Wayne and Bette Morse collection on the Kenley Players
Scope and Contents
The Wayne and Bette Morse collection on the Kenley Players includes a wide range of materials related to the theater company's operations and performances at Memorial Hall in Dayton, Ohio. Included are programs and playbills, correspondence, agency documents, advertisements, flyers, and black-and-white photographs and head shots. The collection fills two boxes.
Dates
- Creation: 1966-1995
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1969 - 1981
Creator
- Morse, Bette Rogge (Collector, Person)
- Morse, Wayne H. (Collector, Person)
Access to Materials
The materials in this collection are open and accessible to the public for use in the University Archives and Special Collections reading room.
Copyright Notice
The materials in this collection may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). The materials are available for personal, educational, and scholarly use. It is the responsibility of the researcher to locate and obtain permission from the copyright owner or his or her heirs for any other use, such as reproduction and publication.
History of the Kenley Players
Stage performer and producer John Kenley was renowned for bringing large Broadway shows to small towns throughout the Midwest. Between 1940 and 1995, his Kenley Players performed over 500 plays across Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Kenley Players began performing at Dayton's Memorial Hall in 1957 and returned from 1966 through 1983, eventually presenting their final season in 1995. Performances often included famous television and film actors, with Dayton shows featuring figures such as Mickey Rooney, Ed Ames, Burt Reynolds, Florence Henderson, and Betty White. Kenley was 103 years old when he died in Cleveland, Ohio on October 23, 2009.
A local television talk show host, Bette Rogge Morse interviewed many of the performers who came to Dayton for Kenley Players productions. She also appeared as an actress in several of the productions.
Wayne Morse's advertising firm, Morse/Stotter/Plummer (later Morse, Stotter & Associates), handled advertising for the Kenley Players.
Extent
1.7 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Wayne and Bette Morse collection on the Kenley Players, a traveling theater company founded by John Kenley (1906-2009), is an accumulation of programs and organizational documents related to activities and performances of the Kenley Players in Dayton, Ohio, between 1966 and 1995.
Arrangement
The materials are arranged in folders, alphabetically and then chronologically.
Acquisition Information
Wayne H. and Bette Rogge Morse donated this collection on the Kenley Players on December 12, 2002.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by David Brownell in 2011.
Subject
- Kenley, John (Person)
- Kenley Players (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Wayne and Bette Morse collection on the Kenley Players, 1966-1995, bulk 1969-1981
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- David Brownell
- Date
- 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the University Libraries Repository
300 College Park Dr.
Dayton Ohio 45469-1360
