Academy Theatre, circa 1978-1987

This series is the largest within the collection and is composed primarily of material that documents such noted performances as Ziegfield Follies, Porgy and Bess and performances from the Metropolitian Opera. The coverage of the material is expansive including playbills and broadsides from both large-scaled productions to the smaller productions that were produced locally (community theatre groups and church sponsored concerts, for example). The creative venues included in this collection range from theatre to dance and from music performances to art exhibits. Harold Jackman and the Harold Jackman Memorial Committee managed to perserve such rare finds as autographed copies of Othello, by Paul Robeson, as well as many items of more recent Broadway productions such as The Wiz. The majority of music deals with performers and performances with operatic backgrounds. However, there are files that document jazz, blues and African American folk music. Some notables include: W.C. Handy, Marian Anderson, Duke Ellington, Pearle Primus, Alvin Ailey and the American Dance Troupe, Katherine Dunham and Romare Bearden.