Showing 81961 results

18, Earls Terrace, London, W.8. - Busy with the play; asks for advice on visiting France with Fraser; John Gielgud doing his "theatrical nut".

Congratulations on marriage of Teresa Mayor, working on the Manchester Guardian: Donner House, Oak Drive, Manchester

Trinity College, Cambridge. - Committee on Junior Bursar's Muniments. The volumes listed by the Vice-Master were stowed in the Senior Bursar's Muniment Room. Enclosing a ''plan of the relevant parts of the Senior Bursar's Muniment Room', and 'a list showing (a) the former position and (b) the present position, of each item which has been moved'.

This typed list is headed 'Volumes moved temporarily from the Junior Bursar's to the Senior Bursar's Muniments Room'; a footnote explains that 'Descriptions and former positions as stated in Mr. Adam's list, O.10a.39, of which there is a copy in the J.B.s Muniments Room on the table' [the list referred to here is probably what is now O.10a.40/3].

[At top: Laurence Olivier], Nat. Th. - Despite his own storm of openings, he is thinking of Peter and his opening and sends his best wishes; thanks him for the [marvels?] he created for 'Love for Love', indistinguishable from the Congreve; may he be rewarded with a real triumph next week.

Shaffer's diaries span 56 volumes and run from 1958 to 2015. There are two diaries for 1963, and no diary for 1967, 1968, 1973, and 2008. The 2008 diary was lost by Shaffer at JFK Airport in New York. Shaffer used these primarily as appointment books, but regularly added short descriptions of events, including reviews of plays and concerts attended, as well as occasional descriptions of dinner parties. While traveling he made lengthier entries recording activities. He also used the diaries as a way of keeping track of the number of days spent in the UK and the US.

Pleased with Virgil's Messaianic Eclogue, cannot sympathise with Conway's desire to change the pronunciation of the classical languages, letters in the Times attacking Murray on the expense of his volume of the Queen's letters: [Queensgate House, Kingston Hill]

This subseries contains drafts or other surviving evidence of some of Peter Shaffer's early works, such as photographs or a contract. Represented are the radio play 'Alexander the Corrector,' the mysteries The Woman in the Wardrobe, How Doth the Little Crocodile? and Before and After, and the screenplays 'Prodigal Father,' 'The Salt Land,' and 'The Balance of Terror.'

In a letter from Peter to Johnson he explains that he wrote 'The Woman In the Wardrobe' under a pseudonym because he and Anthony [Shaffer] wanted to write two more together under that name; provides a riddle to guess the pseudonym they used. This is accompanied by fax transmission sheet. The reply from Johnson apologises for misattributing 'The Woman in the Wardrobe' to Anthony Shaffer, and for getting the type of work wrong: a detective novel and not a play, and notes that Shaffer has not revealed what happened at the end, prolonging his 'agony'; thanks him for kind remarks about his column.

Carbon typescript suggesting scene treatments for a proposed movie, linked to a script (not present). Accompanied by a preliminary draft of the treatment in Shaffer's hand.

Typescript, with emendations in Shaffer's hand.

Thanks for [Georgina Mayor's] copy of the life of Professor Babington, memories of Georgina Allix Mayor: [10 Wimpole Street, Cavendish Square]

Henry William Pownall?

Enjoyed the play the night before, wonders if the actress playing the mother could have been played 'against the lines' and that she should have really been hungering for beauty in art and music, as she did not feel genuine.

9 letters from various people making suggestions of portrait artists to be used in making portraits of Trinity Fellows under of the scheme funded by the Memorials Committee. The letters are from P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., W. R. M. Lamb, Henry M. Hake, A. M. Hind, C. J. Holmes, Henry Tonks, Edward Maufe, David, the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, and W. J. W. B. Artists discussed include G. L. Brockhurst, Francis Dodd, Paul Drury, Eric Gill, R. Gleadowe, Eric Kennington, Winifrede Knight, Henry Lamb, W. Rothenstein, F. E. Jackson, A. K. Lawrence, T. W. Monnington, Randolph Schwabe, and Leon Underwood. Accompanied by two sheets of notes.

