Robert C. Schnitzer (b.
1906) is a former actor, producer, educator, and theater administrator.
As a young actor in New York City, Schnitzer appeared in or stage
managed The Brothers Karamazov, Hamlet, An Enemy
of the People, Richelieu, Henry V, Richard III,
Caponsacchi, Macbeth, and Cyrano de Bergerac.
From 1936 to 1939, Schnitzer was Delaware's State Director and Deputy
Director of the WPA's Federal Theatre Project.
After WWII, Schnitzer later joined the American
National Theater and Academy (ANTA) as general manager for the Experimental
Theater in New York, sponsored by ANTA in 1947. The ANTA-sponsored
performances managed by Mr. Schnitzer included the first American
production of Hamlet to be presented at Elsinore, Denmark;
the first European tour of the American Ballet Theatre in 1950; and
from 1951 to 1953, three Berlin festivals that showcased American
talent such as the Theatre Guild's Oklahoma, the Hall Johnson
Choir, and the Julliard String Quartet.
In 1954, Mr. Schnitzer became general manager for
the International Exchange Program through which ANTA helped promote
and sponsor cultural exchanges in cooperation with the U.S. State
Department. The hundreds of overseas productions arranged by
Mr. Schnitzer ran the gamut from college choirs and athletes to notables
such as Marian Anderson, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, and the New York
Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Berstein.
These performers played to audiences in Berlin, Moscow, and other
locations behind the Iron Curtain.
In 1960, Mr. Schnitzer became the general manager
for the American Repertory Company, which was formed by the Theatre
Guild at the request of the U.S. Government to export the best in
American theater. He arranged for three plays - The Skin
of Our Teeth, The Miracle Worker, and The Glass Menagerie
- to tour 28 countries in Europe and South America in 1961.
The company included the famous actress Helen Hayes. During
the 1970s he was head of the University of Michigan's Professional
Theatre Program.
In the early 1980s, Mr. Schnitzer donated papers
and records from his service as a deputy administrator for the WPA
Federal Theatre Project to George Mason University.
Included in the Robert C. Schnitzer Collection
are:
- textual materials (subject files, correspondence,
memoranda, etc.) about ANTA's overseas productions
- photographs of the ANTA theater troupe in Europe
from 1951 and 1955 and other ANTA personnel from the 1950s and 1960s
- posters for ANTA overseas productions
- newspaper clippings about ANTA performances
in Europe
- prompt script for the play Skin of Our Teeth,
starring Helen Hayes
- working papers and other materials regarding
Schnitzer's work with the University of Michigan Professional Theatre
Program
For additional information on the Robert C. Schnitzer
Collection in Special Collections & Archives (SC&A), please
contact with the SC&A staff at 703-993-2220 or speccoll@gmu.edu. The SC&A
staff is always willing to assist researchers.
For visiting researchers, SC&A has a reading
room that provides a quiet haven for serious research. Most
materials may by photocopied, either by the researcher or by staff,
depending on the nature of the item. Telephone, e-mail, or mail
requests for photocopies and photographs are handled for a fee on
a prepaid basis. Tours can be arranged for small groups, and
speakers are available upon request. Some materials may also
be requested for use in exhibitions.
Special Collections & Archives preserves and
makes available to all students, faculty, and researchers many kinds
of original, historical and scholarly materials. Major subject
areas for research include Planned Communities, Northern Virginia,
Performing Arts, Maps, Photography, the Civil War, and George Mason
University. Formats in SC&A include manuscripts, rare books,
playbills, musical scores, audio and video tapes, architectural drawings,
photographs, and slides.
E-Mail
SC&A for information and assistance.
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C. Schnitzer Collection
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