Dayton Civic Theatre Scrapbook (SC-380)

The Dayton Civic Theatre was founded and directed by Edmund C. Wilkes (1907-1984). Wilkes had previously of the Springfield Civic Theatre and was later a music critic in Tokyo. The Dayton Civic Theatre was formed, according to 1938 campaign materials, "to supply an unusual need: entertainment, cultural stimulation, and an opportunity for broad general service in self-expression in the drama..." The Theatre offered a subscription or membership plan to help support its efforts: $2 for a membership bought 8 tickets to be used any time during the season; a patron membership level of $10 was also available. A professional theatre company, the Phoenix Players, performed both professional and amateur plays. The amateur plays provided an opportunity for local Dayton artists to audition to participate.

The Phoenix Players was a professional theatre company, whose work with the Dayton Civic Theatre was led by director Edmund C. Wilkes. The Players performed plays (both classics and modern, professional and amateur), sketches, and readings, as well as providing instruction and classwork in voice, dictation, and dramatic interpretation during their residency at the DAI. Of particular interest may be the "Great Days in Dayton" radio broadcast, sponsored by Dayton Power and Light. The group lived at the Canby House, a nearby mansion owned by DAI. In addition to at least four seasons with the Dayton Civic Theatre, the Phoenix Players also conducted a summer theatre at the Port Playhouse in Port Washington, Wisconsin, under direction of Morton DaCosta. (DaCosta was later a director on Broadway in the 1950s.)

In addition to Wilkes and DaCosta, others who performed at Dayton Civic Theatre as part of the Phoenix Players included: Homer K. Hull, Robert Merriman, Helen Foster, Dean Hanley, Elizabeth Johnston, Clara Thropp, Wendell Whitten, William Weatherbee and Mary Hearns (who married and left the group), Emily Partridge, Deborah Maxwell, Edward Brooks Jr. (who died in Dayton during this time), Tom Daly, Mary Agnes Wagner, Faye Clark, Imogen Johnson, James D. Johnston, Virginia Barnelle, Margaret Joyce, Adelaide Yount, and John Harris.

The scrapbook itself was assembled by Eleanor McCann (1907-2004), a lifelong music teacher and for many years Music Director at the Dayton Art Institute. McCann served in various offices of the Dayton Civic Theatre, including membership drive co-captain and recording secretary.

Most of the original photographs were created by Mary Lou Hanauer (1908-1989), a photographer and teacher at the Dayton Art Institute. These are stamped on the back with her name, and in some cases "MLH" appears on the page alongside the photos. A few of the very first photographs are marked on the page in a similar manner, but with "Axel B." or "A.B.," and these were taken by Axel Bahnsen (1907-1978), a photographer who lived in Yellow Springs but also had a Dayton studio at the time and was associated at one time with the Dayton Art Institute as well. (A program within the collection confirms that both Hanouer and Bahnsen photographed the productions.)