Authored by: Taylor Creel
Michael Weller’s Moonchildren. 1972. Maureen Anderman Collection, Marymount Manhattan College.
Actress Maureen Anderman collected newspaper articles about plays she participated in over the more than forty years of her career. In 2016, Anderman donated her professional papers to Marymount Manhattan College. Marymount Manhattan College features a strong theatre arts program and advertises thirty three percent of graduates as pursuing a career in acting making it an optimal selection for such resources.[1] In order to compensate for physical space constraints, the college would like to create a bibliography of articles from the New York Times which mention her.
At the beginning of her career, Anderman performed in Michael Weller’s dramatic comedy Moonchildren, originally named Cancer at its debut in London at the Royal Court Theatre before its 1971 Broadway premiere at the Arena Stage in Washington.[2] The play follows eight college students that share an apartment in the mid-sixties era as they encounter and deal with the challenges and opportunities of growing up. Anderman was cast as the character Ruth, one of the students. Playwright Weller describes the play as a group that is making a perilous trip across a desert in which they “laugh and joke to pass the time.”[3]
Although the show only lasted for sixteen performances, Anderman received the 1971-1972 Theatre World Award for her portrayal in Moonchildren. This particular accolade is intended to recognize actors and actresses in their first theatrical performance either on or off Broadway. The Theatre World Award “encourages and inspires newcomers to the stage to continue to pursue their dream.”[4] Similarly, that is what the contribution of the Anderman collection will do for the theatre arts.
Even with extensive experience in theatre and television, Maureen Anderman yields little to no fame as an actress in the grand scheme of Hollywood. However, this photo epitomizes the core values of respect, opportunity, and service as exhibited by her donation. This collection provides the opportunity for further development of the history of theatre and brings awareness to the need for respect of all people regardless of status or perceived notoriety. The Maureen Anderman papers highlight the Vincentian value of service in the practical application of conserving the resources placed in her stead.[5]
Footnotes
[1] “About Us: Facts and Figures,” Marymount Manhattan College, After Graduation, accessed February 27, 2017, http://www.mmm.edu/about-us/facts-and-figures/.
[2] Sarah Stanton and Martin Banham, eds., The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Theatre (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 406.
[3] “Inside the Playbill: Moonchildren – Opening Night at the Royale Theatre,” Playbill, accessed March 1, 2017, http://www.playbill.com/playbillpagegallery/inside-playbill?asset=00000150-aea6-d936-a7fd-eef62efe0002&type=InsidePlaybill&slide=1.
[4] “Theatre World Award,” Theatre World Awards, accessed March 1, 2017, http://www.theatreworldawards.org/award.html.
[5] “Our Mission,” St. John’s University, accessed March 4, 2017, http://www.stjohns.edu/about/our-mission.
References
“About Us: Facts and Figures.” Marymount Manhattan College. Accessed February 27, 2017. http://www.mmm.edu/about-us/facts-and-figures/.
“Inside the Playbill: Moonchildren – Opening Night at the Royale Theatre.” Playbill. Accessed March 15, 2017. http://www.playbill.com/playbillpagegallery/inside-playbill?asset=00000150-aea6-d936-a7fd-eef62efe0002&type=InsidePlaybill&slide=1.
“Our Mission.” St. John’s University. Accessed March 4, 2017. http://www.stjohns.edu/about/our-mission.
Stanton, Sarah, and Martin Banham, eds. The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
“Theatre World Award.” Theatre World Awards. Accessed March 15, 2017. http://www.theatreworldawards.org/award.html.