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T. Paul Pfieffer Papers

6 boxes, 1 drawer (6.5 linear feet)

(1949 – 2017)

bulk 1980-2017

Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury, University, Salisbury, Maryland

Identifier SUA-084
Creator(s) Pfeiffer, T. Paul
Acquisition

Donated by T. Paul Pfeiffer in December 2017.

UA2017.019
Language(s) English
Use Records are open for research. Copyright, including literary rights, belongs to the author(s) or their legal heirs. Permission to publish or reproduce must be obtained from the Nabb Research Center which extends beyond "fair use."
Preferred Citation "Item, collection title and identifier, box # and folder # (if applicable), Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland."
Attribution Finding aid written by Jennifer Piegols, December 2019.
Related Materials

Leland Starnes papers (1921 – 2010)

Records of the Communication Arts Department (CMAT) (1981 – 2010)

Curtis and Helen Williams' Playbill Collection (1983 – 2019)

Records of the Music, Theatre, and Dance Department (1961 – 2024)
Separated Materials

Separated materials have been housed in the Nabb Research Center’s flat file system. The Sophanes Scrapbook and Series 3 folder Notes from Bachelor’s Degree, The Second Shepard’s Play, and A Medieval Christmas, 1974-1975, are housed in Box 6.
Abstract

The T. Paul Pfeiffer papers document Dr. Thomas Paul Pfeiffer’s academic and directorial role at Salisbury University. The collection dates from 1949 to 2017, with the majority of materials dating from 1980 to 2017. Materials in the collection include Pfeiffer’s directorial scripts, box office reports and theatrical programs, theatre posters, set drawings, theatre administrative materials such as correspondence, revenue reports, deposits, travel records, ticket orders, and brochures, a student’s independent study project, certificates for Bobbi Biron, newspaper clippings, slides, photographs, a scrapbook from the Sophanes, and audio visual materials.

Biographical History

Thomas Paul Pfeiffer, originally from Reisterstown, Maryland, attended Salisbury State College in 1971.  He studied under the acclaimed director Leland “Lee” Starnes, and performed in theatrical productions, including Dark of the Moon, in 1974. Pfeiffer graduated in 1975 with a Bachelors in Teachers Education.  He earned an M.A. in theatre history and directing from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in theater history and performance from the Union Institute. He was trained at the Folger Theater in Washington, D.C., and Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in London, England. He also studied Renaissance and Baroque dance at the Amherst Early Music Institute, and acted at the Herbert Berghoff Studio in Manhattan and for various theatres, including Manhattan’s Riverside Shakespeare Theatre.  Dr. Pfeiffer returned to Salisbury State College after the passing of Starnes in 1980 as a technical director and instructor.  He eventually became the Artistic Director of the Bobbi Biron Theatre Program at Salisbury University and taught acting, directing, and theatre history.   He authored and adapted numerous theatrical productions, including his original one-man show Apology for the Life of an Actor, which he performed multiple times on the Salisbury stage.  His other accomplishments include his assistance in receiving a $500,000 endowment for the Bobbi Biron Theatre Program to help establish a B.A. in theatre.  Dr. Pfeiffer continued to instruct students in the classroom and on the stage at Salisbury University until his retirement in 2017.

Scope and Content Note

The T. Paul Pfeiffer papers document Dr. Thomas Paul Pfeiffer’s academic and directorial role at Salisbury University.  The collection dates from 1949 to 2017, with the majority of materials dating from 1980 to 2017.  Materials in the collection include Pfeiffer’s directorial scripts, box office reports and theatrical programs, theatre posters, set drawings, theatre administrative materials such as correspondence, revenue reports, deposits, travel records, ticket orders, and brochures, a student’s independent study project, certificates for Bobbi Biron, newspaper clippings, slides, photographs, a scrapbook from the Sophanes (an academic theatrical club), and audio visual materials. Many of the scripts have Pfeiffer’s notes in the margins.

Arrangement Statement

The collection is arranged into six series: (Series 1) Plays, (Series 2) Theatre Administration, (Series 3) Academics, (Series 4) Publicity, (Series 5) Slides and Photographs, and (Series 6) Audio Visual. Series 1 has three subseries: (Subseries 1.1) Scripts, (Subseries 1.2) Tickets and Programs, and (Subseries 1.3) Posters. Series 1 is arranged chronologically.  Series 2, 3, 4, and 5 are arranged alphabetically. Series 6 is arranged by format.

