Scope and Content Note
The materials among the May O’Donnell Papers partially document the career of a modern dancer, choreographer, and teacher, considered a pioneer in the development of American modern dance, especially abstract dance. The materials are organized in one box with three series: Photographs, Programs and Publicity, and Clippings and Printed Material.
The Photographs series depicts O’Donnell alone, as a performer, with other artists, and with her spouse, Ray Green. In addition to several photographs documenting her appearance in seminal productions of Martha Graham choreography, this series includes photographs of her best-known works: Suspension (1943); Dance Concerto (1954); Dance Energies (1959 staging), and others. Many of the photographs of the 1940s are credited to the Romaine Studio, the San Francisco photography studio established by former vaudeville dancers Karl and Emilie Romaine. Photographers Marcus Blechman, John Lindquist, Daniel Nilva, and Chris Alexander are represented in the collection.
Programs and Publicity items range from 1929 to 1988, including playbills and performance programs, program notes, flyers, press releases, and brochures. The collection holds several important programs that are considered rare, including examples of O’Donnell’s 1930s performances for dancer-choreographer Estelle Reed; programs from her 1940s collaborations with José Limón and from a concert with Nina Fonaroff; and a program titled "American Dance" from a 1953 concert at New York’s Alvin Theatre that included choreographic works by O’Donnell, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Doris Humphrey, Pearl Lang, Helen McGehee, Fonaroff, and Limón. Playbills of O'Donnell's company from the 1950s document early-career performances by distinguished artists such as Gerald Arpino, Robert Joffrey, Dudley Williams, Mabel Robinson, and Norman Walker. A brochure and gala program commemorating the ground-breaking 1980s CBS Cable arts programming are included, as are promotional announcements of some of her workshops and teaching engagements.
Reviews, a published interview with May O’Donnell, and an obituary comprise the series Clippings and Printed Material.