Curtain's Up! The Carolina Theatre Records Come to Special Collections and University Archives

The Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives is thrilled to announce that we are now the home to the Carolina Theatre of Greensboro’s historic materials. A donation to our Manuscript collections, the Carolina Theatre’s materials include programs, marketing materials, slides, photographs, artifacts, and digital records.

The Carolina Theatre has been an important cultural and business icon in downtown Greensboro since 1927. The Carolina Theatre’s records will provide an amazing perspective on the history of downtown Greensboro, performing arts, film, and local business for students, faculty, researchers, and the general public.

Carolina Theatre, circa 1927.

As part of the ongoing relationship between Special Collections and the Carolina Theatre, Special Collections will continue to receive materials from the theatre to ensure a continuous record of their operations and impact on the Greensboro and the Triad.

Carolina Theatre sketch, 1982.

We hope to begin processing the collection soon and will provide more updates as the collection is arranged, described, and digitized! Look for updates about the collection on this blog and our social media platforms.

A Flair for the Dramatic: Early Campus Theater Productions,1896-1916

A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1912

The students of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro claim a rich history of dramatic performance. From the campus’s earliest years as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women, the student body has authored plays, created stage sets, sewn costumes, and performed both male and female roles. The first theatrical performance was County Fair in 1894, and each subsequent year saw an increase in the dramatic repertoire enjoyed by students, faculty, and the public. As there was no drama program at the time, student groups, such as the campus literary societies (predecessors of the modern sorority), the YWCA, specific classes, and the Dramatics Club (beginning in 1912) organized and performed for the pleasure of the campus.

An exhibit featuring photographs of student dramatic productions dating from 1896 to 1916 is on display in the Elliott University Center connector from September 1st until November 1st.