Preserving the Past at the Civic Theatre, Allentown

Many thanks to Beth Massa of the Civic Theatre, Allentown, Pennsylvania for this guest post about their efforts to preserve their theatre's history. Do you have a story to tell about your theatre? We'd love to hear from you! First handbill for the Civic Little Theatre, 1927 The Civic Theatre was founded in 1927 by two local newspaper reporters in response to the then-current national Little Theatre movement. Located in Allentown, PA, the Civic Little Theatre (CLT), as it was then called, found success from its very first production. Over the years the organization struggled to find a permanent home, moving from shared attic space to an unheated building on the city’s fairgrounds to a vacated movie theater to a local high school auditorium to a local college stage. Finally, in 1957, CLT moved into its current home at the Nineteenth Street Theatre, a 1928 Art Deco movie palace in Allentown’s West End. In the last decade, capital improvements to the theatre...
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ATAP Graduate Student Administrator

The American Theater Archive Project (ATAP) is currently seeking a graduate student with a strong interest in performance archives to serve as a paid graduate administrator for the organization. ATAP is an initiative of the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) that assists theatre companies and artists in preserving the records of their theatrical process. In coordination with a designated ATAP Steering Committee member, the Administrator facilitates communication for the project; manages the website and social media; coordinates regional team membership; organizes quarterly meetings of the Steering Committee and regional team leaders; and maintains an income and expense spreadsheet to track budget. May perform additional duties as needed.  JOB DUTIES Communications • Field and direct inquiries received through ATAP Gmail account • Check in with designated Steering Committee supervisor monthly to review activities, budget and timesheet • Create and distribute monthly newsletter to ATAP constituents Website, Social Media, and Google Drive• Update pages in WordPress based on changes in membership and instructions from Steering Committee • Maintain ATAP Twitter and...
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ATAP Training Session in Portland a Success

Portland: On Thursday, November 5, the American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP) Northwest Regional Team co-leader Natalia Fernández, along with Steering Committee Co-Chairs Colleen Reilly and Christa Williford, led a training workshop as part of the pre-conference program for Debating the Stakes in Theatre Performance and Scholarship, the annual conference of the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR)-Theatre Library Association (TLA). The workshop was attended by a dynamic group of archivists, librarians, scholars, graduate students, and theatre volunteers. The ATAP Archival Team Training was developed primarily to train archivists, documentarians, and theatre makers how to implement the ATAP Initiation program for a local theatre. It introduces ATAP’s mission and team structure, describes the ATAP Initiation Program and process, and engages common and extraordinary questions about archival activities. The November training focused primarily on the three stages of the ATAP process: the Pitch, the Assessment, and the Workshop. Portland area participants attended the workshop in preparation for conducting the ATAP Initiation program with...
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ATAP Second Annual Appeal

Dear Colleagues, Established in 2009, the American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP) is an ASTR initiative that supports theatre makers in archiving records of their work for the benefit of artists, scholars, patrons, and the public. To date, ATAP-assisted companies include ArtsWest, Atlantic Theater Company, the Baltimore Theatre Project, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Cherry Lane Theatre, HERE, Jobsite Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, Rude Mechs, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Teatro Vivo, and ZACH Theatre. We invite your support as we continue our mission to preserve the legacy of the American theatre. Last year ATAP became a permanent ASTR committee, and we piloted a program at the Baltimore conference that we will continue this year: ·         On the Thursday, November 5 we will hold a pre-conference ATAP Training Workshop for Portland-area archivists and documentarians at the Portland Marriott Waterfront. Workshop participants will join the ATAP Northwest regional team and work with area theatre companies in the years to come. ATAP will also host the local plenary panel discussion on Portland’s performance...
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ATAP Newsletter, September 2015

