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Portland Civic Theatre Records, 1915-2000

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Portland Civic Theatre
Title
Portland Civic Theatre Records
Dates
1915-2000 (inclusive)
circa 1960-1990 (bulk)
Quantity
65 cubic feet, (116 document cases, 17 card file boxes, 22 flat boxes, 8 oversize folders)
Collection Number
Mss 2965
Summary
Records of a leading performing arts organization in Portland, Oregon, from its inception in the mid-1920s to its dissolution in the early 1990s. Includes administrative and financial records, correspondence, minutes of meetings, personnel files, scrapbooks, posters, programs, and records of the theatre's educational activities.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Personnel records in Series J, boxes 110-116 are restricted. Living individuals or their designated representatives may request access to records pertaining to themselves. Materials on deceased individuals are not restricted. Physical access is limited to designated Research Library staff only. This restriction expires in 2090.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

The first two decades of the twentieth century were golden years for live theatre in Portland. Evening and afternoon entertainment by stock companies, road shows and vaudeville flourished. By 1925, however, empty theatres caused by the disappearance of these performing groups energized three Portland women, Susan Farrell, Florence Bristol and Delta Spencer, "the founders," to organize a new company, the Art Theatre Players. Within a year they presented their first production, Henrietta the Eighth. Included in the cast were Susan Farrell and future culinary expert James Beard. The theatre's first professional director was Mildred Allen Butler. In 1929, concerned that they appeared to others to be a private organization, the members changed the name of their company to the Portland Civic Theatre (PCT). Several player groups merged into the newly-named group.

In 1934 the Portland Civic Theatre School (later the Portland Civic Theatre Academy) was started, with Doris Smith, an actress and drama coach, as dean. Their first production, at the Reed College Bowl, was Twelfth Night. Subsequently the Board declined an offer from Reed College for a piece of land and $15,000 towards a theatre building, fearing that the Reed location might be too distant from downtown. The theatre was then located on NW Burnside. In 1936, the Blue Room for touring shows was fashioned out of this rented space. In 1937 Donald Mayre became the theatre's director and stayed for the next 12 years.

Because of adverse conditions related to unsatisfactory work facilities and the need to hire theatres, the PCT board began to raise money and build a theatre at 1530 SW Yamhill Street. The new building opened in 1942 and was expanded to include a new Blue Room in 1954. After the 1942 opening, the Junior Civic Theatre began producing plays for children by children. Jim Cameron succeeded Donald Mayre as director in 1949.

The 1950s and 1960s were very productive years for the theatre. A twelve-month season was inaugurated, summer musicals with the Portland Symphonic Choir were produced, a summer beach season was initiated, and in 1958 the PCT Guild was founded by Mary Brand as an independent support group. (It was still active in 2004.) In 1965 PCT membership numbered 3,125.

However, in 1968 an emergency appeal for funds was sent to all members. By 1971 membership had dwindled to 1,525, and the theatre building was mortgaged. New ideas were tried: the Guest Director System was initiated by Isabella Chappell, who had become the general manager, and Summer Repertory Onstage (S.R.O.), the first theatre to pay local actors, was founded by Bill Dobson. Twelve years later a PCT production, Sunday in the Park with George, was the opening performance in the new Portland Center for the Performing Arts on Southwest Broadway. The Portland Civic Theatre for Youth, under the management of Sondra Pearlman, started in-school productions at the Civic Auditorium.

PTC had been one of the largest Community Theatres in the country in terms of budget, at $1 million, and its programs included two theatres, a school, the S.R.O. series, and a professional children's theatre. Yet PCT continued to struggle for a variety of complex and intertwined reasons, and eventually closed in June 1990. The theatre building was sold to the MALCO company, and in 1993 it was demolished and replaced with a parking structure.

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Content Description

Although the records of the Portland Civic Theatre date from its inception in the mid-1920s, the collection best documents the years of the early 1960s through the late 1980s. Included are extensive historical files such as written histories, news clippings, and scrapbooks. Board meeting mintues are fairly complete, although minutes from the late 1920s through the 1940s were pasted into scrapbooks that also include clippings, photographs, and some correspondence. Accounts of monthly activities from the 1950s onward can be found in the theatre's newsletter, Curtain Calls (Series E).

Administrative records can be found in three series: Administrative Files (Series B), Summer Repertory Onstage (Series F) and Junior Portland Civic Theater (Series I). There is some overlap between files in these three series. Many of the materials from the late 1970s to early 1990s were records of the theatre's general manager, Isabella Chappell.

