Valdosta State University Archives

Call Number            MS-86

Name:                      Papers of the Georgia Theater Conference held at the VSU Archives

Dates:                      1964-Present

Size:                         9 boxes and 11 binders (open)

History of the Department:   The Georgia Theatre Conference began in 1965, when theatre professionals from around the state decided to meet together annually to share information and ideas about the growth of theatre performance and education in Georgia.  In 1970, the organization filed for status as a non-profit corporation in the state of Georgia, and in 1971, was granted tax-exempt status.

GTC’s mission is to encourage and coordinate a close relationship among the community, educational, and professional theatres in the state of Georgia; to aid in the maintaining of the highest possible quality of live theatre; and to promote and facilitate education in varied phases of the theatre.  Membership is open to all individuals and groups who desire to participate in the work and programs of the Conference.

Georgia Theatre Conference serves its constituency by providing an opportunity for people involved in theatre activities throughout the state to meet and learn, exchange ideas, showcase their own work, and observe and reward high-quality theatrical production.  Through its five divisions – Professional, Community, College/University, Secondary School, and Theatre for Youth – it encourages growth and development of theatre activities at every level.  From the few dozen people who began meeting more than forty years ago, the organization has grown to a current membership of over twelve hundred, encompassing secondary and college students and teachers, professionals involved in all branches of the theatrical arts, and people of all ages who are passionate about theatre in their communities.

Scope and Content: The boxes and binders that comprise the Georgia Theatre Conference Collections document 42 years of Georgia Theatre history. Many of the documents relate to the nuts and bolts of putting on such a large conference every year. Items such as programs and awards chart the progress of georgia theater programs from the community level to universities to high schools. The collection is divided, intellectually, into ten series. The physical layout of the collection is reflected below in the box inventories. These boxes are organized chronologically, for the most part. The series are assessible through our database pages, which pull folders from across the collection to create a series such as correspondence. The series and links to our database descriptions are as follows:

• By-laws: This series includes the constitution and by-laws of the Georgia Theatre Conference organization as they have been revised over time. It also includes papers chartering it as a non-profit organization.
  
• Executive Board: This series contains executive board minutes, workshop notes, announcements, proposals, mailing lists, photographs and many more types of documents. It also contains whole notebooks documenting a president's tenure.
  
• Minutes: This series contains all official conference minutes. It includes minutes from the executive board series above as well as American Theatre Association minutes and general conference minutes.
  
• Correspondence: The correspondence series contains all correspondence, memos, and email related to conducting the business of the conference. It will include items that are also in the series above because the folders often included minutes and letters related to items from the minutes, for example.
  
• Conference: This series includes items, whether programs, correspondence, or planning materials directly related to each conference held by the Georgia Theatre Conference.
  
• Newsletters: The newsletters series contains the newsletters written to update members of GTC to activities and events related to Georgia theater.
  
• Membership: The series pulls together membership lists, mailing lists, and directories for the GTC.
  
• Registration: The registration papers are organized chronologically and include all paperwork for individuals and groups registered in any division of the conference.
  
• Miscellaneous: This series includes awards, papers related to the American Theatre Association, and papers labeled miscellaneous by GTC officers.
  
• Financial: This series includes financial records, check registers, and bank correspondence.
  

Related Collections: The VSU Archives also contains the papers of the Communication Arts Department, UA 7/5, which includes the recent addition of 10 linear feet of papers relating to the last 25-30 years of the VSC/VSU Theater program, including the Peach State Summer Theatre.

Subject Headings:

Inventory:

Box 1: Administrative Papers

Box 2: Membership and Directories

Box 3: Awards and Conference Divisions

Box 4: Conference Papers, 1965-1979

Box 5: Conference Papers, 1980-1989

Box 6: Conference Papers 1990-2006

Box 7: Conference Registration, 1975-2004

Box 8: Conference Financial Records

Box 9: Miscellaneous

Oversized: Posters and Plaques

Processing Date: May 2007, by Deborah Davis, C.A. and Katrina Rash, student assistant.