Marymount Manhattan College

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William B. Harris Papers

Authored by Bug Thomas

Playbill from The Nutcracker performed by the New York City Ballet at New York State Theatre between November 30-December 31, 1989.

Playbill from The Nutcracker performed by the New York City Ballet at New York State Theatre between November 30-December 31, 1989.

William B. Harris was a dance and drama critic who became particularly interested in New York Theater. He was an editor for newspapers and magazines where he wrote articles, criticisms and reviews of many theatre productions. After his death, his family wished for his collection be saved and used. Now, Marymount Manhattan College became the owner of his extensive collection of playbills, tickets, photographs, and personal notes and writings1. Spanning the decades between the 1960’s and 1990’s, Marymount Manhattan College hosts over 4,450 folders of clippings saved over the years, and categorized into a total of eight genre series­2.

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Karl Anderson – William Harris Collection

Authored by Elizabeth Beneke

The William Harris Collection

Karl Anderson – Weaving Through The Grid

William Harris was a theatre editor for SoHo Weekly News and magazine editor of Theatre Crafts Magazine. During his time in New York City he created a collection of clippings, photos, posters and much more, which in a way was Mr. Harris’ way to preserve history.  In a way Mr. Harris contributed to the work that we are doing today, he was practicing Archiving before it became a full-blown concept. Continue reading →

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William B. Harris Papers Collection

Authored by Emma Kelly

Peter Pan Playbill

Playbill for a production of J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up” from the William Harris Papers.

William B. Harris collected this playbill, along with many other theater-related items.  The collection is titled “The William Harris Papers,” and is located at Marymount Manhattan College in their library’s archives.  “This collection has been completely processed and consists of 96 scripts, 4,450 folders of clippings and a collection of photographs gathered by Mr. Harris during the decades of the 1960s to the 1990s, to support his work as a critic of avant-garde theater and dance in downtown Manhattan.”[1]  The collection is alphabetically organized within eight genres, (unpublished scripts, clippings, a videocassette, photographs, books, ephemera, periodicals, and recordings) three of which are not preserved in the archives, and are titled as Series 1-8.[2]

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