Theatre Archives

SAN ANTONIO LITTLE THEATRE COLLECTION

RECORDS, 1955-1978

(bulk dates:1970s)

History

As a faithful replication of the Old Market House constructed in 1858 and razed in 1925 for a river channel bypass, it boasts a neo-classic facade that hearkens to San Antonio's frontier days. Fittingly, it was two artists who organized the San Antonio Conservation Society in an effort to halt the destruction of the historic Old Market House. Their crusade failed, but the city agreed to preserve the beautiful facade for use in a future fine arts auditorium. When the time came to retrieve the stonework, however, it was found to have been dumped in a jumble with parts of other structures in an old quarry and unusable. The architects painstakingly labored to reproduce the original facade by tracing profiles, calculating dimensions of broken pieces and consulting old photographs.

The community theater group that took up residence in the grand structure when it opened in 1930 brought its own history to the stately walls. Its theatrical roots reached back to the San Antonio Dramatic Club, founded by Sarah Barton Bindley in 1912. Miss Bindley, a "dramatic art instructor," had fled the Mexican Revolution for San Antonio and galvanized local citizenry into the first amateur theatrical group dedicated to performing full-scale drama productions locally. They met regularly in the St. Anthony Hotel and, when that group folded in 1920, Miss Bindley went on to found the successful San Antonio Players Club. There was behind-the-scenes drama, however; when she returned with her cast from a successful 1927 theater competition in Dallas, she found the officially chartered Little Theater Producing Company of San Antonio had displaced her on the local theater scene. She eventually joined them.

New director Carl Glick spearheaded the search for a building site for a permanent theater, with Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who wintered in San Antonio, being a special consultant on this project. The site selected was in historic San Pedro Park (second oldest public park in the United States) on the then northern outskirts of town. The opening production was an elegant extravaganza, "The Swan," and bore its dramatics backstage as well. The fire chief threatened to shut down the play opening night when it was discovered there was no inspection certificate. Influential theater supporters stormed the mayor's office and the show went on with fire engines, ambulances and emergency vehicles standing by and firemen armed with extinguishers backstage.

The San Antonio Little Theater temporarily shut down when World War II reared its ugly head but the group revived in 1947. Over the years, a number of directors have steered the group, but none had such far-reaching influence as Joe Salek, who took the helm in the late '40s for a tenure of several decades. It was Salek who was responsible for SALT's reclaiming the San Pedro Playhouse, whose occupancy by the group had been lost in the years prior to his arrival. (The building is now leased from the City of San Antonio.)

Salek created a monthly newsletter (The SALT Shaker) and drama school, reduced theater seating capacity from 800 to a more intimate 450 by extending the stage into an 8 foot apron, and introduced small scale and experimental productions in the basement "SALT Cellar." Some of these expanded to a theater-in-the-round on the main stage, including a legendary 1973 production of "Romeo & Juliet" performed in a circus setting complete with trapeze and "big top." Its youthful director, Wayne Elkins, later headed the Playhouse himself. The theater came full-circle several years ago with DiAnn Sneed as new Executive Director and British-born Vivienne Elborne (whose husband, Francis, is a former Executive Director) as Artistic Director. The position of Artistic Director was left vacant when Ms. Elbourne left Texas to move East and was filled in 2003 by Texas-born Frank Latson, who promises to bring the Playhouse some of its most exciting productions ever.

The renovation in 2000 replaced the stage lighting, audio, and stage rigging systems. All the seats were refurbished and the theater and lobby got a major facelift. The spacious, chandeliered lobby -- with its decorative molding, towering curtained windows that overlook the park and fancifully trimmed box office -- still evokes a 1920s ambiance. The Playhouse continues to offer top-notch plays and musicals, while its intimate Cellar Theater presents smaller and experimental productions -- all performed by talented and dedicated local volunteers, as was the original group's aim. Winner of numerous theater awards, Playhouse productions have traveled as far as Russia, Alaska and Mexico.

With 87 years under its theatrical belt, the San Pedro Playhouse is the longest running and most successful live theater in San Antonio and well worth a seat when the curtain rises on yet another stellar performance.

