NY Public Library Acquires Katherine Hepburn Theatre Letters

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center has acquired Hepburn's personal collection of thousands of pages of notes, journals, photographs, cast lists, scripts, contracts, fan letters and other documentation relating to her important but perhaps lesser-known theatrical career. This collection of Katharine Hepburn's personal papers is being made public for the first time.

Before becoming a movie star, Katharine Hepburn was a powerful presence on the stage, and she continued to act and tour in plays throughout her life. The documents reveal new details about Hepburn's early performances and include correspondence from such notables as Sir Laurence Olivier, Judy Garland, Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda and Peter O'Toole. The papers contain numerous delightful anecdotes about the legendary star and demonstrate her steadfast commitment to self-improvement, even after her reputation had been cemented as one of the greatest actresses of our time.

The boxes of papers stretch 30 linear feet, and include memorabilia documenting one of Hepburn's little-known first performances as a senior at Bryn Mawr College in the late 1920s, appearances in notable Shakespeare productions alongside actors such as Alfred Drake, Sada Thompson and Cloris Leachman, and her work with legendary theatre figures such as director John Houseman, set designer Rouben Ter-Arutunian and composer Virgil Thomson.  Numerous papers also document her later work in Coco (1969), A Matter of Gravity (1976) and West Side Waltz (1981).

Hepburn's colorful descriptions of life on the road provide a fascinating glimpse into the workings of touring productions and confirm her reputation for fearless honesty. During the Coco tour, she insists on using an expletive that she believes is true to character – despite howls of protest from some members of the public. And in a typed account of the 1950-51 tour for As You Like It, she gives a hilarious description of her arrest in Kansas for speeding, admits to boasting about the cost of her coat ($5,500) in front of awed locals, and gleefully recounts standing up to the six-foot-five police officer, calling him, among other insults, a "moron" and a "dumbbell."

The actress saved notes on vocalizing, including tonal and articulation drills, and research materials such as photographs and illustrations of costumes for Coco and Much Ado About Nothing, along with correspondence and photographs on historical matters relating to Antony and Cleopatra (1960). These materials show her diligence in researching roles and interest in historical accuracy.

The collection, entitled "The Katharine Hepburn Papers," was donated to The New York Public Library by the trustees of Ms. Hepburn's estate. It will be housed in the Billy Rose Theatre Division of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

Beginning in February, the library will host a slate of free public programs (dates to be announced), including lectures, readings and other events featuring such Hepburn intimates as the actress Zoe Caldwell, widow of producer Robert Whitehead (West Side Waltz, A Matter of Gravity), and Anthony Harvey, who directed her Oscar-winning performance in the film The Lion in Winter (1968).

The Katharine Hepburn Papers are expected to be fully catalogued and available to the public in February.