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Scene from "The Gardener's Dog" Drama Department of Carnegie Institute, 1929-1930 Image courtesy of Carnegie Mellon University Archives

Archival collections pertaining to Drama at Carnegie Mellon University date back to the founding of the Drama Department at Carnegie Tech in 1914. The breadth and depth of the collections are explained in part by the philosophy of the Department, which maintained that students work in all aspects of dramatic production including set and costume design, directing, and acting. The collections in the Carnegie Mellon University Archives include an impressively complete collection of production photographs from 1914 through the present, programs, prompt books, scripts, costume designs, departmental and faculty papers, and related collections pertaining to the theatre and entertainment careers of Drama School Alumnae.

College of Fine Arts (CFA)
45 linear feet of papers, 1905-99.
This collection includes records from the Dean's Office and the Architecture, Art, Design, Drama, and Music departments.

School of Applied Design
2 linear feet of papers, 1907-23.
Includes annual reports, Drama department information, and an especially strong series pertaining to the Carnegie Tech [CMU] Beaux Arts Ball. The school changed its name to College of Fine Arts in 1921.

Elizabeth "Bes" Kimberly Collection
3 linear feet of papers, books, photographs, and scrapbooks 1926-73.
Kimberly was an Associate Professor of Drama at CIT/CMU and a major influence on the department. Her papers include photographs and scrapbooks of CIT/CMU Drama events, notes and scrapbooks on costume design, programs from the Studio Theatre (1981-1990), a set of memoirs by CMU/CIT Drama instructor, Fred Millett (1919-1923), and personal travelogues of her trips abroad in the 1950s and 1960s.

Barry Buchanan Collection
2 linear feet of papers, 1919-1970 [bulk: 1934-1945].
Buchanan was a CMU alumni who worked in the movie industry. His papers include Circus and amusement park ephemera, a collection of catalogs of movie equipment (1920s-1950s), and personal papers pertaining to his work as a consultant for United Artists Corp. in the 1940s and 1950s. Collection is significant for the extensive notes taken by Buchanan for his Encylopedia of Theatre and Movie Slang.

American Conservatory Theatre (ACT)
.5 linear feet of papers, 1965-1970

Association of Producing Artists (APA)
.5 linear feet of records, 1960-1970

William Ball Papers
21 linear feet of papers, audio tapes, ephemera, photographs, and other materials, 1954-88.
Ball (1931-91) was a former Carnegie Mellon Drama student and faculty member who was involved with the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT). Collection includes prompt books, memorabilia, notebooks, sketches, and ideas for plays

Scotch 'n' Soda Collection
6 linear feet of papers, audio, and visual recordings, 1940-99.

Barney Miller Collection
2 linear feet of scripts, 1978-79.

Carter Country Collection
3 linear feet of scripts and videotapes from this production. The show was produced by Carnegie Mellon alumnus Bud Yorkin (A'48)

What's Happening Collection
5 linear feet of scripts and videotapes from this production. The show was produced by Carnegie Mellon alumnus Bud Yorkin (A'48).