An exhibition on the history of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The show was organized by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and exhibited at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum from March 1993 to June 1993. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, exhibit scripts, administrative records, brochures, and floor plans.

The videorecording "Togu na and Check: Change and Continuity in the Art of Mali", which documents two forms of art of the Dogon and Bamana peoples in Mali, West Africa, in 1989.

This collection, which dates from circa 1974-2003, contains approximately 120 playbills and programs relating to black theater in Washingon D.C., including memorabilia from Arena Stage and the Kennedy Center. One playbill bears the autograph of Debbie Allen. Also present are magazines, newspaper clippings, posters, photographs of community events and 23 record albums. The albums include performances by Richard Pryor and various soul and R&B singers.

The Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection documents the business endeavors of Frank Schiffman, and the Apollo Theater's contribution to American culture. The collection includes sound recordings, personal and business correspondence, photographs, business records, and printed material. The collection is arranged in six series as follows: Serie...

The Joy McLean Bosfield papers, which dates from 1923 to 1995 and measures 3.41 linear feet, documents the professional life of Joy McLean Bosfield. The papers are comprised of personal and professional correspondence, concert programs, contracts, newspaper clippings, photographs, radio scripts, and record albums.

Newspaper clippings; advertising brochures; and photoprints of performers at the Palace Theatre (including studio publicity portraits). The majority of the items are silver gelatin photoprints. Some photographers are listed below as index terms. Subjects of photographs include strippers and comedians; photographs of women include portraits as well ...

Jack Mitchell (1925- 2013) was an acclaimed photographer who began chronicling the work of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1961. Alvin Ailey (1931- 1989), one of the most influential African American choreographers of modern dance, dedicated himself and his dance company to creating ballets that not only accelerated the careers of young African American dancers, but also stole the attention of national and international audiences in displaying the racial perspective of dance in the African American experience. This collection serves as Mitchell's documentation of the dance company's evolution while capturing the true idiosyncrasies and physicality of movement through still images. Through Alvin Ailey and Jack Mitchell's partnership, they were able to collaborate and produce a unique production of art, fusing the meaning and movements of dance and the techniques of photography.

The John B. Rogers Producing Company was established in 1903 as a supplier of costumes, sets, lights, and scripts for amateur theater. Its main office remained in Fostoria, Ohio until 1977, when the company moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Kenneth Sparnon, entertainer, musician and arranger was also an orchestra leader and musical director of radio station WSYR in Syracuse and WHEC in Rochester, New York. This collection includes scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, photographs of himself and other performers, advertising, programs, some correspondence, and broadcast transcriptions (acetate).

The papers of historian Henry P. Whitehead measure 156.91 linear feet and date from 1843 to 2010 (bulk 1945-1986). The collection documents Whitehead's careers, as well as his family and personal life. The collection also includes the personal papers of Tomlinson D. Todd, Elizabeth B. Delaney and the Howard Theatre Foundation. The combined collection is comprised of black theatrical memorabilia; materials relating to civil rights activities in the District of Columbia; and the African American experience in general. Included are playbills, sheet music, admission tickets, newspapers, magazines, books, photographs, clippings, flyers, brochures, pamphlets, sound recordings, research files, and other material.