The LOC.GOV Wise Guide : A New Theatrical Release

The architecture of stage and film theaters in America is as diverse as the nation itself -- from urban movie palaces to small-town nickelodeons, from early playhouses to modern multiscreen cineplexes.

'Viers Mill Theater. Exterior of Viers Mill Theater,' ca. 1920-1950

'Ford's Theater. Exterior of Ford's Theater' ca. 1920-1950

A new Library of Congress volume, "Theaters," by architect Craig Morris, takes the reader on a visual journey through the varied forms of U.S. theaters. This is the third volume in the Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks in Architecture, Design and Engineering series. It joins "Barns," by George Washington University professor John Vlach and "Canals," by National Park Service architecture and engineering scholar Robert Kapsch.

"Theaters," a 352-page hardcover book with nearly 1,200 images -- all on an accompanying CD-ROM is the first comprehensive study of American theaters to plumb the great holdings of the Library of Congress, highlighting wide range of theater forms -- from raucous music halls to popular vaudeville, from circus to grand opera and drama, from world's fairs to Coney Island.

Packed with archival photographs and plans, "Theaters" includes special "interludes" of theater photography by such renowned artists as Walker Evans, Ben Shahn, Dorothea Lange, Marion Post Wolcott and Gordon Parks. "Theaters" also includes the Library's complete collection of drawings by Anthony F. Dumas, published in its entirety for the first time.

"Theaters," "Canals" and "Barns" are each available for $75 in bookstores nationwide and through the Library's Sales Shop, Washington, D.C. 20540-4985. Credit card orders are taken at (888) 682-3557 or online.

There is an extraordinary range of materials related to the performing arts in the American Memory Web site. From the music of Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland to Omaha Indian Music or Music from the Northern Rio Grande, there is something for everyone's taste.

The Federal Theatre Project presentation includes more than 13,000 images, including stage and costume designs, still photographs, posters, and scripts for productions of "Macbeth" and "The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus," as staged by Orson Welles, and for "Power," a topical drama from 1937.

The complete list of presentations related to the performing arts offers you the opportunity to explore 30 topics.

A. Theodor Horydczak, photographer. "Viers Mill Theater. Exterior of Viers Mill Theater," ca. 1920-1950. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction information: Reproduction No.: LC-H814-T-2631-001 (interpositive); Call No.: LC-H814- 2631-001 <P&P>[P&P]

B. Theodor Horydczak, photographer. "Ford's Theater. Exterior of Ford's Theater," ca. 1920-1950. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction information: Reproduction No.: LC-H8-CT-B02-004 (color corrected film copy slide); Call No.: LC-H8- B02-004 <P&P>[P&P]