In addition to meeting with staff members to discuss records retention and production, I have been devoting at least some time each day to researching bits and pieces of Roundabout’s history. In playbills from the 1970s I discovered a substantial number of dance events programmed at Roundabout’s Stage One Theatre. Beginning with research at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, I found video documentation for at least seven performances, ranging from a night of works by Meredith Monk/Ping Chong to various Dance Umbrella evenings (showcasing 10-14 dance companies).
I have begun to reach out to various dance company archives in the hope of uncovering information about this interesting time in the theatre’s history. Since the LPA has video recordings of some of the pieces, but not always attendant programs, I am looking for paper documents connected to the performances that might still be lying around the dance company business offices. Photos, programs, correspondence — you name it. If it is out there, I hope to find it!
One company who presented at Roundabout, Louis Falco Dance Company, now has an official archives and I have reached out to the archivist with the aim of reviewing documents held in the collection. I hope to uncover some interesting information there, and will post when I do.
Tags: dance performances 1970s