The San Pedro Playhouse is highly dependent on the generosity of its individual and corporate patrons for its continued operations. We welcome your attendance at our shows and your generous donations.

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of 7 series: Business Records, Plays, Publicity, Correspondence, Newspaper Clipping, Photographs and Education

Series 1 contains numerous types of Business Records including financial budgets, sales task exemptions and Performance reports to name only a few.

Series 2 consists of information including scripts of Plays performed at SALT

Series 3 consists of Publicity information regarding the promotion of SALT

Series 4 contains Correspondence from various people involved in putting on performances at SALT

Series 5 consists of Newspaper clippings relating to events at Salt

Series 6 contains a small selection of photographs of people affiliated with SALT

Series 7 consists of a small amount of some Education work SALT has performed for example a trip to Europe and the Far East.

Series 8 consists of Photographs of various performances and casts.

Series 9 consists of information regarding Social Functions of Salt.

Series 10 consists of Artifacts mainly a mug and a cocktail glass

San Antonio Theatre Archives

Speech Arts Association

Texas Speech Arts Magazine, vol. 5. No. 2, May 1930

Annual Luncheon Program, Nov. 30, 1935

Womens Club Dramatic Soiree Program, Nov. 22, 1937 Drama Week Feb. Luncheon Programs, 1947-1986 (some years missing)

Newspaper clippings, misc. 1951-1988

Yearbook revisions, 1968-1969

Flyers and mailouts, 1970-1989

Proposed budget, 1977-1978

Program planning information sheets, 1977-1978

Program plans, 1977-1978

San Antonio Theatre Awards proposal, 1980-1981

Newsletters

SpeeChartings, 1980-1984 The Script, 1982-1991

Programs, misc. productions

1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s

Scholarship competitions, 1985, 1989

Scripts, misc. undated

John Igo, misc. materials

General correspondence 1976-1989 Membership cards 1971-72, 1985-86 Thinking Cap planning session souvenir, ca. 1978 Yearbooks and annual directories, 1946-47, 1988-89 (some years missing) Photographs, misc. 1970-1972, 1985-1990, undated SAN ANTONIO THEATRE ARCHIVES

Records of Russell Meriweather Hughes

"La Meri" 1915-1988

Biographical Sketch

Russell Meriweather Hughes, considered by many to be one of the world's foremost authorities on cultural ethnologic dance, was born on May 13, 1899 in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1910 she moved with her family to San Antonio and in 1924 made her professional stage debut dancing prologues to silent movies at the Rialto Theatre. She assumed the stage name La Meri. She moved to New York City played the "subway circuit" with the dance company of Maria Montero, and was a featured performer in Keith Times' vaudeville act and in Shubert's "A Night in Spain." The peak of her career was from the late 1920s through the early 1940s when she received widespread acclaim during world-wide international tours travelling to Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania, India and the Far East.

In 1940 she established the School of Natya with Ruth St. Denis in New York City where she taught and performed with her company the Five Natyas and presented noted guest speakers. She also taught and lectured at Columbia University, Connecticut College, New York University and the Juilliard School of Music. She was a distinguished poet and author of several articles on dance as well as textbooks on dance techniques. Her text "Spanish Dancing," published in 1969 is generally considered to be the definitive work on the subject.

She retired to Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1970 where she established Ethnic Dance Arts, Inc. which produced annual Ethnic Dance Festivals each summer. In 1927 she was awarded the prestigious Capezio Dance Award and in 1973 was given an honorary citation by Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe recognizing her for artistic achievement. In 1984 she moved back to San Antonio where she died at the age of 89 on January 7, 1988.

Scope and Content Note

These records consist of correspondence, printed materials, photographs and photo albums, scrapbooks and audio tapes chronicling the career of La Meri from her early childhood in the early 1900s through her retirement in the 1980s. Many of the materials in the collection are undated. Printed materials include programs, brochures and reviews of performances, articles about La Meri, and articles and books written by her. Also included in the collection are materials from her sister, Lillian Hughes Newcomer.

The records are housed in five document storage cases and three oversized flat storage boxes.

SAPL Texana/Genealogy Department