Writings are listed in order of first production, or date of writing if not produced, with all associated correspondence, writings, and printed material gathered under the title. Many of the playscripts feature multiple revisions Shaffer made over the years as the plays were restaged.

There are playscripts for one play performed on television: 'The Salt Land', two plays for the radio: 'The Prodigal Father' and 'Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?', and 14 plays for the theatre; four of these plays were adapted to screenplays by Shaffer: 'The Public Eye,' 'Equus,' 'Amadeus,' and 'Lettice and Lovage'.

Shaffer also kept full playscripts for two unproduced plays: ‘Our Lady of the Volcano’ and ‘The Syllabub Saloon’ and an unproduced screenplay, ‘Sir Lucas and the Two Sams.’ At least six more plays are represented by unfinished playscripts: ‘The Comedy of the Gourd’, ‘The Italian Play’, ‘Peter Shaffer, a Monologue with Interruptions’, ‘Cowl’, ‘The Danger Doll of the Dum Dum Desert’, his last unfinished play about Tchaikovsky’s last days, ‘Bezique’, an unfinished screenplay, ‘Richard IV,’ as well as a number of fragments of unfinished plays or screenplays.

Writings also include complete drafts of the published novel How Doth the Little Crocodile? and the unpublished ‘The King of Gongi.’ Unfinished stories include ‘The Bus Drove On’ and another about a Bevin Boy, as well as several others represented only by fragments.

Correspondence, drafts, research notes and other writings, writings by others about 'Equus', programmes, cuttings, posters, and photographs relating to multiple productions of 'Equus' as well as the film made in 1976. 'Equus' was originally produced by the National Theatre and opened 17 July 1973 at the Old Vic Theatre.

Correspondence is arranged chronologically, and includes letters from friends, including fellow playwrights and others associated with the theatre, as well as members of the public; a small number of the letters concern business matters, relating to production or publication. In addition to heartfelt tributes from members of the public deeply affected by the play there is a letter from the Dean of Trinity John Robinson, which includes a copy of his sermon in Trinity College Chapel Feb. 1974 in which he discussed 'Equus' (item 66), and also a parody of a fan letter, possibly written by Ian McKellan: 'I really liked that [play] about the young man ... who played classical music on his transistor radio and found he couldn't climb the Andes because the lights fused' (item 5). ] In addition, there are four letters from Shaffer to others: to his parents in November 1976 describing the filming of 'Equus' in Canada (item 166), a letter in October 1987 to director Terry Hands about script revisions (item 186), an indignant letter to the director of Théâtre Marigny in Nov. 2008 objecting to the performance of 'Equus' as one act rather than two (item 204), and an undated draft of a much revised letter about theatre critics (item 206).

Thanks him for the opportunity to work on the music for 'The Gift of the Gorgon'; much of what he wrote was cut because of significant changes to the script; will send him the recording if he has not received it from another source; thanks him for the invitation to send some samples of a musical adaptation of 'Equus', will work on it over the next month.

Drafts are arranged chronologically and include the earliest fragments saved by Shaffer to the playscripts for the first English production, including the rehearsal copy playscript, rehearsal notebook, as well as Peter Firth's own rehearsal playscript given to Shaffer in November 1974. Playscripts exist for the first New York production, the second London production, the 2008 revival as well as a reading done in 2010 in East Hampton, New York. These are followed by a group of miscellaneous revision pages and notebooks containing scene rewrites. Multiple versions of the screenplay are also present.

Fragments of a statement about Anthony Shaffer, notes about days spent in the UK and USA 1979-1985, fragments of a statement about tax implications of staying in the UK because of ill health, and a fragment of a statement of intent to donate a painting (unidentified).

One notebook has drawing of the stage set (item 39), a draft of a tribute to Leo Rothschild (item 42).

Two prints of the same photograph with an inscription on the back mentioning Victor Spinetti's recent death and the writer's statement that 'Equus' was still the highlight of his long career.