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Size | 0.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 30 items) |
Abstract | Wilbur Dorsett attended high school in Spencer, N.C., then studied at the University of North Carolina (B.A. English 1934; M.A. 1936). While at UNC, he worked with the Carolina Playmakers, mostly on the technical staff. He went on to teach dramatic arts and work as a technical supervisor at other schools. The collection includes letters from Wilbur Dorsett to his high school teacher Lucile Martin (known later as Lucile Donnelly) throughout the 1930s. In the letters, Dorsett offered opinions on contemporary popular books, motion pictures, and plays. He also wrote about his experiences with the Carolina Playmakers and the technical aspect of his work and gave detailed information about his life as an undergraduate and graduate student. Dorsett published poems, short stories, and other writings in several student publications, some of which he sent to Martin. He also enclosed programs to theatrical productions with which he was involved, including several Playmakers performances and the 1939 production of The Lost Colony in Manteo, N.C., and discussed other post-college work, including his stage production job at the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina (later the University of North Carolina at Greensboro). The letters offer little information about Martin. |
Creator | Dorsett, Wilbur, 1912-1980. |
Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
Language | English |
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Technical supervisor in the theater, Wilbur Dorsett, graduated from Spencer High School in Spencer, N.C., in 1930. From there, he went on to attend the University of North Carolina (UNC), majoring in English from 1930 to 1934. While studying at UNC, he worked with the Carolina Playmakers, mostly on the technical staff for several different performances. He received a Rockefeller Scholarship to pursue a Master of Arts degree at UNC, achieving that goal in 1936. For his master's thesis, Dorsett wrote a play called "Pillar of Fire." After leaving UNC, Dorsett was a technical director for the summer theater program at the New England Repertory Company in Maplewood, N.J. Dorsett started teaching dramatic arts in the fall of 1936 at Wesleyan College and Conservatory in Macon, Ga., and also directed theater there. By the late 1930s, Dorsett was working at the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, helping with their stage productions.
Lucile Martin was Dorsett's high school teacher at Spencer High School in Spencer, N.C. They kept in touch after Dorsett's high school graduation and during his time at the University of North Carolina. For much of that time, Martin remained a teacher, working in Advance, N.C. In the late 1930s, Martin entered UNC's School of Social Work as a graduate student. Martin, later Lucile Donnelly, eventually became Director of the Welfare Department of Davie County, N.C., and later, Rowan County, N.C.
Back to TopLetters are from Wilbur Dorsett, as a student at the University of North Carolina and worker in technical theater, to his high school teacher Lucile Martin (later known as Lucile Donnelly) throughout the 1930s, beginning with his graduation from high school in Spencer, N.C. Dorsett offered opinions on contemporary popular books, motion pictures, and plays. He also wrote about his experiences with the Carolina Playmakers while at the University of North Carolina and the technical aspect of his theater work, including details about specific performances. Dorsett also included detailed information about his life as an undergraduate and graduate student, including information about courses, professors, sports events, and other aspects of student life. Dorsett published poems, short stories, and other writings in The Carolina Magazine, a Daily Tar Heel supplement, and the "Official Literary Organ of the Student Body of the University of North Carolina," some of which he sent to Martin. He also enclosed programs of theatrical productions with which he was involved, including performances at the Carolina Playmakers and the 1939 production of The Lost Colony in Manteo, N.C. Dorsett also mentioned other post-college work, including his stage production job at the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina (later the University of North Carolina at Greensboro). Most of the letters include little, if any, information about Martin and her life, although it is clear she usually responded to his letters.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Folder 1 |
1930 |
Folder 2 |
1931 |
Folder 3 |
1932 |
Folder 4 |
1933-1934 |
Folder 5 |
1935-1936, 1939 |