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Home — Tales from the Archive—Kenn Brodziak to George Martin, New York, 5 July 1978, MMC Coll. #4A, Box 3, Folder labeled Annie Correspondence. The George and Ethel Martin Papers. Marymount Manhattan College.

Kenn Brodziak to George Martin, New York, 5 July 1978, MMC Coll. #4A, Box 3, Folder labeled Annie Correspondence. The George and Ethel Martin Papers. Marymount Manhattan College.

In this letter, Kenn Brodziak asks George and Ethel Martin if they would like to direct a production of Annie in Australia. Since the Martins do not reside in Australia, Brodziak highlights things such as approvals, visas, and contracts. He emphasizes that he would like the Martins to obtain any specific changes that were made in the London version so that they can be implemented in the Australian production. Brodziak mentions that a few changes were made to clarify some of the local and political references that are evident in the show. This shows how theatre continues to be a vessel that reflects a country’s current events. It reinforces that theatre can be used to start conversation about things that people might feel uncomfortable addressing. –Catherine Wilson

Program for Ghosts, London and Stratford-Upon-Avon, May 31, 1993-July 24, 1994, MMC Collection #1, Box 58, Folder 1933.

Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen is regarded as one of the most important pieces of dramatic literature to date. This particular production was conceived by the Royal Shakespeare Company in the mid 1990s, and I loved the way the program was designed. Unlike Playbills as we are used to them on Broadway, there are no advertisements or fluff to fill pages. It’s a simple folded flap giving the history of the playwright, the production history, and the history of the play itself along with the usual cast list and bios. Having a playbill from a production is special because there is a sense of being there when the event occurred; that this was not simply a production that was deemed significant by other people’s reviews of it. But this play is significant because Mr. Harris or someone close to him saw this production and knew it was important. The amount of reviews of this production that accompany this program testify to its significance, even if 20 plus years later it’s a widely forgotten production, especially given that it was produced by a company as renowned as the Royal Shakespeare Company. –Emma Bilderback