The Museum of Repertoire American, also known as the Theatre Museum, is home to the Caroline Schaffner Research Library. The Museum was established in 1973 on the grounds of Midwest Old Settlers and Threshers as a dream come true for Caroline and her late husband Neil, the original owners of the Schaffner Players. They had been keeping memorabilia for years on this specialized era of theatrical history and the Theatre Museum made it possible for these items to be saved and many displayed.

Cataloguing the collection by volunteers began as soon as the Schaffner artifacts were brought to the facility. Additional items came at the same time from James V. Davis, who purchased the Schaffner Players in 1964 and continued to perform under that name until his death in 1998. Many more items have been donated to the Museum since 1973 that originally belonged to some of the approximately four hundred tent and stock companies that existed between the 1850s and the 1970s or were found in theatres and opera houses built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These became part of the displays and the library and are available for viewing and research.

In 1995 work to develop a database that would aid in the recording of the entire collection and that would make it possible to search those records for topics of interest began. Since the collection is so vast and because additional memorabilia is still being donated, work on the database continues.

The purpose of the library, as with the Museum, is to preserve and perpetuate—for educational and historical insights—the heritage, the memorabilia and the culture of tent, folk and repertoire theatre. It also provides a place for literary endeavors and scholarly research.

The materials in the library are stored in acid-free boxes and acid-free folders. Twenty-one file drawers contain 8 ½” x 11” vertical folders covering information on companies and individual show personnel and other pertinent topics. Six legal-size file drawers house additional data. Six file drawers contain material on opera houses (another name for theatres built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.) Four of those drawers contain research material compiled by George Glenn and Richard Poole for their book on The Opera Houses of Iowa.

Information on some of the companies is so extensive that their memorabilia is kept in fifteen acid-free boxes.

COLLECTIONS

Audio Materials Our collection includes 50 sound cassettes, mostly of interviews with troupers. Caroline and Neil appeared in radio in the 1930s and the Museum has recordings of their programs produced by WMT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Advertisements Over 2000 advertising pieces, including newspaper ads, brochures, posters, heralds and handbills are available for study. Even more can be found pasted in the many scrapbooks in the Museum collection.

Articles, Books, and Dissertations A number of articles and books written on this era are available for research and some of the books may be purchased. Many of the books are now out of print. Copies of some dissertations on the subject are located in the library.

Biographical Data Personal files, letters, books, surveys, and award forms provide information on the lives of a number of the troupers who worked for tent and stock companies.

Clippings Over 2000 clippings detailing troupers’ lives and performances and reviews of performances are available for examination. Many of the hundred scrapbooks are also crammed full of clippings; not all of their information has yet been entered into the database.

Film/Videos/DVD The bulk of this collection documents presentations by troupers and scholars during the annual Theatre Seminars, which started taking place in 1986. Each year more presentations are added.. Over 48 of the other DVDs are copies of video-taped interviews with troupers and owners of shows. (This work began in the 1980s as these special people visited the Museum.) The remaining videos have been sent to the Museum and cover performances by other groups doing rep material. Very few movies or television productions were taken of actual performances during its heyday. The Museum has some rare footage shot in the 1950s and 1960s.

Interviews The collection includes transcripts of personal interviews with troupers and owners of tent and rep companies.

Letters Over 600 letters are included among the personal papers of owners and performers dealing with both their professional and daily lives.

Lists One of the major lists delineates the names of tent, stock, and rep companies who appeared in each state. The Museum also maintains a list of performers who appeared professionally as the “Toby” character. Work is also being done to develop a list of performers whose very early theatre experience began on a tent rep company.

Memorabilia All types of artifacts are included in this category such as: tickets, calling cards, Christmas cards, drawings, business records, route books, scenery, props, makeup and costumes.

Music Since music played an important part in the daily performances with the before and after concerts and as part of the specialty acts, the Museum has in its collections both sheet music and band arrangements that have been donated by former troupers and their families. Concentration is on pieces that probably were used on the shows of the traveling companies. Work has begun to categorize and catalog the music contained in eight legal-sized file drawers.

