Browse Items (123 total)

Actress Katharine Cornell was regarded as the "First Lady of the Theatre." Her hometown of Buffalo was the first stop on Cornell’s 1933-34 national tour, and also marked the American stage debut of 18 year-old Orson Welles. This was the first time…

Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, married Broadway stars, acted in more than 20 productions together. "Reunion in Vienna" at the Erlanger Theatre was one of many times they appeared in Buffalo.

One of Katharine Hepburn’s biggest hits was the romantic comedy, The Philadelphia Story.  The movie was based on a screenplay by Phillip Barry, who wrote the play specifically for Hepburn.  When the play opened in Buffalo in October 1940, prominent…

Katharine Hepburn continued appearing on theatrical stages during her long movie career. She appeared in Buffalo a handful of times, including this Shakespearean performance.Hepburn has other local connections--her maternal grandparents lived here,…

The Federal Music Project (FMP) was part of the New Deal/Works Progress Administration program to employ musicians, conductors and composers during the Great Depression.Conductor Franco Autori joined the FMP and came to Buffalo in 1936, where he…

Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini was one of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and of the 20th century. Buffalo Morning Express drama critic and playwright Marian de Forest managed the Buffalo Musical Foundation and presented this…

Famed Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Rachmaninoff performed in Buffalo many times. Zorah Berry was a successful impresario who brought renowned musicians and singers to Buffalo during her 40 year career.

The Buffalo Civic Orchestra was organized in 1932 by a group of local musicians who named John Ingram their conductor. They performed a series of "Pop" concerts of audience favorites throughout the 1930s.

The Story of Fortunata, is a selection from A Fairy Garland. This signed, limited edition of A Fairy Garland; Being Fairy Tales from the Old French that is illustrated by Edmund Dulac [1882-1953] and was published in 1928 was gifted to the Buffalo &…

Marian Anderson was an African-American contralto known for her rich and vibrant voice. Although she was banned from some stages due to racial discrimination, she performed in Buffalo several times in concerts presented by Zorah Berry. Berry was a…