The New York Public Library recently announced its acquisition of more than 50 boxes of material from the career of playwright and director George C. Wolfe. When Wolfe came to New York City as a young man, he worked at an archive focused on Black cultural history. This experience fueled his desire to preserve his own ephemera throughout his career. The acquired archive includes working scripts, correspondence with theatrical figures, and photos from throughout Wolfe’s career. The archive also features his research for historically-driven productions such as “Shuffle Along” and “Jelly’s Last Jam,” which tells the story of jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton. The purchase price was undisclosed.
Wolfe, who directed “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” for the screen, is cautious about conveying that his career is waning despite the establishment of the archive. Rather, he views it as creating breathing room for new stories and space in his home. The collection will be accessible in about a year in the special collections reading room of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Doug Reside, the theater curator for the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, has encouraged artists like Wolfe to transfer their collections earlier than anticipated due to difficulties around saving digital material. Wolfe’s career spans a period of technological development, with the archive including handwritten letters and telegrams, DVDs, and email printouts.
