In his day, Henry “Box” Brown was a celebrated stage magician who incorporated performance into his lectures on abolitionism in the United States and England. Much of what we know about him comes from his memoir, the Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown, Written by Himself (1851).
[Read more…] about Rare ephemera shows legacy of Henry “Box” Brown
The Ransom Center has released 11 film clips from the Stella Adler and Harold Clurman Papers on our digital collections portal. These clips offer a glimpse into over 1,000 audio and video recordings of the legendary acting teacher, created between 1958 and 1990, that are preserved in her archive at the Center. [Read more…] about Stella Adler on the Craft of Acting
The turn of the twentieth century was a period of innovation, when advances in printing and color lithography coincided with a new golden age in the performance of magic and illusion. This convergence resulted in the most stunning, color-saturated advertisements in the history of magic. [Read more…] about The Golden Age of Magic Posters
In partnership with ZACH Theatre, the Ransom Center presents a screening and conversation with playwright Terrence McNally on Sunday, November 11, at 2 p.m.
Terrence McNally is one of the most enduring and respected American playwrights, responsible for over 80 plays, musicals, and opera librettos over the past 50 years. [Read more…] about Terrence McNally at 80
The decision to include collection material depicting blackface minstrelsy in our exhibition on vaudeville is a decision we do not take lightly. Minstrelsy is part of the history of American performance and vaudeville. We have a responsibility not to hide this troubling history, but also to display it in such a way that it is clear that we are not celebrating it. [Read more…] about Grappling with the past: On exhibiting minstrelsy materials
In 1996, Holocaust denier David Irving sued scholar Deborah Lipstadt on the grounds of libel for her book Denying the Holocaust (Penguin, 1993). The case went to court in the United Kingdom, where Lipstadt and her legal team found themselves having to legally prove that the Nazis had systematically exterminated millions of people. [Read more…] about Screenwriter David Hare, scholar Deborah Lipstadt discuss Denial