Obituaries Obituaries of over 300 owners, performers, and backstage workers are detailed in the database.

Photography Over 2000 prints and/or copies of prints, mostly in black and white, are located within the various vertical, flat, and boxed files and scrapbooks.

Posters Approximate 200 posters are represented in this collection. Some of the posters advertise the fact that a company was coming to town; others tout a particular play. These are contained in thirty flat, map-sized drawers or are framed and displayed in the Library and Exhibit areas.

Postcards of Opera Houses and Theatres Over 2000 postcards and copies of postcards depicting “opera houses” and early theatres all over the country are housed in separate boxes. These show buildings as they appeared probably in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Programs This collection contains over 800 programs of performances that took place in the opera houses and theatres. (Tent show owners rarely provided programs.)

Scripts One of the major collections in the Schaffner Library is its copies of over 2000 different scripts performed by the tent and stock companies in their heyday. Often there are different versions of a play; copies may also contain notes written by some of the directors of a certain play. One section of this collection contains bits (short theatrical routines) and sketches.

Scrapbooks Thirty-eight acid-free boxes contain scrapbooks of individual performers—a box may have between one and six scrapbooks in it. Work to enter the information on the scrapbook pages has been started.

Seminar Papers Hard copy of some seminar presentations with additional source material are available.

Serials The Museum collection contains partial sets of Opera House Reporter, Bruno’s Bulletin, The Bulletin by Bob Feagin, and Billboard.

RESEARCH AT THE LIBRARY

The Theatre Museum encourages the use of its collection for research by scholars and by those interested in theatre history. The Museum staff will answer questions on site, over the telephone, by letter or e-mail. The on-site library usage is free; there is a charge usually for just touring the Museum. Staff to assist in research is available when the Theatre Museum is open. Hours for the Museum are 10:00 am – 4:30 pm, Tuesday – Sunday, from Memorial Day through Labor Day. During the rest of the year, the Museum is open by appointment only and one needs to contact the Museum or the office of Midwest Old Threshers at 319-385-8937 several days in advance of a planned visit.

FEE-BASED SERVICES

Photocopies

Upon request the Museum will provide a copy of any play or document for research purpose. Providing the copy does not include nor imply permission to make additional copies nor performance rights. The fee for copying is $.25 per page. Mailed items will have an additional charge to cover postage and handling. (See paragraphs below on performance rights.)

Upon request the Museum will provide a copy of any photo in our collection for research purposes. Providing the copy does not include or imply permission to make additional copies. The fee for copying is $5 per photograph. The fee for use of any photograph for publication is $25 each. If one wants to display a copy of one of our photographs, that should be discussed with the staff.

Publication of any photograph from the Museum’s collection should be arranged for in advance. Any photograph should be accompanied by the following statement: “Courtesy of the Theatre Museum, Midwest Old Threshers, Mount Pleasant, Iowa.”

Research

When detailed research is required and a visit is not possible, staff will do the research. There may be a charge depending upon the time involved. Contact the library for details.

Performance Rights

If performances of any play in the Museum’s collection are to be given, it is the responsibility of the person or group requesting a copy of a script to clear the copyright or performance permissions. In the event that it is proven that the play is in public domain, the person or group agrees to pay the Museum a performance fee of $20 per performance.

The Museum has acquired the rights to the plays of Neil and Caroline Schaffner, with the exception of Natalie Needs a Nightie and Right Bed, Wrong Husband. Permission for the performance of any plays must be agreed upon in advance. The royalty will be $30 per performance, paid in advance. Performance rights for Natalie Needs a Nightie and Right Bed, Wrong Husband are handled by Samuel French, Inc. of New York City.

The following should be included in any programs for the performance: “Produced with special permission of the Theatre Museum, Midwest Old Threshers, Mount Pleasant, Iowa.”

Location and Hours

The Theatre Museum and the Caroline Schaffner Research Library are located on the grounds of Midwest Old Threshers, 405 Threshers Road, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, 52641.

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Museum and Library are open on Tuesday through Sunday, including holidays, from 10:00 am – 12:00 noon and from 12:30pm – 4:30pm. The rest of the year, they are open by appointment only.