion and Operations, and Touring.

Subseries A: Administrative Files (1977-2006) contains the following groupings: Organizational Documents, Personnel Material, and Attendance at Conferences and Festivals. The arrangement is chronological, unless noted otherwise.

The Organizational Documents (1977-1999) provide information on the formative years of Childsplay and include incorporation articles, by-laws, handbooks, policies and procedures manuals, and correspondence regarding a potential merger with the Arizona Theatre Company (1998-1999).

The Personnel Material (1982-2006) contains information on members of the company, both artistic and managerial, including biographies, resumes, and photographs; staff lists and notes regarding staffing concerns; artistic associates meeting notes; volunteer and intern notes; position and job descriptions; Actors' Equity Association material; and Managing Directors' correspondence, contacts lists and notes. Of note are restricted job search files (1998-2000).

Attendance at Conferences and Festivals (1981-2005) consists of registration packets, publicity materials, and handouts collected by Childsplay artistic and administrative staff while attending state, national and international theatre association conferences, festivals, showcases, arts education symposia, New Visions New Voices Playwriting Symposia at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, TCG (Theatre Communications Group) conferences, the Bonderman Playwriting Symposia, and Arizona Town Halls.

Subseries B: Strategic Planning (1982-2008) contains the following groupings: Organizational Plans and Planning Retreats. The arrangement is chronological, unless noted otherwise.

The Organizational Plans (1985-2008) consist of three and five year strategic long-range plans for both the management and artistic components of the organization. Their focus was on direct planning and occasional visualization exercises through 2012. Of note are the Artistic and Managing Directors' annotated copies of the 2002-2006 strategic plan.

The Planning Retreats (bulk 1992-2004) were attended by the Board, guild, staff, and actors. The focus was on creating new organizational plans and discussing additions and improvements to company operations and functions. Of note are the National Arts Stabilization (NAS) meetings (1998-2004), an organizational analysis project supported by the National Arts Stabilization Fund, a nonprofit arts management group that helps arts organizations build a strong foundation.

Subseries C: Board of Directors (1979-2008) contains the following groupings: Board Development and Board Meetings. The arrangement is chronological unless noted otherwise.

The Board Development (1979-2003) grouping consists of Board member information in the form of Board member lists, contact and biographical information, commitment forms, and handbooks, as well as paperwork about developing the role of the Board and Board membership.

Board Meetings (bulk 1981-1998) contains agendas, minutes, and supporting documents including company, financial, and committee reports; pre-meeting notes and memos in lieu of board meeting minutes; Board correspondence, both amongst Board members and with management; and occasional membership annual meeting agendas and minutes.

Subseries D: Financial Records (1976-2007) contains the following groupings: Accounting and Bookkeeping, Legal Documents, Budget Files, and Box Office Reports. The arrangement is chronological unless noted otherwise.

Accounting and Bookkeeping (1976-1993) contains company ledgers and checkbook stubs.

Legal Documents (1980-2007) consists of audit reports, tax files, and Arizona Corporation Commission information. The arrangement is by type of legal document and then chronological.

The Budget Files (1979-2006) contain administrative and season budget information including financial statements, chart of accounts codes, final reports and budget projections, cash flow and payroll charts, receipts, invoices, insurance policies, calendars, education residency budgets, production tables, season schedule information, and season reports. It is arranged chronologically by administrative and season budgets.

Box Office Reports (1984-1993) consists of box office and event reports, providing mostly monetary information on performances. The arrangement is by play.

Subseries E: Fundraising (1978-2008) contains the following groupings: Membership Fundraising, Corporate and Business Funding, and Events and Campaigns. The arrangement is chronological unless noted otherwise.

Membership Fundraising (1978-1991) contains membership lists and correspondence as well as requests for contributions when Childsplay had a membership constituency.

Corporate and Business Funding (1979-2007) includes both positive and negative responses from corporations, businesses, and foundations to direct requests for support; corporate lists and reports; Fundraising Committee notes; and requests and responses from other organizations for donations from Childsplay.

Events and Campaigns (1983-2008) consists of early telemarketing efforts and raffles to raise money from individuals and local businesses. As the organization matured the focus moved to large event fundraising and a capital campaign. With the addition of a Development Director, the company hosted galas and parties designed to generate funds from specific sources. The capital campaign consisted of the Recapitalization Campaign and Bright Lights Bright Kids Campaign, part of which provided for the Mitchell School renovation. The arrangement is by type of fundraising activity, then chronological.

