Archives West Finding Aid

The Publications series contains promotional material created by the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (ISF) and Idaho Theater for Youth from 1977-2014. This includes brochures, tickets, mailings, flyers, hand-outs, letters to teachers, invitations, registration forms, stickers, a puzzle, the 'Shakescene' and 'Shakescene for Students' seasonal newsletters, press releases and press packets, master copies of promotional material, Amphitheater construction campaign promotions, and production posters. This series also includes files named "Binder: Print Pieces" that holds a collection of promotional material collected by an ISF member. Of note is a promotional picture of Governor Dirk Kempthorne, Patricia Kempthorne, ISF Artistic Director Charles Fee, and Board President Brent Fery as Gov. Kepthorne presents the Excellence in the Arts Award to ISF. There are additional promotional materials to be found in the Education series.

The Photographs series includes slides, negatives, photographs, and transparencies of Idaho Shakespeare Festival (ISF) main-stage productions from 1977 to 2016. The series additionally includes photographs of rehearsals, backstage shots, images used for press-releases, programs, brochures, special events, and of the construction of the venues ISF has inhabited: 9th Street Bistro, the Plantation, Parkcenter, and the Amphitheater and Reserve. There are also photos of Idaho Theater for Youth and Shakespearience productions. Of note are photos from a fundraising event for the Amphitheater in which Kevin Kline was the guest of honor as Honorary Campaign Chair. There are also photographs of the opening of Michael Hoffman's 1999 film 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at the Egyptian Theater in Boise attended by Hoffman and Calista Flockhart. For additional photos see the Doug Copsey Files.

The Doug Copsey Files include working files and photographs of Doug Copsey, founder of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (ISF). These files primarily include his dealings with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival but also contain files of Doug Copsey (DC) Productions. Materials include calendars, correspondence, contracts, budgets, invoices, receipts, programs and brochures, newspaper clippings and reviews, grant applications, photos of productions and rehearsals, set designs, and his own personal notes on production concepts. Documents highlight the early days of ISF. Also in the files are scripts of productions Copsey oversaw including his personal script for ISF's first production, A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which he acted and co-directed. Additionally the series contains transcripts of interviews Copsey conducted for his 2006 book With Our Good Will: 30 Years of Shakespeare in Idaho.The photograph files, it should be noted, are mostly made up of slides but there are a few photographs and contact sheets within the files as well.

The Governance and Administration series consists of a range of files documenting ISF's essential activities and growth including extensive documentation of the planning and construction of ISF's Amphitheater. The series contains some production files including stage manager prompt books from the 2007 season. Special Events files include materials pertaining to fundraising events, galas, and special performances beyond ISF's mainstage productions. The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings and photographs.

The Education series primarily contains files relating to the Festival's touring programs, Idaho Theatre for Youth (ITY) and Shakespearience. Materials document the development of ITY, originally founded as an independant organization in 1981, through its merger with ISF in 1999. Materials include fan mail from students and teacher evaluations of programming, budgets, board meeting minutes, grant applications, publications, tour schedules, and the working files of Terri Dillion, ITY's director in the 1980s and 1990s.