Tamiment Playhouse Records
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Abstract
The Tamiment Playhouse was a summer theater at Camp Tamiment, which operated from 1921-1965 as an educational and recreational summer resort for socialists near Bushkill, Pennsylvania. TPH became a workshop for theater, dance, film, and television and entertainment figures such as actors Danny Kaye, Bea Arthur, Imogene Coca, and Carol Burnett; directors Max Liebman, Herb Ross, and Joe Layton; choreographer Jerome Robbins; and writers Woody Allen and Neil Simon performed and staged their work there. The collection includes scores, scripts, clippings, correspondence, ephemera, The Tamiment Story film, and casefiles for interviews with TPH alumni.
Historical Note
The Tamiment Playhouse was a resident summer theater that operated between 1921 and 1960 at Camp Tamiment, an adult summer camp in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains. Camp Tamiment was an educational and recreational summer resort for socialists and their families near Bushkill, Pennsylvania, from 1921 until its sale in 1965 to commercial interests. TPH became a creative outlet for theater, dance, film, and television practitioners of the mid-twentieth century. Actors such as Danny Kaye, Bea Arthur, Imogene Coca, and Carol Burnett, directors Max Liebman, Herb Ross, and Joe Layton, choreographer Jerome Robbins, and writers Woody Allen and Neil Simon are some of the entertainment figures who stayed at Camp Tamiment. Much of the original material performed at Tamiment found its way to the professional stage, Broadway, and television, and much of it reflects the predominantly Jewish cultural and politically liberal orientation of the camp and its residents.
Arrangement
Organized into five series, with Series I organized into two subseries:
Series I. History;
Series I.A. Playbills;
Series I.B. Camp Tamiment: Documents, Publications, and Ephemera;
Series II. Alumni and Associates;
Series III. Sketches and Lyrics;
Series IV. Music;
Series V. Scrapbooks.
Scope and Contents
The Tamiment Playhouse Records (1927-1987) contain records related to the history of Camp Tamiment and the creative works produced there. The history of the camp is portrayed in publications, ephemera, correspondence, The Tamiment Story film, interview transcripts, and scrapbooks. Creative works in the collection include playbills for productions, sketches and lyrics, and musical scores.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open for research without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by the Tamiment Playhouse were transferred to New York University in 1983 by the Tamiment Institute. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives. Please contact NYU Special Collections, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form: Identification of item, date; Tamiment Playhouse Records; TAM 107; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by the Tamiment Institute, 1983. The accession numbers associated with this gift are 1983.002 and 1983.006. Additional materials in this collection were found in the repository in 2014. The accession number associated with these materials is 2014.085.
After the Tamiment Playhouse records were donated to NYU in 1983, the archive collected additional photographs, playbills, music scores and other memorabilia to augment the collection. A number of small donations were made at this time.
In January 2026, The Tamiment Story film was found in the repository and incorporated into the collection.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact NYU Special Collections (special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596) with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Processing activities prior to 2026 were not recorded.
In January 2026, The Tamiment Story film was found in the repository and incorporated into Series I of the collection.
