| Physical medium | paper holograph (handwritten) printing |
| Organization of material | Folders arranged alphabetically by subject. |
| Scope and content |
Papers relating to the Arundel Opera Theatre company of Kennebunkport, Maine, which was active from 1947 to 1963. Includes newspaper articles on opera company and its founder Wesley Boynton, programs from the company's performances, papers relating to the donation of Wesley Boynton's scores and librettos to East Carolina University, historical and promotional materials related to Kennebunkport, Maine, and handwritten correspondence from opera singer Margaret Matzenauer to Wesley Boynton. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
Arundel Opera Theatre papers, music library special collections, J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C., USA. |
| Biographical note | Arundel Opera Theatre was founded in 1947 by Wesley Boynton and Morse Haithwaite. In 1951, the company was granted a State of Maine Charter as a non-profit corporation. After six seasons of renting the Kennebunk Town Hall for performances, in 1953 Boynton and Haithwaite purchased the old unused Kennebunkport Town Hall, which was subsequently dismantled, moved, and re-erected at a new location. By 1964, the company had amassed significant debt due to declining tourism in the area and the cost of maintaining the facility. The board voted to sell the building that year, and the company became effectively defunct, though not officially dissolved. In 1983, Wesley Boynton donated a large number of scores and librettos from the Arundel Opera Theatre collection to the East Carolina University music library. |
| Language | Text in English. |
| Genre/form | Programs (Publications) |
| Genre/form | Personal correspondence. |
