The Religious Drama Society Archive

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: Wade-A-65

Staff Only

Abstract

The Religious Drama Society archive contains various materials relating to the society, including meeting minutes and related correspondence.

Dates

Created: 1940-1951
Other: Majority of material found in 1947-1948

Creator

Sayers, Dorothy L. (Sayers, Dorothy Leigh) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Copies or publication of materials by Dorothy L. Sayers require permissions from the Sayers Literary Executor.

Biographical or Historical Information

The Religious Drama Council became the Religious Drama Society in September 1929. It describes its mission on the front of its journal, Christian Drama, as follows: "To foster the art of drama as a means of religious expression and to assist the production of plays which explore and interpret the Christian view of life." The first president of the society was the Bishop of Chichester, and after its reorganization in 1938, E. Martin Browne became honorary director. Among the supporters of the society were Charles Williams, and Dorothy L. Sayers, who later joined the Council of the society, as well as became vice president in the 1950s. The current website for the society is: http://www.radiusdrama.org.uk/.

The material in this archive was acquired at auction from Sotheby's in London by the Wade Center in 2000. The original Sotheby's lots included in this archive are: Lot 292, iv; the contents of folder 2 come from Lot 292, vii and Lot 300, iv.

Extent

1.00 box : 2 folders

0.1 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement Note

Contents are arranged chronologically.

Source of Acquisition

01/1a

Related Materials

Researchers interested in this archive may also wish to consult the following resources in the Wade Center holdings:

Baxter, Kay. On the Writing of Religious Drama. Dorothy L. Sayers Festival at Wheaton College: WETN Recording, April 21, 1978. (DLS-Y / SR-1)

Baxter, Kay. Theatrical Values in the Dramas of Dorothy L. Sayers. Dorothy L. Sayers Festival at Wheaton College, April 21, 1978. (DLS-Y / SR-2)

Browne, E. Martin. "The Religious Drama Society." (September 1945): 1-4. (letter from E. Martin Brown to members of the RDS, references The House by the Stable and House of the Octopus by Charles Williams, AF-16877)

Browne, E. Martin. untitled review. Christian Drama I n.4 (November 1947): 1-5. (review of Judgment at Chelmsford by Charles Williams, AF-6573)

Christian Drama. Vol. I No. 4. Oxford: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, November 1947. (OP-209)

Fairclough, Alan. "Dorothy Sayers and Religious Drama in England: The Just Vengeance." Christian Drama 1 (November 1946): 3-9. (AF-5272)

McLaughlin, Patrick. "Dorothy L. Sayers 1893-1957." Christian Drama (Spring 1958): 11-13. (AF-5278)

Savidge, Dale E. E. Martin Browne and the Revival of Verse Drama in England. University of South Carolina, 1991. (Dissertation)

Sayers, Dorothy L. "Plays in churches." Christian Drama (1948): 12-13. (letter to the editor, AF-12448)

Spalding, Ruth. "The Religious Drama Society." (December 30, 1945): 2 pp. (letter from Ruth Spalding to members of the RDS, references The House of the Octopus by Charles Williams, AF-16911)

Weales, Gerald. Religion in Modern English Drama. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1961. (Includes background on the Religious Drama Society)

Other materials in the Wade Center holdings may relate to the topics in this archive. See the archivist for further research assistance.

Other Descriptive Information

Stored with the New Cosmology and Religious Book Club archives (A-63, A-64). There is an acquisition file for this collection. There is a research copy of this collection.