A history of actress, Michaele Myers, as written by her family.  Also included are plays, photographs, newspaper articles, and posters.

The Michaele Myers Collection

Box One

Black Binder: An explanation of the contents of the collection.

• Typed by Martha Ann Merkle Myers (Mike’ssister-in-law), Lavern Myers (Mike’s younger brother), Edith Merkle (probably arelation of the sister-in-law), Nancy Cushman Baldwin (friend of Mike’s), andArlene Randolph.

• Contains pictures, newspaper clippings, and a list of all the play’s Myers was in.

Biographical Material Folder

Contains pictures, playbill from Sidney highschool performance, biographical story in NickelPlate Road Magazine, invitation to the Antoinette Perry Awards 1971-72,contract, and syllabus from a class

Contracts Folder

• Dated November 1969, July-August 1970, andDecember 1970.

• Plays are: “Brightower” (standby for Sara and Lisa), “Best of Friends” (played therole of Hannah Dunn), “And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little,” (understudy as cast).

Early Works Folder

• Dated Summer 1946-July/August 1949
• Plays are: “Hasty Heart,” “Candlelight,” “Ah Wilderness,” “You Can’t Take it With You,” “Sing Out Sweet Land,” “Stage Door,” “Ladies in Retirement,” “Male Animal,” “Jian of Lorraine,” “No Exit,” “Cold Wave,” “Philadelphia Story,” “Apple of His Eye,” “Three’s a Family,” “Potash and Perlmutter,”and “Angel Street.”
• The folder contains pictures, newspaper clippings, and playbills.

Tender Trap Folder: played role of Jessica Collins

• Dated January, March, May 1955.
• Starred with K.T. Stevens, Russell Nype, and Kent Smith.
• The folder contains playbills and newspaper clippings.
• One newspaper is the Warsaw Tribune: highlighted Myer’s life since she was from Sidney.

Woodstock N.Y. Playhouse

• Dated Summer 1956 and 1958.
• Director Cyril Simon.
• Plays are: “Bad Seed” (’56), “Solid Gold Cadillac” (’56), “Oh Men, Oh Women” (’56), “Anastasia” (’56), “Tea and Sympathy” (’56), “Bus Stop” (’56), “Separate Tables” (’58), “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (’58).
• The folder contains newspaper clippings and a thank you note from Caroline S. Rohland dated July 2, 1958.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Folder: played role of Maeor Sister Woman

• Dated 1957 May, October and November.
• Starred with Victor Jorey and William Bush.
• The folder contains newspapers clippings, playbills, and pictures.

Sunrise at Campabello Folder: played role ofEleanor Roosevelt

• Dated October 1958-January 1959, September1959-January 1960, and Summer Tour 1960.

• Starred with Lief Erickson, Ralph Bellamey, andHarvard Keel (all played the role of FDR).

• The folder contains pictures, playbills, hercontract for the play, and letters.

• Letterto Myers from Dore Schary (author of play).

  • Letterof encouragement sent just before the first performance of the play

• Telegramfrom Hoyt Bowers Casting Director Warner Bros.

  • WantingMyers to call.

• Letterfrom Dore Schary

  • Thankyou to Myer’s for a letter she sent to him

• Letterfrom Myers to the Miracle Worker Company

• Myers is leaving the play to go on tour for Sunrise.

Script for Sunrise at Campabello

Various Pacts for Short Periods of Time

• Contains information on various plays: “BadSeed,” “Sandbox,” “Toys in the Attic,” “Footnotes to Fame,” and “Tender LovingCare.”

• Dated 1961-1962.

• The folder contains playbills, pictures,newspaper clippings, and her contact for “The Doctors,”

• “The Doctors” was a television show Myers was in.

Critics Choice Folder: played the role of IvyLondon

• Dated July/August 1962 and February 1963.

• Starred with Hans Couried and Richard Thomas.

• The folder contains playbills, picture,newspaper clippings, and telegram from Ann.

• Fromthe tone of Ann’s telegram she sounds like a family member or close friend.