Subject Terms

  • Topical Terms
    • Theater

Inventory List

The inventory list for this item is hidden due to its length. Click the button below to view it.

Box 1

Series 1: Plays

  1. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Dark of the Moon, Fall 1974
  2. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Grease, Spring 1981
  3. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The School For Scandal, Spring, 1984
  4. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Persecution and Assassination of Jean Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton under the direction of Marquis De Sade, Spring 1989
  5. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Taming of the Shrew, Fall 1989
  6. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Taming of the Shrew Set Designs, Fall 1989 [SEPARATED]
  7. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Love For Love, Spring 1991
  8. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Grapes of Wrath, Spring 1992
  9. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Belle of Amherst, Spring 1993
  10. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) West Side Story, Spring 1993
  11. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Miracle Worker, Fall 1993
  12. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Bent, Fall 1994
  13. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Secret Garden, Spring 1995
  14. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Spring 1996
  15. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Into the Woods, Spring 1997
  16. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Twelfth Night, Spring 1998
  17. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Relapse, Fall 1998
  18. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) True West, Fall 2001
  19. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Importance of Being Earnest, Fall 2002
  20. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Tartuffe, Fall 2003
  21. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Sweeny Todd, Spring 2004
  22. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Love, Marriage, and Everything in Between, Fall 2004
  23. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Noises Off, Fall 2004
  24. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Boy Friend and A Little Night Music, Fall 2004
  25. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Merchant of Venice, Spring 2005
  26. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Antigone, Fall 2005
  27. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Once Upon a Mattress, Spring 2006
  28. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Joseph Andrews, Spring 2006
  29. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Dido and Aeneas, Spring 2008

 Box 2

  1.  Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Much Ado About Nothing, Fall 2008
  2. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) A Christmas Carol, Fall 2009
  3. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The London Cuckolds, Spring 2010
  4. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Dark of the Moon, Fall 2010
  5. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Lysistrata, Spring 2011
  6. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Dresser, Spring 2011
  7. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Sin That Kills, Fall 2012
  8. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Camelot, Spring 2013
  9. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Laramie Project, Fall 2013
  10. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Laramie Project Set Designs and Newspaper, Fall 2013 [SEPARATED]
  11. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) King Lear, Fall 2014
  12. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Drood, Spring 2015
  13. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) To Kill a Mockingbird, Fall 2015
  14. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) A Christmas Carol, Radio Production, Fall 2015
  15. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Spring Awakening, Spring 2016
  16. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Country Wife, Fall 2016
  17. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Cabaret, Spring 2017
  18. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Apology for the Life of an Actor, Spring 2017
  19. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Menaechmi, undated
  20. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) Equus, undated
  21. Subseries 1.1 (Scripts) The Elephant Man, undated
  22. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Anything Goes, Spring 1990
  23. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Apology for the Life of an Actor, Spring 1992
  24. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) West Side Story, Spring 1993
  25. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Love Letters, Fall 1993
  26. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Miracle Worker, Fall 1993
  27. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Endgame, Fall 1993
  28. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) A Hand Bridge/The Women/Padrevia/In the Garden/La Divina, Spring 1994
  29. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Sweeny Todd, Spring 1994
  30. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Don Juan in Hell, Fall 1994
  31. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Nerd, Fall 1994
  32. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Bent, Fall 1994
  33. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Dear Liar, Spring 1995
  34. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Secret Garden, Spring 1995
  35. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Sister Ignatius Explains it all for You, Spring 1995
  36. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) A Chorus Line, Fall 1995
  37. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Fall 1995
  38. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) All in the Timing, Fall 1995
  39. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Pippin, Spring 1996
  40. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) A Cheever Evening, Spring 1996
  41. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Spring 1996
  42. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Boys Next Door, Spring 1996
  43. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Pippin, Fall 1996
  44. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Curse of the Starving Class, Fall 1996
  45. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Mask, Mime, Myth, Fall 1996
  46. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Grease, Spring 1997
  47. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Waiting for Godot, Spring 1997
  48. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Into the Woods, Spring 1997
  49. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Loot, Spring 1997
  50. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Grease, Fall 1997
  51. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Amadeus, Fall 1997
  52. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Three Sisters, Fall 1997
  53. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Frog Songs, Fall 1997
  54. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Twelfth Night, Spring 1998
  55. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Spring 1998
  56. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Three Tall Women, Spring 1998
  57. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Relapse, Fall 1998
  58. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Hedda Gabler, Fall 1998
  59. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Vanities, Spring 1999
  60. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Green Rocking Chairs, Spring 1999

