Gabriel Miller Collection of Arthur Laurents, 1946-2010 | Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

By Jessie Knoles and Dana Miller

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Collection Overview

Title: Gabriel Miller Collection of Arthur Laurents, 1946-2010

ID: 01/01/MSS00092

Primary Creator: Laurents, Arthur (1917-2011)

Extent: 4.0 Cubic Feet

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into five series:

Series 1: Theater Programs (arranged by production location, then date)

Subseries 1: New York City Productions

Subseries 2: New Jersey Productions

Subseries 3: Greater East Coast and International Productions

Subseries 4: Programs for Awards and Honors

Series 2: Promotional Materials (arranged chronologically)

Subseries 1: Souvenirs and Ephemera

Subseries 2: Publications

Subseries 3: Flyers and Brochures

Subseries 4: Photographs

Series 3: Posters and Realia (posters arranged chronologically, realia arranged alphabetically)

Series 4: Correspondence (letters arranged alphabetically by correspondent, emails arranged chronologically)

Subseries 1: Letters and Notes

Subseries 2: Emails to Gabriel Miller

Subseries 3: Group Emails

Series 5: Gabriel Miller Materials (arranged chronologically)

Subjects: Theater

Forms of Material: Playbills

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This collection consists of correspondence, playbills, publications, interviews, photographs, posters, and realia concerning the life and works of Arthur Laurents (1917-2011). Materials were previously from the Library of Gabriel Miller, a modern drama and film scholar at Rutgers University.

Collection Historical Note

Arthur Laurents (1917-2011) was an American playwright, writer, and screenwriter most known for Gypsy and West Side Story. Laurents grew up in Brooklyn, where his father was a lawyer and his mother was a teacher. He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in English, later taking night classes at New York University and selling his first radio play to CBS for $30. After being drafted into the Army in 1941, Laurents wrote for radio dramas, military training programs, and propaganda. He was accused of Communism and blacklisted in the McCarthy Era, as he was active in civil rights issues and had joined a Marxist study group.

Among his stage and film productions, Laurents directed Gypsy (1959), I Can Get It For You On Wholesale (1962), Anyone Can Whistle (1964), The Radical Mystique, and Jolson Sings Again. He also wrote the novels The Way We Were (1972) and The Turning Point (1977). In his 2000 memoir, Laurents discusses his homosexuality, and his ashes were buried alongside his long-time partner Tom Hatcher.

Sources

Berkvist, Robert. "Arthur Laurents, Playwright and Director on Broadway, Dies at 93." New York Times. 05 May 2011.

Subject/Index Terms

Theater

URL: https://go.library.illinois.edu/MillerLaurentsCatalog

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Theater Programs],
[Series 2: Promotional Materials],
[Series 3: Posters and Realia],
[Series 4: Correspondence],
[Series 5: Gabriel Miller Materials],
[All]

Series 3: Posters and Realia

Box 2

Folder 1: Posters

Item 1: Gypsy (NY City Center Encores! series), 2007: 14x22 inches. For the revival starring Patti LuPone.
Item 2: Gypsy (St. James Theatre (New York)), 2008: 14x22 inches. For the revival production starring Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines, and Laura Benanti, which ran for 332 performances from 2008-2009. Signed by the entire cast.
Item 3: West Side Story (Palace Theatre (New York)), 2009: 14x22 inches. For the revival production of West Side Story starring George Akram, Matt Cavenaugh, Cody Green, Karen Olivo and Josefina Scaglione, which ran for 748 performances from 2009-2011.

Folder 9: Assorted medals and pins, undated

Item 1: Three floral pins, undated
Item 2: Four pairs of military pins, undated
Item 3: Single pin, undated

Box 3

Item 1: Enclave paperweight (Steuben), undated: A 4.5x5 inch commemorative clear glass paperweight inscribed “Enclave.” From the personal collection of Laurents.
Item 2: Home of the Brave paperweight (Tiffany & Co.), undated: A 4.5x5 inch commemorative clear glass paperweight inscribed “Home of the Brave / Jewish Repertory Theatre / December 12, 1999.” From the personal collection of Laurents.
Item 3: Invitation to a March paperweight (Baccarat Crystal), undated: A 10x2 inch clear glass paperweight inscribed “Invitation to a March.” From the personal collection of Laurents.
Item 4: Jolson Sings Again paperweight (Tiffany & Co.), undated: A 4x5 inch commemorative clear glass paperweight inscribed “Jolson Sings Again.” From the personal collection of Laurents.

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Theater Programs],
[Series 2: Promotional Materials],
[Series 3: Posters and Realia],
[Series 4: Correspondence],
[Series 5: Gabriel Miller Materials],
[All]