• This might be her sister-in-law Martha Ann.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe: played role ofMartha (also Understudy for Kate Reid and Uta Hagen)

• Dated September 1963-May 1964 for National Tour.
• The folder contains newspaper clippings, playbills, pictures, schedule of performances, and fan mail.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe Scripts

• Script is split into three sections.

One by One Folder: played the role of Justy Lacey

• Dated December 1964.
• Closed after one week.
• Play written by Dore Schary.
• The folder contains newspaper clippings, playbill, and letter from Schary saying that the play was closing.

Absence of a Cello Folder: played the role of Mariam Jellicoe.

• Dated May-August 1965-Stock Tour, January-April(at least) 1966-National Tour.

• Starred with Hans Conried and Ruth McDavitt

• The folder contains pictures, playbills, andnewspaper clippings.

  • Onepicture is in a frame and was signed by someone with the initials RP.

• Folder also contains contract and playbill from“The Men Who Came to Dinner.”

• Myers was in this play right after her performance in “Absence of a Cello.” She played the role of Lorraine Sheldon.

Box Two

The Great Western Union Folder: played the role ofLavinia.

• Dated February 1965.
• Directed by Cyril Simon.
• The folder contains newspaper clippings.

The Great Western Union Script

Hogan’s Goat Folder: played role of Bessie Legg.

• Dated November-December 1965 and July 1966.

  • Leftto go on tour for “Absence of a Cello” and then returned.

• The folder contains picture, playbills, newspaper clippings, and a telegram.

Hogan’s Goat Script

This Here Nice Place Folder: played the role ofRose.

• Dated November 1966 (off Broadway) and September 1969.
• Starred with George Mitchell.
• The folder contains playbills and newspaper clippings.

This Here Nice Place Script

Impossible Years Folder: played the role of Alice Kingsley

• Dated 1967-1968.
• Starred with Tom Ewell.
• The folder contains pictures, playbills, and newspaper clippings.

Corning Summer Theater Plays Folder

• Dated July-August 1967.
• Plays are: “Barefoot in the Part” (played role of Mrs. Banks), “Any Wednesday” (played role of Dorothy Cleves), “The Subject was Roses” (played role of Nettie Cleary), and “Philadelphia Here I Come” (played role of Lizzy Sweeny).
• Director was Dorothy Chernuck(?).
• The folder contains playbills, contract, pictures, and newspaper clippings.

Any Wednesday Script

Academy Playhouse at Loyola Folder

• Dated Summer 1968.
• Playhouse is located in Wilmette, Illinois.
• Plays are: “A Delicate Balance” (played the role of Claire), “A Lion in Winter” (played the role of Eleanor), “Hostage” (played the role of Meg), and “Front Page” (played the role of Molly).
• Directors were John Bettenbender and Eugene O’Sullivan.
• The folder contains contract, pictures, and newspaper clippings.

You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s RunningFolder: played the role of Harriet.

• Dated September 1968-January(?) 1969 andJune-August 1969.
• Starred with Eddie and Susan Bracken and RobertElston.
• Director was Alan Schneider.
• The folder contains pictures, playbills, contract, and newspaper clippings.

You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running -Script

Angela Folder: played the role of Alice.

• Dated 1969.

• Starred with Geraldine Page.

  • Wasalso understudy to Geraldine Page.

• The folder contains one picture and Michaele'scontracts.

• These items were removed from the “This Here Nice Place” folder and placed in their own folder.

Angela Script

Brightower Script: played the role of Sara

• There is no folder to go with this script.

• Play was written by Dore Schary.

• Script had fallen lose from binding and was put back in but not in order.

Hamlet Folder: played the role of Gertrude.

• Dated 1970.

  • Playdone at two different locations.

  • Marchto June 1970: The American Shakespeare Festival Theater.

  • Fallseason: Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania

• The folder contains playbills, contract, information about the festival, letters, and schedules.

Hamlet Script

Best of Friends Script

There is no folder to go with this script.

Harvey, The Effects of Gamma Rays, and Dear LiarFolder: played the role of Betty Chumley in “Harvey,” Beatrice in “TheEffects of Gamma Rays,” and Mrs. Campbell in “Dear Liar.”

