Use Restrictions

The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Ziegfeld Theatre performance programs, C0391, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Donor unknown.

Processing Information

Processing and finding aid completed by Amanda Brent in July 2022.

Historical Information

The Ziegfeld Theatre opened in New York City in February 1927. Named after the entertainment empresario Florenz Ziegfeld, the theatre was built with financial backing from newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. The theatre held a number of productions, mostly famously serving as the home for the hit musical Show Boat , which ran for over 500 performances. The theatre went through many changes over the years, eventually becoming a movie house, but then returning to live theatre in 1944. In 1955 the theatre transformed yet again into a television studio. The Ziegfeld Theatre permanently closed and was destroyed in 1967.

Scope and Content

Content warning: Two of these programs contain an image of blackface.

Four Ziegfeld Theatre weekly performance programs, for the weeks of May 30, 1927, June 13, 1927, September 3, 1928, and September 17, 1928, respectively. The first two and latter two share a cover design, though the contents vary. All programs highlight the weekly shows to be held at the Ziegfeld Theatre, including the musical Rio Rita , a minstrel performance by Eddie Cantor, and the musical Show Boat . The programs also include advertisements for a variety of goods and services. Two contains inserts for a performance of The Parson's Bride at the Cotton Blossom Floating Palace Theatre.

Arrangement

The programs are arranged chronologically.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center holds many other materials on the performing arts and Broadway during the 1920s, including the Photograph of an unknown woman by the White Studio of New York City, the 'My Maryland' operetta stage guide and score manuscripts, and the Mecca by Oscar Asche musical program.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Performance art
• Theater
• Ziegfeld follies