Production files (Series H) mostly contain programs, announcements, and some clippings, although clippings on particular productions have beeen segregated in a single sub-series following the production files. Photographs that were originally included in these files have been separated to Organized Lot 847 in the Photograph Collections, although photocopies of some of these photographs are included in some files. Also included in the series are a number of costume designs from the 1970s and 1980s.

Personnel files include résumés of staff members and actors. Although these files are restricted (see note below), files on deceased individuals may be viewed with the permission of Research Library staff.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.

Preferred Citation

Portland Civic Theatre Records, Mss 2965, Oregon Historical Society Resarch Library

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 11 series as follows

  • Series A: Historical files, circa 1917-2000
  • Series B: Administrative files, circa 1927-1993
  • Series C: Financial records, 1940-1993
  • Series D: Organization files, 1958-1987
  • Series E: Newsletters of the Portland Civic Theatre, 1936-1991
  • Series F: Summer Repertory Onstage (S.R.O.), 1967-1991
  • Series G: Portland Civic Theatre Guild, 1958-1996
  • Series H: Production files, 1926-1990
  • Series I: Junior Portland Civic Theatre and Academy, 1915-1995
  • Series J: Personnel records, 1926-1995
  • Series K: Posters, 1926-1988

Custodial History

The materials in the collection were originally housed in various locations, including the offices of the Portland Civic Theatre and the homes of those associated with the organization. Beginning in 1986, Director Emeritus Isabella Chappell began assembling the materials into a single archival collection. In 1996, after the Civic Theatre's dissolution, the materials were transferred to the Oregon Historical Society, where they were processed by Mrs. Chappell with the help of volunteers and the Historical Society staff.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Portland Civic Theatre Guild, November 10, 2004, Library Accession 25568.

Future Additions

Additional financial records, circa 1980-1992, 42 cubic feet, are held by the Oregon Historical Society and will be added to the collection at a later date.

Related Materials

The Oregon Historical Society Research Library also holds oral history recordings for a number of people associated with the Portland Civic Theatre. These include: Isabelle Kidd Ashcraft (SR 9532), Janet D. Baumhover (SR 9533), Isabella N. Chappell (SR 9534), Allison H. Dean (SR 9057), Edith Stevenson Ormandy Essex (SR 9536), Susan May Richards Farrell (SR 9435), Harvey S. Giffin (SR 9537), Mildred Butzer Engdahl (SR 9535), Mary Marsh (SR 9538), Edris Noble Cox Morrison (SR 9539), and Doris B. Smith (SR 9540).

Separated Materials

Photographs from the collection have been separated to Organized Lot 847, Photographs Collection, Oregon Historical Society Research Library. These include extensive photographic documentation of productions, portraits of of actors (some by Minor White), and a file of actor head shots.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Actors and actresses--Oregon--Portland--History
  • Children's theater--Oregon--Portland
  • Drama festivals--Oregon--Portland
  • Theater architecture--Oregon--Portland--History
  • Theater management--Oregon--Portland
  • Theater--Oregon--Portland--History
  • Theaters--Employees--Oregon--Portland
  • Theatrical companies--Oregon--Portland

Personal Names

  • Ashcraft, Isabelle Kidd.
  • Brand, Mary.
  • Bristol, Florence.
  • Butler, Mildred Allen.
  • Cameron, James Curtis, 1921-1972
  • Chappell, Isabella N.--Correspondence.
  • Farrell, Susan May Richards, 1876-1976
  • Mayre, Donald.
  • Morrison, Edris Noble Cox.

Corporate Names

  • Portland Civic Theatre (Portland, Or.)

Geographical Names

  • Portland (Or.)--History
  • Portland (Or.)--Social life and customs

Form or Genre Terms

  • Architectural drawings
  • Architecture
  • Clippings
  • Financial records
  • Ledgers (account books)
  • Programs
  • Scrapbooks

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names

    • Portland Civic Theatre Academy (Portland, Or.) (creator)
    • Portland Civic Theatre Guild (Portland, Or.) (creator)

Finding aid prepared by Sharon Howe and Geoffrey Wexler. Collection processed by Val Ballestrem, Isabella Chappell, Erica Goodwin, Lauren Lee, Katherine Littlefield, Susan Stelljes, Lisa Walker, Geoffrey Wexler, and others.
2004

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