Subseries F: Grants (1978-2007) consists of requests for funding from granting agencies at the national, state, and municipal level as well as from foundations and organizations. Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Committee-Arts for the Handicapped, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Maricopa County Attorney's Office, were pursued to cover needs including marketing and operations for new play development and school residencies. The cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Tucson subsidized in-school performances. Foundations and organizations, such as the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund, the Flinn Foundation, and the Theatre Communications Group (TCG) provided grants for mentorships and artist residencies. Of note are early grants from local service organizations such as Kiwanis and Soroptimists. The arrangement is by national, state, municipal, foundation, and organization agency, then chronological.

Subseries G: Offices and Performance Venues (1982-2007) documents three of the better known Childsplay administrative offices, which were also intended and/or used as performance venues, e.g. Rural School, Tempe Performing Arts Center (TPAC), and the Sybil B. Harrington Campus for Imagination and Wonder at Mitchell Park, the renovated former Mitchell School. Of note are the City of Tempe negotiation files (1988-2007) regarding the funding and design of the Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA) and the Mitchell School renovation. The performance venues material provides construction, structural drawings and schematics; and operational brochures and promotional information for performance venues used by Childsplay, both in the Phoenix valley and elsewhere in Arizona. Of note is a large collection of TCA planning and development material. The arrangement is by office and venue, then chronological.

Subseries H: Promotion and Operations (1977-2006) contains the following groupings: By Season, By Play, Contracts, and Posters, which document the marketing and business operations for the season and for individual performances. The arrangement is chronological unless noted otherwise.

By Season (1977-2006) contains marketing strategies by season, work-ups for brochures, camera ready artwork, press releases, correspondence, promotional materials, newspaper articles, advertising, thank you letters, press kits dealing with productions and classes/residencies, voucher files, and some trademark legal documentation.

By Play (1982-1998) contains advertisements in magazines and newspapers, press releases, production and venue contracts, rental agreements, royalty agreements, correspondence, booking confirmations, play materials, study guides, photographs, event reports, and closeout reports from venues.

Contracts (1982-1994) contain administrative, artistic, and season employee contracts as well as venue contracts with local or out-of-state schools, theatres, and municipal venues.

Posters (1988-2005) document the marketing of seasons, plays and special events.

Subseries I: Touring (1979-2008) contains the following groupings: School Bookings and Regional and National Tours. The arrangement is chronological unless noted otherwise.

School Bookings (1979-2008, bulk 1986-1999) are comprised of school tours and field trip booking reservations as well as invoices and confirmation records. School tour bookings focuses on Childsplay's performances at schools, both public and private, inside and outside of Maricopa County. They are inclusive of residencies and special performances at locations like malls, libraries, children's hospitals, festivals, and other children's outreach sources. The files are identified by play or by school and contain correspondence, schedules, and service agreements; there is also general correspondence and tallies regarding both school tours and field trips. School field trip bookings focuses on Childsplay's performances at various venues inside and outside of Maricopa County, to which classes are transported during in-school times. The files are identified by play or school and contain service agreements, some correspondence, and contact information. Also of note are grant sponsored production files. The arrangement is loosely alphabetical. The school tour and field trip invoices and service confirmations contain forms for each booking and are at different times arranged chronologically, by performance, and alphabetically by school districts; at other times they are interfiled.

Regional and National Tours (1982-2008) consists mostly of correspondence, advertising, contracts, catalogs, brochures, and booking conference materials for performances at venues, residencies, and schools outside Arizona, specifically for the Western states of Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming; and documents noting potential touring possibilities.

Series III: Production consists of Planning, Production Files, Promptbooks, Design Materials, and New Play Development.

Subseries A: Planning (1980-2008) contains the following groupings: By Season, Calendars, Guest Artists, Collaborations, and Auditions demonstrating preparations for and artistic development of a season of performances. The arrangement is chronological unless noted otherwise.

By Season (1983-2008) planning files contain schedules, brochures, hand-written notes, outlines, casting, reading lists, booking projections, budgets, correspondence regarding staging and costumes, and flow charts in preparation for the upcoming season as well as lists of possible plays and playwright, publisher and other theatre company correspondence.

Calendars (1980-2007) consists of master, production, season, and play calendars as well as education calendars noting school tours, field trips, teaching residencies, and classes.

The Guest Artists (1984-2007) files contain correspondence, contract negotiations, travel details, resumes and some photographs of guest artists, playwrights, designers, and technical professionals, and those under consideration for employment. Arrangement is by name.

Collaborations (1993-2003) consists primarily of correspondence and documents the collaborative work between Childsplay and Arizona State University, Phoenix Boys Choir, Phoenix Symphony, and the Seattle Children's Theatre. The arrangement is by type of collaboration, then chronological.

