2017-04-05 Preliminary Inventory of the Firman H. Brown Papers, 1977-circa 1995 SPEC.TRI.FHB Finding aid prepared by Zoe MacLeod; Devon Boerman Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2017 March; 2018 November This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2022-03-31T11:45-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Firman H. Brown Papers SPEC.TRI.FHB Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 1.6 Cubic feet 1977-circa 1995 Firman "Bo" Hewitt Brown Jr. was a chairman and professor in the Department of Theatre at Ohio State University. He helped the university gain accreditation for their theatre program after he arrived in 1981. The Firman H. Brown Papers, dated 1977-circa 1995, contain scripts (many written by Don Nigro), reports and correspondence that relate to the Ohio State University's theatre productions that Brown directed. The collection also contains correspondence and reports related to his membership in professional organizations such as the University/Resident Theatre Association. (1) carton; (1) 5'' letter document box English Brown, Firman H. (Firman Hewitt) Arrangement of Materials

This collection is unprocessed. Materials are arranged in the order received.

 Acquisitions Information

Accession No. TRI.FHB.448: Firman H. Brown Jr., 1995 December

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Firman H. Brown Papers, SPEC.TRI.FHB, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, Ohio State University

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

This collection is unprocessed. Finding aid written by: Zoe Macleod, 2017 March; Updated by: Devon Boerman, 2018 November

 Biographical Note

Firman "Bo" Hewitt Brown Jr. (1926-2019) was a chairman and professor in the Department of Theatre at Ohio State University and at the University of Montana. In 1957, he became chairman of the University of Montana's drama faculty. Between 1960-1967, Brown and his wife Margery ran and directed the Bigfork Summer Playhouse in Montana and in 1967, created the Montana Repertory Theatre Company. In 1981, Brown came to Ohio State University and helped the university gain accreditation for its theatre program. Brown was the president of the University/Resident Theater Association from 1987-1990, and a member of the National Theatre Conference.

 Scope and Contents

The Firman H. Brown Papers, dated 1977- circa 1995, contains scripts, reports, minutes, a rehearsal schedule, cast lists, blueprints, staging information and financial statements. The collection also contains Brown's correspondence relating to the Ohio State University theatre productions he directed, and also to his membership in professional organizations such as the University/Resident Theatre Association. Many of the scripts in this collection were written by playwright Don Nigro. Both Mariner and The Dark Sonnets of the Lady were commissioned by Brown and the Ohio State University Department of Theatre.

 Related Materials Don Nigro Papers Production Files Separated Materials

Some LP (Long-Playing) phonographic records that arrived with this donation were separated out and sent to the Music & Dance Library. These phonographic records can be found by searching for "gift of Firman H. Brown" in the library catalog.

The following items were received with the donation of this collection and were cataloged into the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute stacks: And People All Around Princely Feasts and Festivals: Five Centuries of Pageantry and Spectacle Brown, Firman H. (Firman Hewitt) Nigro, Don Ohio State University--Faculty Ohio State University. Department of Theatre University/Resident Theatre Association College theater--Ohio--Columbus--20th century Reports Scripts (documents) State universities and colleges--Faculty--20th century Theater--Production and direction--United States--20th century Theatrical producers and directors--United States--20th century Mariner script by Don Nigro 1 1 1988 Mariner script by Don Nigro 1 2-4 1990 Arkham script and preface by Don Nigro 1 5 circa 1980s-circa 1995 Nightingale script by Don Nigro 1 6 1986 Blood Red Roses script by Don Nigro 1 7 1989 Terre Haute script by Don Nigro 1 8 1980 The Black Minute script by Don Nigro 1 9 1983 The Curate Shakespeare: As you Like It script by Don Nigro and William Shakespeare 1 10 1977 Dracula script by Don Nigro 1 11 1977 The Dark Sonnets of the Lady script by Don Nigro 1 12 1982 Grant At Mount McGregor production script, cast list and technical information 1 13 1985 Grant at Mount McGregor audition script, blueprints, and Grant research materials 1 14 1985 Liberals edited script, cast directory and staging 1 15 1982 Liberals rough draft script 1 16 1982 Tomorrow Was War script by Boris Vasilyev 1 18 circa 1980s Please Don't Hold the Dog Up to the Casket: An Evening with Mike Harden script by Mike Harden 1 19-20 1990 Please Don't Hold the Dog Up to the Casket: An Evening with Mike Harden edited script and rehearsal schedule 1 21 1990 Green Man script by Don Nigro 1 22 1980 University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA) application guidelines draft, reports and correspondence 1 23 2 1 1985-1992 University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA) minutes, correspondence and financial statements 2 2-3 1984-1992 University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA) Membership: Criteria, Procedures and Responsibilities reports 2 4 1986 Operational Plan for State Performing Arts Center Phase I as recommended by Greater Arts Council (GCAC)/Ohio Arts Council (OAC) Theatre Task Force 2 5 1986 April 29 National Theatre Conference reports, finances and correspondence 2 6-7 1981-1992