George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Kate Lawson papers
Lawson, Kate Drain
C0222
/repositories/2/resources/340
0.25 Linear Feet
(1 box)
1936-1940
The Kate Lawson papers include newspaper clippings and press releases on Federal Theatre Project productions, FTP administrative correspondence including job descriptions, memorandums on employee reclassification, complaints from employees and audience survey questionnaires, research lists, production records, and personal correspondence.
English
Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions.
Use Restrictions
The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)
Preferred Citation note
Kate Lawson papers, C0222, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Acquisition Information
Donated by Kate Drain Lawson on October 31, 1977.
Processing Information
Processing and EAD markup completed in October 2012 by Greta Kuriger Suiter.
Biographical Information
Born Kathryn Drain on July 27, 1894 in Spokane, Washington, her family moved to Washington, D.C., in the early 1900s. Drain left D.C. to become a nurse's aide in Paris, France, during World War I. She served in World War I in Paris as a nurse and in World War II in India with the American Red Cross. It was in Paris that she met and married John Howard Lawson, and she began her theatrical career. By 1922 she was working on Broadway as a technical director, costume and stage designer, and actress. She joined the FTP in July 1936 and headed the Bureau of Research and Publication and was the Chief Technical Officer for the FTP in New York City. She resigned in September of 1937 and moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a career in film and television.
Scope and Content
The Kate Lawson papers include newspaper clippings and press releases on Federal Theatre Project productions, FTP administrative correspondence including job descriptions, memorandums on employee reclassification, complaints from employees and audience survey questionnaires, research lists, production records, and personal correspondence.
Related Material
The Works Progress Administration oral histories collection, the Federal Theatre Project collection, the Federal Theatre Project photograph collection, as well as numerous other personal papers.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Alternative Form Available
There are documents from this and other GMU FTP collections in the .
New Deal, 1933-1939
Theater -- United States
Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)
Kate Lawson papers/repositories/2/archival_objects/860311936-1940Administrative correspondence/repositories/2/archival_objects/86032193711Letter from Kate Lawson to Hallie Flanagan/repositories/2/archival_objects/86033September 15, 1937Letter from Hallie Flanagan to Kate Lawson/repositories/2/archival_objects/86034September 24, 1937Federal Theatre Magazine (volume I, number V, signed by Scott McLean); TAC magazine/repositories/2/archival_objects/860351936; 194012Federal Theatre: presentations critical comment/repositories/2/archival_objects/86036May 27, 193713Memorandums; ephemera/repositories/2/archival_objects/860371936-193714Miscellaneous/repositories/2/archival_objects/860381934-193715Scope and ContentDrawing; CCC standard stage diagram; Hallie Flanagan's farewell address to the members of the Federal Summer Theatre; Federal Theatre does biggest job of rehabilitation by Frank Merlyn.
Newspaper clippings and press releases/repositories/2/archival_objects/860391936-193716Our job with the WPA (worker's handbook)/repositories/2/archival_objects/86040193617Play Bureau (first production conference in New York City)/repositories/2/archival_objects/86041July 22-24, 193618Production records (statistics and schedules)/repositories/2/archival_objects/86042193719Production attendance statistics/repositories/2/archival_objects/86043April 1937The Prompter (volume I, number I)/repositories/2/archival_objects/86044April 18, 1937110Research play lists and play synopses/repositories/2/archival_objects/860451936-1937111