Auditions (1982-2008, bulk 1988-1999) consists of try out, call-back, casting, and advertising materials including resumes, photographs, correspondence, hand-written notes, newspaper advertisements, and press releases of upcoming auditions. Of note are the 2004 Unified Professional Theatre Auditions.

Subseries B: Production Files (1977-2008) consists of material documenting the performance of plays by Childsplay. The files include programs; rehearsal schedules; publicity fliers and postcards; newspaper and periodical articles and reviews; photographs; rehearsal reports; interviews with playwrights, performers, designers and directors; prop lists; French scene breakdowns; directors' notes; correspondence; contact sheets; cue sheets; and travel schedules. Study guides, sometimes called resource guides, for families, students, and teachers are also located in this series. The arrangement is chronological.

Subseries C: Promptbooks (1977-2008) contains copies of playscripts performed by Childsplay that have directors, stage managers, lighting or sound technicians blocking and cue notations. Included are promptbooks for single plays and production notebooks for the entire season of plays. In addition to the annotated scripts, some of the promptbooks contain rehearsal schedules, floor plans, prop lists, set designs, contact sheets, programs, rehearsal and performance reports. The arrangement is alphabetical by play for promptbooks and chronological for production notebooks.

Subseries D: Design Materials (1977-2007) contains the following groupings: Set Models and Technical and Design Drawings.

Set Models are included for touring sets and for productions in theatres. The latter usually include flown scenery and the rigging.

Technical and Design Drawings include light plots; cross sections of theatres; floor (ground) plans; set, furniture and prop elevations; floor paint elevations; truck loading plots; set renderings; costume renderings, some with fabric swatches; projection designs; hanging plots; platform breakdowns; touring elevations; and rigging plots. Box 107 also includes designer handwritten notes; sound and lighting cue sheets; prop lists; design budgets; dimmer assignment lists; lighting instrument and costume lists. Box 103 includes floor plans, cross sections of theatres, wall elevations, and seating plans for the Tempe Center for the Arts, Geva Theatre, the Tempe Performing Arts Center, and the Herberger Theatre Center. They are housed alphabetically by play and by format, rolled or flat.

Subseries E: New Play Development (1979-2008) contains the following groupings: Planning and By Play, which document the planning process for play selection and development. The arrangement is chronological unless noted otherwise.

Planning (2000-2007) contains communications among the artistic development team for individual productions; documents formulating the Childsplay Play Development Policy; workshop goals and scheduling documents. The bulk of the policy records document the Whiteman Foundation New Play Program, which funds the collaboration between the playwright and the creative team. The records consist of handwritten notes, some taken at artistic team meetings; workshop agendas; play research materials; schedules; correspondence; dramaturgical notes; timelines; budgets; and play development policies and strategic planning documents.

By Play (1979-2008) files document the script development for plays that received a full production by Childsplay and for plays commissioned by Childsplay but never formally produced. The records contain primarily drafts of playscripts, many with revisions; correspondence between playwrights and the director; handwritten notes; musical scores; and play evaluations. The arrangement is alphabetical by play. Plays commissioned but not produced are arranged separately.

Series IV: Education documents Childsplay's three decades of providing classes, workshops, and performances with preschool through high school students and teachers. The series contains the following subseries: Instruction and Play Responses.

Subseries A: Instruction (1981-2007) contains the following groupings: Classes and Workshops, Teaching Residences, and Spring Hill Theatre Education Directors' Conferences. The arrangement is chronological unless noted otherwise.

Classes and Workshops (1981-2007) contain after school, Saturday, and summer academy class and theatre workshops brochures; correspondence with teachers; curriculum outlines; and collaboration plans with the Arizona Theatre Company and University of Arizona.

Teaching Residencies (1981-2004), offered a combination of classes, workshops, lecture demonstrations, and performances for teachers and students on a variety of topics developed and taught by Childsplay artists-in-residence. The files contain handwritten notes, correspondence with schools and teachers, granting agency materials, lesson plans, and information on the schools. Of note are the Getz School and Arizona Very Special Arts residencies, in which Childsplay worked with student with disabilities.

The Spring Hill Theatre Education Directors' Conferences attended by Childsplay's staff from 1996-1998 offered instruction, networking, and partnership opportunities to invited Education Directors of professional theatre companies. The files contain agendas, schedules, working papers, education surveys, theatre profiles, and resource materials, mostly in the format of participating theatres' press kits.

Subseries B: Play Responses (1982-2008) contains the following groupings: Letters from Children and Teacher Evaluations, which are responses to performances at schools or other venues. The arrangement is chronological unless noted otherwise.

