HSCC February Program: Dr. Don Wilmeth on Theatrical Playbills

Curator of Actors on the Early American Stage Exhibit to speak on Theatrical Playbills

On Wednesday evening, March 18, 2009, Dr. Don Wilmeth will give a program on theatrical playbills at the Historical Society of Cheshire County. The program is in conjunction with the exhibit, Actors of the Early American Stage, which may be viewed at the Historical Society through April 4, 2009. Theatrical playbills, many of which are displayed in the exhibit, are important documents of theatrical history. Although intended only for the performance, these ephemeral documents tell many interesting and important stories about the performance and the actors. This lecture, with illustrated slides and examples, will briefly track the playbill's history from classical antiquity to the present.

The lecturer and curator of the exhibit is Keene resident Don B. Wilmeth, Emeritus Professor of Theatre and of English, Brown University, and editor of The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre. The exhibit is drawn from Professor Wilmeth's extensive collection of theatre memorabilia and ephemera. The exhibit is sponsored by Ariel Printing, Creative Encounters, and Carin Torp Healing Arts, PLLC.

The exhibit and the lecture are free and open to the public. The exhibit may be viewed when the Historical Society is open to the public on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9 am to 4 pm, Wednesday, from 9 am to 9 pm, and Saturday morning from 9 am to noon. There is additional information about the programs and services of the Society on its website, www.hsccnh.org.