Seattle Theatre Archives: Collections of Personal Papers

A guide to selected primary materials relating to theatrical companies and the history of theatre in Seattle available in Special Collections.

Personal Papers

Bette Anderson papers
Anderson had a diverse career in Washington State theatres, including many years spent with the Seattle Repertory Playhouse (1937-1950). She later worked in Canada, primarily in children's theatre.
Leon Behar papers
Leon Behar immigrated to the United States from Istanbul, Turkey in 1920. In Seattle, he wrote, produced, and directed several plays. These productions, often staged at Washington Hall, generally served as fundraising events to benefit the local Sephardic community.
Margaret Booker papers
Booker was the founder of the Intiman Theatre in Seattle and served as its artistic director from 1972-1985.
Kenneth Mills Carr papers
Kenneth Mills Carr was appointed to the faculty at the University of Washington in 1944. He was named associate professor emeritus of drama in 1975 and died on October 24, 1980. His papers document the University of Washington's School of Drama from 1943 to 1983.
John Ashby Conway papers
Conway was a professor and designer of theatrical productions for the University of Washington department of Dramatic Art from 1927-1975. Conway was the principal set designer for almost all of the productions staged by the School of Drama, and collaborated with the UW Music Department to stage operas and other musical productions. Conway was also one of the co-founders of Allied Arts of Seattle.
Mark Dempsey papers
Dempsey was an actor and theater researcher (1936-1994). He attended the University of Washington's School of Drama from 1956-1959. Dempsey resided in New York City from the early 1960s until his return to Seattle in 1982. His mother, aunt, and grandmother all had ties to the Seattle vaudeville during the period 1922-1932.
Ben Golden papers
Golden was an actor and organizer in the People's Theatre Movement in the United States during the 1930s.
Robert B. Krahl papers
Krahl served as a lighting designer and/or a stage manager for numerous theatrical productions in Seattle. His collection includes lighting plots, as well as some costume and set designs.
Jessie Nores Haas papers
Haas was a Seattle actress, director, and author. Born in Missouri, she moved to Seattle in 1919. Haas appeared on many stages in Seattle, including ACT, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and the Cirque Dinner Theatre, where she played for 26 years in 36 productions. For a time in the 1940s, she was a columnist for "The Capitol Hill Times."
Glenn Hughes papers
Hughes (1894-1964) was a playwright and director of the Drama Program at the University of Washington for more than 30 years.
Jane Chandler Hunsaker papers
Hunskaer was an actress in the Federal Theatre Project. Her collection consists of photocopies of clippings and programs, from 1936-1937.
Florence Bean James papers
Together with her husband Burton, Florence founded the Seattle Repertory Playhouse in 1928 and the Washington State Theatre (1936-1939). She also worked at the Cornish School of Allied Arts from 1923 to 1928. Investigation of the Jameses by the State Legislature's Interim Committee on Un-American Activities (Canwell Committee) played a role in the Playhouse's closure in 1951. Florence subsequently moved to Saskatchewan, Canada where she remained active in theater. She died in 1988.
Don Paulson papers
Artist and author, Don Paulson, formed a friendship with Skippy LaRue, whose photo and clipping collection on female impersonators led him to write about the topic. He collaborated with University of Washington Communications professor Roger Simpson on the book, "An Evening at the Garden of Allah: A Gay Cabaret in Seattle" (1996).
Elfrida J. Pedersen papers
Elfrida Pedersen was an actress, poet, and songwriter. She was born Elfrida Jensen in Horsens, Denmark, in 1886 and emigrated to Seattle around 1906. Pedersen became active in Seattle Danish organizations, especially the Danish Dramatic Club, Dagmar, which later became known as Harmonien.
Eve Roberts papers
Actress Eve Roberts studied at the Goodman Theater in Chicago, George Washington University, and with Lee Strasberg. She performed in Cleveland, New York City, and for many years in Seattle (Seattle Repertory Theatre, ACT, and Intiman Theatre). She also taught at the University of Washington and the University of Southern California.
George Milton Savage Family papers
George Milton Savage was a playwright and professor. He taught composition and literature at the University of Washington from 1930-1951. In 1943, Savage established the Tryout Theatre in Seattle, which was dedicated to the production of newly written plays, including some of his own. Over his lifetime, Savage wrote 72 plays, a number of them in collaboration with his son George Savage, Jr.
Albert N. Youngman papers
Albert N. Youngman was born in Poland in 1903 and moved to Seattle in early 1921. Youngman directed the Seattle Habima Players, which operated between 1931 and 1941, producing plays in Yiddish.

John Ashby Conway, probably working on a set piece for a play, University of Washington, June 3, 1953