Overview

Alex Reeve was a director, actor, compere, broadcaster, writer and Director of Productions at Northampton's Royal Theatre & Opera House, and Professor of Drama, Brownwood, Texas, USA. He was active in the 1940s - 1970s. His collection holds a number of play scripts from Reeve's productions, and material given to Reeve by his friend and colleague, the theatre designer Thomas Osborne Robinson (1904 - 1976).

What the collection holds

The Alex Reeve Archive includes playscripts, photographs, costume and set designs programmes, clippings and slides, largely from the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

The online catalogue for this collection can be viewed here: 
AXR - The Alex Reeve Archive

It is currently uncatalogued so please contact us for further information regarding its contents and access. Some of this uncatalogued material includes:

• Items relating to the Northampton Repertory Theatre’s productions during the 1940s and 50s, including production photos, programmes, playbills and cuttings
• Prompt scripts dating from the early 20th century, mostly Samuel French Acting editions. Ref: 200203/0042
• An album of autographed photographs of late 19th & early 20th century actors and music hall stars. Ref: 2003/0050
• Concert party songs and music scores. Used for entertaining the troops during WWII Ref: 2003/0039
• Play scripts including anthologies of one act plays for all-women casts: Ladies Only (1934) & Petticoat Plays (1935) by Muriel and Sydney Box. Ref: 200203/0083
• Album containing a typewritten production script and other items relating to a ‘Western’ version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by ‘Wild Bill Shakespeare’ produced in Brownwood Texas 1949
• A metal make up box containing original greasepaints and facial hair plus pince nez. Ref: 2008/0020

Further information

Osborne Robinson collected posters from his frequent travels across Europe and America and, after lecturing at Northampton College of Art, he left his life's work of 3,500 posters to the institution. They are now stored at The University of Northampton Archive Collections.