Stagers collection
Creator: University of Rochester. Stagers
Call Number: UA299
Dates: 1950-1957
Physical Description: 1 box
Language(s): Materials are in English
Repository: University of Rochester Archives

Table of Contents:

Biographical/Historical Note
Scope and Content
Subject(s)
Processing Information
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Access
Use
Citation
Separated Materials
Bibliography
Content List
Collection Overview
Title: Stagers collection
Creator: University of Rochester. Stagers
Call Number: UA299
Dates: 1950-1957
Physical Description: 1 box
Language(s): Materials are in English
Repository: University of Rochester Archives

Biographical/Historical Note
The Stagers were a University co-educational dramatic organization formerly known as the University Players. The Stagers often opened their auditions to the University community at large and sometimes to the broader Rochester community. The cast of Peer Gynt, for example, consisted of over a hundred students, alumni, and faculty from all over the University. Traditionally, two plays were produced per year, one in the fall semester and another in the spring.

Stagers productions were also educational tools for the University. For instance, A Midsummer Night's Dream was recorded by the University Language Lab. The Language Lab, overseen by the Foreign Language Department, was intended to help students practice their conversation skills in other languages. The recordings the lab produced were also given to the library for loan requests; professors were able to check them out for their classes, and they were available upon request for other colleges to use.

Lisa Rauschenbusch, a professor of English and drama from 1946 to 1969, directed all of the plays featured in this collection. Just before Rauschenbusch retired, she directed her 30th and last play at the University, the Stagers' Henry IV, Part 1. At the time of her death in 1989, obituaries included reflections by actors who had worked with Rauschenbusch. These actors recalled her love for the classics, especially Shakespeare, and her constructive criticism, which helped them improve their stage skills. They also admired her legacy in UR theater, strong devotion to her craft, and impact on the Stagers' success.

Scope and Content
The Stagers collection contains materials relating to the group's theatrical productions from 1951 to 1954. These include a binder created by Keith Scott (Class of 1955) when he was stage managing a production of Peer Gynt. There are annotated scripts, original music, ephemera such as programs and tickets, and publicity. Months before the performance dates, the Stagers would publicize their shows through correspondence, newspapers, radio shows, and posters. The source of newspaper clippings in this collection is not always identified, but they appear to be from the student newspapers the Campus and the Tower Times. The collection also includes some materials relating to recordings of certain productions.

Subject(s):
New York (State)--Rochester
College theater
Theater
University of Rochester. Stagers
Processing Information
For preservation reasons, Peer Gynt materials were removed from a binder in March 2017 and placed into folders (1:5 - 1:13). Materials that were inserted in the binder but not bound within it were marked as "inserted material."Immediate Source of Acquisition
Stagers materials were transferred to the University Archives by Lisa Rauschenbusch on 10 August 1961. A binder containing Peer Gynt materials was provided by John Shantz (Class of 1955) on 13 February 1954.Access
For access to this collection, please contact the University of Rochester Archives (archives@library.rochester.edu) at least two business days prior to your planned visit.

Please note: Some materials may be restricted or require permission for use.

Use
To request reproductions or permission to publish materials from the collection, please contact the University of Rochester Archives (archives@library.rochester.edu). Researchers may be responsible for determining any copyright questions.



Citation
[Item title, item date], Stagers collection, UA299, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of RochesterSeparated Materials
Audio reel-to-reel recordings for productions of King Lear (Spring 1955) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Spring 1957) were removed and transferred to digital format in January 2013.

Bibliography
All the School's a Stage . Dept. of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, University of Rochester, 2015. Accessed 15 April 2017.

Converse, Margaret. "The End of an Era: Lisa Rauschenbusch Retires at U.R." Upstate, 4 May 1969: 20-21.

Interpres: Class of 1958. University of Rochester, 1958.

Interpres: Class of 1961. University of Rochester, 1961.

"Lisa Rauschenbusch Dies; Taught English, Theater." Currents, 30 January 1989.

MacKenzie, Donna. "Retired UR Drama Professor Dies at 84." Times Union, 2 February 1989.

May, Arthur J. "Undergraduate Life Beside the Genesee." A History of the University of Rochester . Unabridged Version. Dept. of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, University of Rochester. Accessed 15 April 2017.


Administrative Information
Author: Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Publisher: University of Rochester Archives
Address: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation
River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
500 Joseph C. Wilson Blvd.
Rochester, New York 14627-0055
archives@library.rochester.edu


Content List