Research Catalog

Title

Conversation with Richard Monette [and] conversation with Van Smith [and] conversation with Rima Corben [sound recording].

Author

Monette, Richard.

Publication

[between 1977 and 1982]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Sears, David, 1948-1992.
• Corben, Rima.
• Smith, Van.

Description

1 sound disc (ca. 63 min.): digital; 4 3/4 in.

Summary

• Track 1 (ca. 17 min.). [Begins abruptly. First 2 min. is a brief conversation between David Sears and Richard Monette followed by a brief telephone conversation with a man identified only as "Dan," primarily for the purpose of testing Sears' telephone recording equipment; this is followed in turn by a very brief telephone conversation with a man who identifies himself as Warren Burton; at 5 min. 40 sec. into the recording, the conversation with Van Smith begins, abruptly.] Smith speaks with Sears about punk style; punk-inspired hairstyles he has created; the play Crimes against nature.
• Track 1 (ca. 13 min.). [Begins abruptly, at 16 min., 40 sec. into track 1.] David Sears and Rima Corben are speaking about her arranging an interview between Sears and the playwrights, Lanford Wilson and Albert Innaurato for the purpose of an article Sears is writing, focusing on the degree of tolerance for homosexual themes in commercial theatre, including references to Innaurato's play Gemini and Wilson's play Fifth of July. [At ca. 28 min. into the recording, the sound quality deteriorates; conversation ends abruptly.]
• Track 1 (final 2 min.) and track 2 (ca. 31 min.). [Begins abruptly at 28 min., 23 sec. into track 1 with the continuation of the interview with Richard Monette.] David Sears is speaking with Richard Monette about various topics relating to the theater and Monette's career, including Monette's thoughts on certain actors and playwrights [gap]; Shakespeare's play All's well that ends well; Barry Collins's play Judgement; reasons prominent actors often avoid press interviews; the ideal of romantic love; the reasons actors may feel constrained from publicly speaking about their sexual orientation; Sears' thoughts on gay activism [gap]; the play The night of the tribades; Monette's thoughts on Canadian theater compared to theater in the U.S.; his desire to work in the U.S. [gap; very brief segment of an unrelated recording]; critics' views of Monette's performances of Hamlet; Maggie Smith.

Donor/Sponsor

• National Endowment for the Arts, 2002-2003.
• Oral History Archive.

Subjects

• Audiotapes > Monette, R
• Smith, Van
• Homosexuality and theater
• Monette, Richard
• Corben, Rima
• Audiotapes > Corben, R
• Audiotapes > Smith, V

Note

• Conversations between David Sears and each of Richard Monette, Van Smith, and Rima Corben. The conversation with Monette begins on track 1, but ends after ca. two min., and is followed by conversations with Smith and Corben, respectively; the Monette conversation resumes at the last two min. of track 1 and continues through track 2. The Monette conversation was held in a restaurant, probably in Ontario, Canada, in 1977. The conversations with Smith and Corben were conducted by telephone, but probably at a later date, possibly in 1980, but almost certainly not later than 1982.
• Overall, the sound quality is good, but the recording is marred by extraneous noise. In particular, the conversation with Richard Monette is marred by the background music and noise of the restaurant where it was conducted.

Funding (note)

• Preservation was funded in part with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, 2002-2003.

Source (note)

• David Sears.

Call Number

*MGZTL 4-1597

OCLC

212909502

Author

Monette, Richard. Interviewee

Title

Conversation with Richard Monette [and] conversation with Van Smith [and] conversation with Rima Corben [sound recording].

Imprint

[between 1977 and 1982]

Funding

Preservation was funded in part with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, 2002-2003.

Local Note

Preservation master: *MGZTP 4-1597

Archive original: *MGZTCO 3 -1597

Dubbing master: *MGZTD 4-1597

Local Subject

Audiotapes -- Corben, R.

Audiotapes -- Monette, R.

Audiotapes -- Smith, V.

Added Author

Sears, David, 1948-1992. Interviewer

Corben, Rima. Interviewee

Smith, Van. Interviewee

Sears, David, 1948-1992. Donor

Research Call Number

*MGZTL 4-1597 [sound disc]