Back in the 1930s, a young man from Indiana, Mladen Sekulovich, is credited for his role in the program for the Goodman Studio Theatre performance of “Dark Echos.” Could anyone at that time have predicted that the inauspicious character actor, now better known as Karl Malden, would have gone on to rub shoulders with Marlon Brando, win Emmys and Oscars, and earn a coveted spot in film history? This is just one story. There are many more “inauspicious beginnings” that emanated from the two theatrical traditions that merged to make up DePaul’s Theatre School as it is known today; Gillian Anderson, Kevin Anderson, Bruce Boxleitner, Theoni Aldredge, Melinda Dillon, Bill Hargate, Linda Hunt, Harvey Korman, Karl Malden, Joe Mantegna, Lois Nettleton, Kevin J. O’Connor, Elizabeth Perkins, Ted Wass, Geraldine Page, John C. Reilly, Carrie Snodgras, just to name drop a bit…
So, as this awards season kicks into full swing, we thought it might be fun to show off a couple of the Emmys earned by alumni in our collections (they are as heavy as they look!) and to investigate the early traditions from the Goodman School of Drama and DePaul’s theater program that merged in 1978 to make DePauls Theatre School what it is today. This exhibit juxtaposes materials from DePaul’s Theatre School Archives, such as Mary Agnes Doyle’s, “Daily Dozen Diction Drills,” and photos and papers from the collections of notable instructors, David and Bella Itkin, with award-winning costume designs, scripts, and film stills from personal collections donated to DePaul by distinguished alumni: Theoni Aldrege, Bill Hargate, and Lois Nettleton.
For finding aids or more information about these University Archives collections, contact: archives@depaul.edu or visit us in Room 314.
“Inauspicious Beginnings: Success Stories in DePaul’s Theater Archives,” Exhibit by Special Collections & Archives (Winter Quarter 2010); 3rd floor of the Richardson Library.