*ATAP NEWSLETTER* www.americantheatrearchiveproject.org *September 2015* This newsletter includes highlights of training events, recent developments, and team activity for the American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP). Next Team Training Session *Portland, OR* Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront 1401 SW Naito Pkwy Portland, OR 97201 November 5, 2015 9am-1pm Details here: http://americantheatrearchiveproject.org/news/atap-coming-portland-november-5   ATAP Initiation Program Grant for a Portland (OR) Theatre Company ATAP is pleased to announce the second annual ATAP Initiation Program Grant, a grant-in-kind to be awarded to a Portland-area theatre company during the organization’s annual conference at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront November 5-8, 2015. Please help by forwarding this link to Portland-area theatre artists you think might have an interest in this opportunity. The deadline for applications is October 19. http://americantheatrearchiveproject.org/news/atap-initiation-program-grant-portland   ATAP Annual Appeal ATAP is getting ready to launch its second annual appeal, so watch your inboxes for that message and please consider making a contribution to help further ATAP’s goals. Every donation, no matter how small, can be put to good use.   National (and International!) Activity ATAP has also been thrilled to see the very latest (Summer 2015) issue...
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ATAP Initiation Program Grant for a Portland (OR) Area Theatre Company

The American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) is pleased to announce its second annual ATAP Initiation Program Grant, a grant-in-kind to be awarded to a Portland-area theatre company during the organization’s annual conference at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront November 5-8, 2015. The American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP) is an ASTR initiative that supports theatre makers in archiving records of their work for the benefit of artists, scholars, patrons, and the public. In 2012, ATAP launched an Initiation Program, which places an archivist-documentarian team with a theatre company to assess records of historical value and formally establish archives. The ATAP Initiation Program takes place over the course of one month and comprises the elements below. Session times vary depending on number theatre staff, records, etc. Orientation: Preserving Your Theatre’s Legacy – 90-120 minutes during week 1. This interactive orientation provides an overview of the work ahead and generates a provisional archives mission statement that reflects the theatre’s values. It’s the “theory” before the practice begins. Assessment – up to 6...
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The American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP) is coming to Portland, OR, November 5!

A free workshop for the American Theatre Archive Project will be held at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront on Thursday, November 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to introduce area archivists, dramaturgs, and scholars to the ATAP Initiation Program, a process through which theatre companies can establish company archives. The workshop is being conducted in conjunction with the American Society for Theatre Research/Theatre Library Association’s annual conference, “Debating the Stakes in Theatre and Performance Scholarship,”  to be held in Portland from November 5-November 8, 2015. Registration for the workshop is free, and available at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/atap-portland For more information and to find out more about ATAP, please visit www.americantheatrearchiveproject.org or contact ATAP Co-Chair Colleen Reilly at colleenkreilly@gmail.com. ATAP is a network of archivists, dramaturgs, and scholars dedicated to preserving the legacy of the American theatre operating under an initiative of the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR).  Through the ATAP Initiation Program, location-based teams work with individual theatre companies to evaluate their records, develop an archiving plan, and secure funding to...
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The American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP) is coming to Cleveland on August 18!

A free workshop for the American Theatre Archive Project will be held at the Kelvin Smith Library, Case Western Reserve University, 11055 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106, on August 18, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to introduce archivists to the ATAP Initiation Program, a process through which theatre companies establish an archival program.  Scheduled to coincide with the Society of American Archivists annual meeting, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the work of ATAP and the ATAP Ohio Team.  Space is limited, and preference will be given to Cleveland area archivists.  Registration for the workshop is free, and lunch will be provided.  Please complete the registration form by August 7, 2015....
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ATAP Is Now on Twitter: @TheatreArchives

In conjunction with Thursday's kickoff of ATAP's Baltimore team with a training session and local theatre panel at the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) conference, we are pleased to announce that we have launched an ATAP Twitter feed. We've been tweeting about ASTR throughout the week and will continue to connect with members and others after the conference. You can follow us at @TheatreArchives....
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Diverse Group Attends Baltimore ATAP Training Workshop

BALTIMORE: On Thursday, November 20, Steering Committee Members Susan Brady, Ken Cerniglia, and Colleen Reilly led a training workshop introducing ATAP to a diverse group of students, scholars, librarians, archivists, and theatre artists. Thanks to ATAP's parent organization, the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR), which is currently holding its annual meeting at Baltimore's Marriott Waterfront Hotel and generously provided the facility and refreshments to sustain participants through the four-hour program, ATAP was able to attract many highly engaged participants eager to learn about how they could support theatre artists in the work of creating and preserving their own archives. One of the hopes for the day was to cultivate enough local interest to form a new Baltimore-based ATAP team, large enough to support the vibrant community of artists living and working in the region. The first Baltimore team meeting will be taking place in the coming weeks. Any person in or near Baltimore who was unable to attend the workshop but...
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