| Notes: | Series IV includes financial and personnel materials that is restricted until 2032. Series III, Audio-Visual, does not include access copies for the audiotape reels. Researchers will need to consult with staff before requesting material from this series. The remainder of the collection is open for research.
Court Theatre, is a professional University of Chicago based repertory theatre founded in 1954 with staff and actors drawn mostly from the Hyde Park community. The theatre began productions in the summer of 1955 with strong ties to the University Theatre and the less traditional student-run "Tonight at 8:30" series. University Theatre director Marvin Phillips played a pioneering role in the early years of Court. In the summer of 1955, Court performed its first production, Moliere's The Doctor in Spite of Himself. In subsequent seasons, Court gained increasing attention among the Hyde Park community with its unwavering dedication to performances of the classics. Some of the earliest productions were The Trojan Women, Salome, The Alchemist, Dr. Faustus, and The Imaginary Invalid. In the 1960s, the Court began to reach out to a larger metropolitan audience. In time Court would become the largest performing arts organization on the South Side of Chicago. In 1962, Robert Benedetti became artistic director. The 1962 season was artistically adventurous, with performances of The Knight of the Burning Pestle and The Dybbuk. The experimental plays brought little financial support and harsh reviews. In 1963, Court changed course with a season entirely devoted to productions of classic plays, in particular those of Shakespeare. The last production of 1963, King Lear, captured national critical acclaim more so than any previous Court production. Attendance records were broken, and the play was broadcast on the CBS Repertory Theatre. In 1964, Benedetti was succeeded as artistic director by James O'Reilly, under whom the theatre continued its presentation of classic plays with a few more recent titles, such as Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood and Arthur Miller's The Crucible. One of the most accomplished Court productions of this period was Richard III, in 1969, where O'Reilly directed his successor, Nicholas Rudall, in the lead role. Rudall became artistic director in 1971. Under his direction, Court became a University-based repertory theatre, and in 1975 an Actors' Equity theatre. In 1981, Court built a new home, the intimate, 251-seat Abelson Auditorium, and in 1983 the theatre incorporated as independent non-profit organization.
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| Summary: | Consists of correspondence, memos, cast lists, call sheets, rehearsal schedules, scripts, posters, programs, theatre fliers, newsletters, press releases, newspaper clippings, reviews, and photographs. The collection primarily documents the theatres' productions.
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