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| Fonds/Collection Number: | F0358 |
| Title: | Roy Matthews Mitchell fonds |
| Dates: | 1902-[ca. 1980], predominant 1909-1944 |
| Extent: | 1.62 m of textual records 5 audio cassettes 22 photographs : b&w ; 22 x 19 cm or smaller 1 audio reel |
| Biographical Sketch/ Administrative History: | Roy Matthews Mitchell was a dramatist and educator; he was born on 4 February 1884 in Fort Gratiot, Michigan, but was educated in Canada where he received a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto in 1906. After a period working as a journalist and press agent in Canada and the United States, he moved to New York City in 1915 to study theatrical design. From 1917-1918, he was director of the Greenwich Village Theatre in Sheridan Square. From 1918 to 1919, he was director of motion pictures for the Canadian Department of Public Information. From 1919 to 1930, he was director of the Hart House Theatre, University of Toronto. After his return to Toronto, he produced experimental plays for the Arts and Letters Club; he also became involved with the Toronto Theosophical Society. In 1930 he was appointed professor of dramatic arts at the School of Education in New York University. While in New York he organized The Consort, a choral group which performed folk music in native languages, eventually building a repertoire of 600 songs in 40 languages and dialects. Mitchell was the author of "Shakespeare for Community Players," (1919), "The School Theatre," (1925) and "Creative Theatre," (1929), the last considered one of the most important books on the subject. He died in Canaan, Connecticut on 27 July 1944. |
| Scope and Content: |
The fonds consists of typescripts of monographs and plays, correspondence, photographs, sound recordings, sketches, and published material related to Roy Matthews Mitchell's activities as dramatist and educator for the period 1914-1944. The fonds also documents Mitchell's involvement with the Toronto Theosophical Society. The fonds includes an Arthur Lismer sketch of Mitchell at the Arts and Leisure Club entitled "Vive le Roy". |
| Custodial History: | Parts of Accession 4 (1981-015) were received from Mr. John L. Davenport, Boca Raton, Florida, who edited a new edition of Mitchell's "The Exile of the Soul," (1983). |
| Restrictions on Access and Use: | No restrictions on access. Reproduction of any kind requires written permission of Mrs. Roy Mitchell, directed to the University Archivist, York University. |
| Finding Aid: | File lists available. |
| URL of Finding Aid: | http://archivesfa.library.yorku.ca/fonds/ON00370-f0000358.pdf |
| Accruals: | The fonds comprises the following accessions: 1974-012, 1978-010, 1980-013, 1981-015, 1985-019. No further accruals are expected. |
| 1974-012 1978-010 1980-013 1981-015 1985-019 |
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| Provenance Access Points: | Mitchell, Roy, 1884-1944. |
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Date of creation: 2002/04/05 Date of last revision: 2003/12/10 |
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