Description :

Historic Triple Decade Performing Arts Memorabilia Quadruple Set

This meticulously curated auction compilation presents four rare and original programs spanning three vibrant decades of performing arts history—each steeped in cultural resonance and documented specificity.

From December 1964, the San Francisco Ballet Guild program illuminates landmark stagings of Beauty and the Beast and The Nutcracker, illustrated with a monochrome Nutcracker motif. Directed by Lew Christensen as General Director and produced by Leon Kalimos as Managing Director, the musical ensemble featured Gerhard Samuel and Lawrence Foster as conductors. The performances starred Joelyn Vollmar, David Anderson, Nancy Johnson, and Paul Frantz, supported by Guild officers Mrs. John R. Upton and Mr. Louis F. Weyand, and board members Mrs. Carl Ludwig Hansen and others. Local charm is added through ads from San Francisco’s notable Japanese restaurant and a taxi service—capturing the lived texture of ballet in the 1960s.

Moving forward, the Stuttgart Ballet program from June 24, 1971, details the production of The Taming of the Shrew, directed by ballet master John Cranko, assisted by Anne Woolliams, with Alan Beale as ballet master and Kenneth Klein conducting the orchestral score. Featured dancers include principals Marcia Haydée and Richard Cragun, with expressive support from Ruth Papendick, Leah-Ann Griffiths, Kurt Specker, and Reinhard Janssen. The minimalistic stage light cover evokes the modernist spirit of the War Memorial Opera House. Accompanying this are a Grand Opera passport coupon, performance stills of Haydée and Cragun in peak motion, and a torn newspaper clipping reviewing their passionate interpretations.

From September 1983, Performing Arts magazine highlights Harvey Fierstein’s seminal work Torch Song Trilogy. The issue’s stark, stylized cover—featuring dramatic black-and-white eyes and fingers—frames articles by Frank Giordano (“Serving Oneself, for Better or Worse”), Robert Goener (“Viva Vino”), and Dale Harris (“White Nights”). The editorial team—Lizanne Leyburn, Irwin M. Fries, and T.M. Lilienthal—champions the voices of critics Herbert Glass, Marion Johnson, and Ellen Melton, reflecting the nuanced discourse surrounding California’s theatrical landscape in the early '80s.

Completing the set is an original program from the Savoy Theatre production of Banana Ridge, penned by Ben Travers, directed by Val May, and with scenic design by Robin Archer. This revival featured Julian Orchard as Digby Pound, Sheila Keith as Millicent, Jan Holden as Jean, Vivienne Martin as Dulcie, and Gabriele Mowbray as Miss Beamish. Accompanying the biographical notes and scene breakdowns are expressive black-and-white production stills, which elevate this artifact beyond theatrical documentation into vivid historic preservation.

Each item in this “Historic Triple Decade Performing Arts Memorabilia Quadruple Set” is original and program-issued—not reproduction—and ideal for collectors with a passion for dance, dramatic literature, and transatlantic theatrical legacy. Individually distinctive yet collectively profound, this set underscores the evolution of artistic excellence and cultural storytelling across ballet, Broadway, and British stagecraft.

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