• Dated 1971 and 1972.

  • Harvey:1971 tour.

    • Starredwith Gig Young and Shirley Booth.

  • TheEffects of Gamma Rays: July 1972.

    • Note: “The Effect of Gamma Rays” hasbeen shorten from “The Effect of Gamma Rays on the Man in the Moon Marigolds.”

  • DearLiar: September 1972.

• All three plays were in different locations.

The folder contains pictures, contracts,playbills and newspaper clippings.

The Effect of Gamma Rays Script

Box Three

Stage West Plays Folder

• Dated January-May 1973.
• Plays are: “Man in the Moon Marigolds” (playedthe role of Beatrice), “The Importance of Being Earnest” (played the role ofMiss Prism), “Old Times” (played the role of Anna), and “Butterflies are Free”(played the role of Mrs. Baker).

• • Note: “Man in the Moon Marigolds” hasbeen shorten from “The Effect of Gamma Rays on the Man in the Moon Marigolds.”

• All plays performed at Stage West in Springfield, Massachusetts.
• The folder contains pictures, playbills, letter from a fan, and newspaper clippings.

 Butterflies are Free Script

The Price Folder: played the role of Esther Franz

• Dated August 20-25 1973.
• Starred with Howard Duff, Lou Gilbert, and DonPorter.
• This is the last Myers ever starred in.
• The folder contains playbill, contract, pictures, and a postcard with a picture of the playhouse where “The Price” was performed.

Script Bundle

• There are six scripts that were with the Michelle Myers collection, but in the master list of plays that her family put together, these six were not listed.
• The plays are: “A Death in the Family,” “American Dream (?),” “Entertaining Mr. Sloane,” “Mary, Mary,” “The Miracle Worker,” and “Once There was a Russian.”

• In the folder with items pertaining to the play “Sunrise at Campobello” there is a letter to The Miracle Worker Company saying that Myers was leaving to go on tour for Sunrise.

• Unclear if “American Dream” is the correct title for this play. The script appears to have fallen out of the original binding and placed in a new folder with no real care. Consequently the title page is either placed somewhere within the script or has been lost.

Scrapbook Folder - MOVED TO BOX #2 FOR SPACE CONSIDERATIONS

• On front of scrapbook is says “To Emma Bell fromAunt Olive and Uncle George.
• Emma was Myers given name. Michelle was her stage name.
• Scrapbook contains pictures of movie stars thatall appear to have been cut out from newspapers.

This scrapbook has been moved to the top of Box #2 for special reasons.

Oversized Folder containing posters - rests on TOP of boxes

• This is a collection of five play posters in which Myers performed.

• The plays: “Toys in the Attic,” “Cat on a HotTin Roof,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” and “Sunrise at Campobello.”

  • Thereare two posters from “Sunrise at Campobello.” One is a poster from the Indiana Theater in Indianapolis.

Original description of articles prepared by student archivist, Kelley Brenneman and edited by J. M. Wine.

Excerpts from the album assembled by Martha Ann Merkle Myers with help from Lavern Myers, Edith Merkle, and Nancy Cushman Baldwin.

Edith Merkle is Martha's mother.

Laverne is Martha's husband and Michaele's brother.

Nancy Cushman Baldwin was a well-known actress from New York City who was Michaele's best friend.

Michaele Myers was born Emmabelle Myers near Knox in Starke County, Indiana, on July 2, 1924.  Her father, Roy Myers, worked as an extra station agent on the Nickel Plate Railroad during the pre-depression years.  Consequently the family moved often, several times in fact between Knox and the south side of Chicago.  Finally in 1935, when Michaele was eleven years old, they moved to the tiny north central Indiana town of Sidney, which became the family's permanent home.   ...

Have you driven through the tiny town of Sidney, Indiana, just a few miles north of Manchester College on Highway 13?  That town was the launching pad for the hopes and dreams of a beautiful young girl who wanted above all to be an actress.  And she did it.  Who could guess that this vibrant, ambitious girl, so full of love for her work, would be leaving the stages of New York at the peak of her career to return to her childhood home to die? ...