Identity elements
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Ring Theatre records
Date(s)
- 1927-1988 (Creation)
Extent
47 Boxes
Name of creator
Administrative history
The University of Miami opened in the fall of 1926 with two academic units: the Conservatory of Music (later called the School of Music), and the College of Arts and Sciences. The School was founded by Bertha M. Foster, who became the University’s first music dean. It was renamed the Frost School of Music in 2003 in honor of a landmark naming gift by Dr. Phillip and Patricia Frost, ardent supporters of the arts in Miami.
The School of Music has survived many decades of change and growth to become a national music leader in higher education. It offers degrees in instrumental performance, vocal performance, music engineering, music education, music composition, and musical theatre. It also offers Studio Music and Jazz degrees for instrumentalists and vocalists. Its Studio, Music, and Jazz Program is consistently known as among the best in the nation. It was also the first music school in the nation to offer the innovative degree in Music Business and Entertainment Industries, as well as boasting a hands-on music therapy program.
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Ring Theatre has been offering exciting theatre to the city of Coral Gables and the greater Miami area via the University of Miami's historic theatre company and the producing arm of the Department of Theatre Arts (itself a producer of theatre in Miami since 1936). The name for the Ring grew out of the company's first in-the-round performance which placed the audience in a "ring" around the stage. The current building was constructed in 1951. Its unusual circular design and first-of-its-kind, flexible seating arrangement drew national headlines. In the 1970s, the Ring permanently changed its seating configuration to three-sided thrust. After a complete renovation of the theatre house in 1996, the Ring has now returned to total flexibility and offers three different kinds of staging as well as three seating arrangements. The newly remodeled theatre has been renamed for UM alumnus, Jerry Herman. The new stage has been named the Alvin Sherman Family Stage in honor of Mr. Sherman's generous support of our renovation project
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection contains performance programs, brochures, graphics, ephemera, slides, press releases, news clippings, photographs, negatives, and other assorted records and reports from the University of Miami's Ring Theatre.
System of arrangement
This collection has been arranged into the following series:
Series I. Newspaper articles (1 Box)
Series II. Photographs (17 Boxes)
Series III. Plays (5 Boxes)
Series IV. Programs (2 Boxes)
Series V. Press releases (4 Boxes)
Series VI. Topical files (7 Boxes)
Series VII. 35 mm slides (4 Boxes)
Series VIII. Art designs and miscellaneous (3 Boxes)
Series IX. Brochures (4 Boxes)
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open for research.
Physical access
This collection is kept in an off-campus storage facility. Please contact the University Archivist, Nick Iwanicki, at ngi5@miami.edu with the boxes you are interested in prior to your visit, and allow up to 1 week for delivery of materials.
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Requests to reproduce or publish materials from this collection should be directed to ngi5@miami.edu.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Processed by Archives Technician, Marcia Heath; finding aid edited by Processing Archivist, Yvette Yurubi, 01-10-23.