The papers of David Mamet, author of more than 50 plays and 25 screenplays that have earned him a Pulitzer Prize, Oscar nominations and a Tony Award, are now open at the Harry Ransom Center. A finding aid for the collection can be accessed at http://news.utexas.edu/sites/news.utexas.edu/files/news/wp-content/uploads/mametnotebook1_2.jpg.
The Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin, acquired Mamet’s archive in 2007. The collection is made up of more than 300 boxes of material, covers his entire career through 2007 and contains manuscripts, journals, office and production files, correspondence and multiple drafts of each of his works, including the acclaimed plays “American Buffalo” (1975) and “Glengarry Glen Ross” (1982) and screenplays “The Untouchables” (1987), “The Spanish Prisoner” (1997) and “Wag the Dog” (1997). These materials record the writing and revision of all of his published texts, as well as several that are unpublished or unfinished.
Some materials from the Mamet collection, including the outline for the film “Heist” (2001), production stills from “The Postman Always Rings Twice” (1981) and “House of Games” (1987) and early drafts of his book “On Directing Film,” are on display as part of the Ransom Center’s “Making Movies” exhibition, which runs through Aug. 1.
In support of the archive, Mamet has made a series of visits to The University of Texas at Austin over the past three years to give guest lectures in various courses, work with students and participate in public events.
High-resolution press images of Mamet and items from his archive are available.
