An Archival Exhibition
Curated by Zekaiya Whittington, Amira Walcott, Mia Press, and Angelis Heredia
Library Atrium, October 15th - November 10, 2025
This exhibition will showcase theatrical material and its intersection with spatial properties, especially those relating to Irwin S. Chanin. Chanin profoundly shaped New York City’s Broadway Theater District in the early 20th century. His work includes the 46th Street Theatre (now Richard Rodgers Theatre), Biltmore (Samuel J. Friedman), Majestic, Mansfield (Brooks Atkinson), Masque (Golden), and Royale (Bernard B. Jacobs).
Other notable figures include Marsha Ginsberg, who taught a scenic design course in the spring and has designed for the Todd Haimes Theater, a theater constructed during the Chanin brothers' era of Broadway theater construction, and Alexander Dodge, who has designed for that theater as well. Both have scale models that can be displayed, with Ginsberg also having student work from the spring that can be included. Lastly, Milton Glaser, a Cooper alumnus who designed the graphic identity for The Wiz (1975), will be highlighted.
The exhibition will also showcase archival materials from The Cooper Union Dramatic Club, active from 1939 to 1967. This includes annotated scripts, stage set catalogs, and pioneer articles.
Details from the Cooper Union Archive's : Cooper Union Dramatic Club, 1939 - 1967: Boxes 1-3 of this collection include programs, photos from rehearsals and performances, sometimes accompanied by quotes from the script. Box 4 of this collection contains scripts, licenses, club meeting notes and correspondence, receipts, and stage set catalogs. The collection also includes articles from the Pioneer, Alumni News, and the Gazette, as well as reviews, letters, and telegrams from attendees. This collection contains materials attributed to The Dramatic Committee of the Cooper Union Class of 1911, The Cooper Union Dramatic Club, and The Great Hall Players.
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