Letters from Children (1982-2008) consists mostly of handwritten thank you letters and drawings from child audience members. The letters were often written as part of a class project and include a cover letter from the teacher.

Teacher Evaluations (1985-2007) include play evaluation questionnaires filled out by teachers whose class attended a performance. The bulk of these are from the Creative Arts Department of the Mesa Unified School District.

Series V: Resource Library consists of reference materials and is divided into the following subseries: Theatres for Young Audiences, Playscripts, and General Resources. This series has been assembled to reflect the various sources of information gathered by Childsplay in pursuit of administrative and artistic functions.

Subseries A: Theatres for Young Audiences (1985-2005) consists of professional and youth theatre publicity, study guides, long-range plans, stage specifications and press kits.

Subseries B: Playscripts (1978-2007) contains playscripts submitted to Childsplay for consideration for production and correspondence from publishers, playwrights and other producing companies.

Subseries C: General Resources (1979-1999) includes books, publications, articles, periodicals, monographs, studies, reports, brochures, and pamphlets on fundraising, directing, philanthropy, grant proposal writing, promotions, artists in the schools, touring, and integrated arts.

Series VI: Audiovisual Materials is format based and consists of the following subseries: Photographs, Sound Recordings, Moving Image, and Computer Disks, created and used by Childsplay for artistic and administrative functions.

Subseries A: Photographs (1976-2002) contains the following formats: black and white and color photographs; slides; proof sheets; and compact discs (CDs) with TIFF and JPEG files. They include play production and publicity, rehearsal, tour, construction, audience, education program, headshots, projection, galas, and marketing photographs. Two boxes are unidentified.

Subseries B: Sound Recordings includes the following formats: CDs, minidiscs (MDs), 3.5" computer disks, audiocassettes, digital audio tapes (DAT) and one phonograph recording. Recorded on these are sound cues, musical scores, rehearsal music, orchestrations, accent practice instruction, PSAs, and sound effects made especially for Childsplay's plays performed by professional actors and by students enrolled in education classes. There are also some copyrighted CDs and audiocassettes of professional musicians, none of which are labeled as being used in Childsplay productions. They are arranged by format, then by play, when identifiable.

Subseries C: Moving Image includes the following formats: VHS videotapes, 3/4" videotapes, CDs, digital video discs (DVDs), mini digital videos (DVs) and 8mm tapes. Recorded on these are Childsplay's plays performed by professional actors and by students enrolled in education classes; television interviews; Governor's Arts Award ceremonies; other companies' shows; auditions; Arizona advocacy resources; Steffan Soule Magic used for Still Life for Iris; student and teacher residencies and workshops; marketing campaign promotions; Holocaust research; publicity events; Tempe Design Review Commission 2007 June 12 meeting; and PSAs and other commercials for seasons or individual plays. Five boxes are arranged alphabetically by play title. The other two contain mostly undated promotional, marketing, education and resource moving images.

Subseries D: Computer Disks (1988-1998) consists of 3.5" floppy disks and data compression files (ZIP) on Macintosh formatted disks with labeling suggesting that the majority contain file back-ups, agreements, resumes, brochures, grants, and correspondence documents. Some are labeled as containing documents for specific plays, like the Velveteen Rabbit or educational programs. The three ZIP disks have no labels. Accessibility of the data is unknown and some disks are marked as "infected".

Series VII: Ephemera is comprised of three dimensional objects. Please see the Box List for individual items in the series.

Arrangement

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Access to Box 11 (0.5 linear feet) has been restricted in accordance with the wishes of the donor. Contact the Curator of the Child Drama Collection for information on access to this box.

To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.

Copyright

Arizona State University does not own the copyright to this collection. We recognize that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this collection from the owner of the copyright.

Related Material

See also the David Saar Collection for development and production materials for the play Yellow Boat, which was developed at Childsplay and was written by Childsplay's founding Artistic Director, David Saar.

Access Terms

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Childsplay Records, MSS-222, Arizona State University Library.

Provenance

The Childsplay Records were received from Childsplay’s Stage Managers, Managing and Development Directors, Monica Long Ross, David Saar, and Robyn Silverberg from 1997 through 2008 in multiple accessions; ongoing.

Processing Note

This collection was processed as part of a NHPRC Archives-Basic Projects-Basic Processing grant, which limits processing to the series and subseries level when needed and does not allow the creation of file or folder listings. The collection was processed by Katherine Krzys, Curator, and Anna Uremovich, NHPRC Project Archivist, Child Drama Collection, April 2009.

Container List