Box 3

  1. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum, Spring 1999
  2. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Moonchildren, Spring 1999
  3. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Shakespeare’s Spirited Women, Fall 1999
  4. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Dracula, Fall 1999
  5. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Heartbreak House, Fall 1999
  6. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Welcome to Freeman, Spring 2000
  7. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Spring 2000
  8. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Lend Me a Tenor, Spring 2000
  9. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) A Bit of Broadway, Fall 2000
  10. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Crucible, Fall 2000
  11. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) How I Learned to Drive, Fall 2000
  12. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Apology for the Life of an a Actor, Spring 2001
  13. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Spring 2001
  14. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Crop Circles, Spring 2001
  15. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Three Viewings, Fall 2001
  16. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) True West, Fall 2001
  17. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) All My Sons, Fall 2001
  18. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Children’s Theatre: The Prince, The Pig, and the Peevish Princess, Spring 2002
  19. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) 1776, Spring 2002
  20. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Spring 2002
  21. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Wit, Fall 2002
  22. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Importance of Being Earnest, Fall 2002
  23. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Big Love, Fall 2002
  24. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Children’s Theatre: The Odyssey, Spring 2003
  25. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Hamlet, Spring 2003
  26. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Little By Little, Spring 2003
  27. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) The Good Thief, Fall 2003
  28. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Tartuffe, Fall 2003
  29. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Art, Fall 2003
  30. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Children’s Theatre: The Choicest Choicemaker of All, Spring 2004
  31. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Sweeny Todd, Spring 2004
  32. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Stop Kiss, Spring 2004
  33. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Love, Marriage, and Everything in Between, Fall 2004
  34. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Noises Off, Fall 2004
  35. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Six Characters in Search of an Author, Fall 2004
  36. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Children’s Theatre: A World of Stories, Spring 2005
  37. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Merchant of Venice, Spring 2005
  38. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) A Gathering of Players, Spring 2005
  39. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Apology for the Life of an Actor, Fall 2005
  40. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Mother Courage, Fall 2005
  41. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Antigone, Fall 2005
  42. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Children’s Theatre: The Ice Wolf, Spring 2006
  43. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Once Upon A Mattress, Spring 2006
  44. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Murder at the Howard Johnson’s, Spring 2006
  45. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Hay Fever, Fall 2006
  46. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Marriage of Bette and Boo, Fall 2006
  47. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Rough Night at the North Pole, Fall 2006
  48. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Children’s Theatre: Imagination is Key, Spring 2007
  49. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Joseph Andrews, Spring 2007
  50. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Honk, Spring 2007
  51. Subseries 1.2 (Tickets and Programs) Theatre Programs, 1980-2015
  52. Subseries 1.3 (Posters) Theatrical Posters [SEPARATED] - For full list of posters: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ocwpdu0v4cwanl/SUA-084%20Subseries%201.3%20Poster%20List.docx?dl=0
  53. Subseries 1.3 (Posters) Production Poster Proofs, circa 1988-2002 [SEPARATED]
  54. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Art Culture Nature Conference Information, 1995
  55. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Black Box/Holloway Hall Schedules, 1996-1997
  56. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Bobbi Biron’s Certificates for Induction into Wicomico County Women’s Hall of Fame, March 13, 2005
  57. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Bobbi Biron’s Certificates, March 13, 2005 [SEPARATED]
  58. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Children’s Theatre Information, 2001
  59. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Custard the Dragon, 2002
  60. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Deposits, 2002-2006
  61. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Fundraiser, 2006-2007
  62. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Gerald Patt, Jr.’s Set Designs and Drawings, 1969-2004 [SEPARATED]
  63. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Grant for Yuri Belov, 1987-1988
  64. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) M.A.C., 1997
  65. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Mailing List Book, 1980-1981
  66. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Revenue Reports, 1999-2000
  67. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Revenue Reports, 2000-2001
  68. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Revenue Reports, 2001-2002
  69. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Revenue Reports, 2002-2003
  70. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Revenue Reports, 2003-2004
  71. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Revenue Reports, 2004-2005
  72. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Revenue Reports, 2005-2006
  73. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Set Drawings for Pippin, 1996 [SEPARATED]
  74. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Theatre Brochures, 1972-2009
  75. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Theatre Budget, 2002-2003
  76. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Theatre Budget, 2003-2004
  77. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Theatre Budget, 2004-2005
  78. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Ticket Orders, 1999-2005
  79. Series 2 (Theatre Administration) Travel, 2005-2006
  80. Series 3 (Academics) Alpha Psi Omega, 1989-2006
  81. Series 3 (Academics) Arts Administration Concentration, Spring 1984
  82. Series 3 (Academics) Boys and Girls and Drama Too, Independent Study Project, John Moller, 1999

