The Theatre Museum
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The Theatre Museum (TTM) is located at 30 Worth Street in Manhattan, New York City. Its mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre, including Broadway theatre. The Theatre Museum continues the legacy of The Broadway Theatre Institute begun in 1995 by presenting Awards for Excellence in Theatre History Preservation and Theatre Arts Education. It currently functioning as a museum-at-large and is not open to the public.
History
From 1986 – 2003, the Broadway Theatre Institute developed programs that fostered the appreciation of theatre in New York and served more than 100,000 school children and adults in New York City. It merged with the Theatre Museum in 2003. [1][2]
Activities
In 2007, the annual Awards for Excellence Ceremony honored actress Ellen Burstyn, The New York Times Chief Theater Critic Ben Brantley, actor, dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade, and Arts Horizons, an institution that uses professional performers to foster creativity in students.[3]
The Theatre Museum has mounted exhibitions in New York throughout the year celebrating the history of the theatre, but none in a long time. Exhibitions included the architecture of the historic Times Square theatres, and the history of the American showboat, which brought entertainment on adapted barges along rivers throughout the country.
The showboat exhibition display in Red Hook, Brooklyn until May 2008 included panels displaying images of showboats, Playbills, programs, production photographs and written descriptions, artifacts, oral histories of those who lived on these entertainment barges, video clips, a painted scrim, and a calliope on performance days.
The Theatre Museum has a photo collection of historic Broadway shows, which was donated by board member Basil Hero, president of Broadway Digital Entertainment, a pioneer in preserving Broadway’s greatest masterpieces.
Board
The founding members of The Theatre Museum in 2003 were Helen Marie Guditis, Tony Award winning producer Stewart F. Lane, Richard F. Bernstein, Esq, Linda B. Leff and William Rappaport.
Ms. Guditis sat on Manhattan Community Board 5 and represented that board on the Times Square Alliance Board of Directors, which serves the Theater District in New York City. She has also served on the board of directors of the League of Professional Theatre Women and the New York Women’s Agenda.
The Theatre Museum’s board of trustees included Stewart F. Lane, Helen Marie Guditis, George Thomas, William Walters, James Heinze and Basil Hero.
Mr. Lane is a writer, director and producer whose credits include Fiddler on the Roof, Thoroughly Modern Millie and La Cage aux Folles, which won him his first Tony Award at the age of 33. Mr. Hero has been cited in The New York Times for his work with PBS to digitally preserve such masterpieces as the original Death of a Salesman with Lee J. Cobb and The Iceman Cometh with Jason Robards. William Walters is a VP of Theatrical Stage Workers Local One I.A.T.S.E.
Award recipients
2010[4]
- The Mint Theatre Company – Theatre History Preservation
- Samuel French, Inc. – Theatre Arts Education
- Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman – Career Achievement
2011[5]
- Frank Cullen – Theatre History Preservation
- Frank Sinatra High School for the Arts – Theatre Arts Education
- Sheldon Harnick – Career Achievement
- Bonnie Comley – Distinguished Service to the Theatre
2012[6]
- Don B. Wilmeth – Theatre History Preservation
- Stagedoor Manor – Theatre Arts Education
- Fred Olsson – Career Achievement
- Theatre Communications Group – Distinguished Service to the Theatre
2013[7]
- Emerson College – Theatre Arts Education
- Helen M. Guditis – Distinguished Service to the Theatre
External links
References
- ^ "Larry Litt". Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ Adam Klasfeld (10 September 2004). "The Theatre Museum to Hold Awards Ceremony at The Players Club". TheaterMania.com. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ http://www.playbill.com/news/article/110046-Burstyn-Brantley-and-De-Lavallade-Will-Be-Honored-at-Theatre-Museum-Awards
- ^ Genevieve Rafter Keddy (18 May 2010). "Photo Coverage: The 2009–2010 Theatre Museum Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ "The 2011 Theatre Museum Awards Gala Honors The Performing Arts". Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ http://www.playbill.com/news/article/165400-Theatre-Museum-Awards-Gala-Featuring-Performances-By-Julia-Murney-and-Jeff-Blumenkrantz-Held-April-30
- ^ "Helen Guditis Honored by the 2013 Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence". Retrieved 13 April 2016.