French magician Félicien Trewey at age 37. Known for his remarkable dexterity and wit, Trewey was an acclaimed magician, mime, shadowgraphiste, and early film performer. This photograph, taken around 1885, is part of the personal collection of Harry Houdini, now held @ransomcenter.bsky.social

This post: The New Tivoli (the electric sign of Miss Timidity can be seen hanging on the right of the building); The Chinese Theatre burning (April 20); Remains of the Tivoli Opera House. All from the American Theaters Collection @ransomcenter.bsky.social

The 1906 earthquake leveled San Francisco—over 80% of the city was destroyed including the city’s vibrant theater district. Opera houses, vaudeville stages, and concert halls were reduced to rubble. These images from @ransomcenter.bsky.social

I told ChatGPT a bit about what I do for work and gave it an image of me, and asked it to create a portrait of me at work and… it’s kinda shocking. 😳

We’ve also launched a digital collection that includes early photos & a rare script for the 1903 musical ‘In Dahomey,’ now the third-known variant of the script for one of the earliest major Broadway musicals created and performed by African American artists. hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll...

Excited to share the Ethel Waters Papers with researchers and visitors to @ransomcenter.bsky.social! Over thirty record storage boxes and 180+ non-commercial recordings of the legendary actress and singer have joined the performing arts collections here. www.hrc.utexas.edu/press/releas...

Autumn days in Austin are sacred.

David Mamet’s trilogy of short plays, “The Old Neighborhood,” opened #otd Nov. 22, 1997 on Broadway. Mamet’s hometown of Chicago provides the backdrop to what has been referred to as one of his most autobiographical works. | 📸 Poster from Mamet Papers @ransomcenter.bsky.social #theatrehistory

Her papers include voluminous marked scripts that span her career, correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, clippings, day diaries, and more. The collection is open for research, with many thanks to Ms. Harris for making this gift. 3/3 www.hrc.utexas.edu/research/gui...

75+ years of memorable performances incl. Ophelia opposite Peter O’Toole’s Hamlet in the premiere production of @NationalTheatre, her award-winning Eleanor in the 1966 The Lion in Winter on Broadway, to her recent recurring role as Aunt May in Marvel’s Spiderman franchise…. 2/3

It’s been a minute since we announced some recent additions to the performing arts collections @ransomcenter.bsky.social Today, I’m sharing the news that iconic actress Rosemary Harris has gifted her papers to the Ransom Center.

The performing arts collections here @RansomCenter are vast - dating from the 11th century to the present. I’ve got detailed research guides online (www.hrc.utexas.edu/collections/...), but do reach out with any questions you have about the collections (performingarts@hrc.utexas.edu).

The deadline for @RansomCenter fellowship applications is fast approaching - November 1 at Noon CST! We’ll be awarding ~60 fellowships to support travel to the Center, ranging from 1 week to 3 months. More details at: www.hrc.utexas.edu/fellowships/ 🧵1/2

I've been trying to find traces in local newspapers of an itinerant American actor, whose diary recently came to us @RansomCenter. On the day after his company left Grand Haven, Michigan in Sept. 1851, the local newspaper (Grand River Times) published this passionate op-ed. 🧵

Are the skies clearer here? A brief intro: Have worked in museums & libraries for 20+ years. Theatre historian and arts/humanities/nonprofit advocate. Often sharing resources and new/old gems from the collections. Look forward to connecting!