Box 4

  1. Series 3 (Academics) CMAT 451: Acting Shakespeare Syllabus, Spring 2000
  2. Series 3 (Academics) Fulton School of Liberal Arts Brochure, undated
  3. Series 3 (Academics) Notes from Bachelor’s Degree, The Second Shepard’s Play, and A Medieval Christmas, 1974-1975 [SEPARATED to Box 6]
  4. Series 3 (Academics) Sophanes Expense Ledger, 1964-1973
  5. Series 3 (Academics) Sophanes Scrapbook, 1949-1972 [SEPARATED to Box 6]
  6. Series 3 (Academics) Sophanes Theater Organization Constitution, undated
  7. Series 4 (Publicity) University Publications, 2000-2012
  8. Series 4 (Publicity) Newspaper Clippings and Press Releases,
  9. Series 4 (Publicity) Newspaper Clippings, circa 1972-2012 [SEPARATED]
  10. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Art, 1982-1983
  11. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) 1066-1500 AD Costumes, 1984
  12. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) 16th, 17th, and 18th Century Costumes, 1984
  13. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) 19th and 20th Century Costumes, 1978-1989
  14. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) 1920s Costumes, 1981
  15. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Egyptian, Assyrian, Cretan, Greek and Early Roman Costumes, 1984
  16. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Late Roman, Celtic, Byzantine, and Early Medieval Costumes, 1982-1984
  17. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Costumes and Early 1980s Theatre, 1981-1986
  18. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Dance, 1979-1982
  19. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) E-Man, 1983-1994
  20. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Medieval and Elizabethan Theatre, 1982-1997
  21. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Phantom of the Opera at Paris Opera House, 1988
  22. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Robert Adams’ Set Designs, undated
  23. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) ROTC, 1982
  24. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Theatre, 1981-1992
  25. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Theatre Department, 1985-1999
  26. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Theatre, Sets, Art, circa 1975-1994
  27. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Theatre, Sets, Art (2), circa 1975-1994
  28. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Theatre, Sets, Art (3), circa 1975-1994
  29. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Photographs, Contact Sheets, and Negatives, undated
  30. Series 5 (Slides and Photographs) Photographs, undated [SEPARATED]
  31. Series 6 (Audio Visual) The Country Wife, Spring 1978
  32. Series 6 (Audio Visual) The Country Wife, Spring 1978
  33. Series 6 (Audio Visual) Segues from Casanova, undated
  34. Series 6 (Audio Visual) Unlabeled Reel, undated
  35. Series 6 (Audio Visual) Unlabeled Reel, undated
  36. Series 6 (Audio Visual) Unlabeled Reel, undated

Box 5

  1. Series 6 (Audio Visual) Shakespeare Act 1, undated
  2. Series 6 (Audio Visual) Shakespeare Act 2, undated

  Box 6 (Separated Oversize Materials)

  1. Series 3 (Academics) Sophanes Scrapbook, 1949-1972
  2. Series 3 (Academics) Notes from Bachelor’s Degree, The Second Shepard’s Play, and A Medieval Christmas, 1974-1975

Artifacts

See Nabb Center Staff

Attachments

None