1942-53 vintage DIRECTOR WORKING BALLET PROD SCRAPBOOK mansfield oh ETHEL BATTIN For Sale

1942-53 vintage DIRECTOR WORKING BALLET PROD SCRAPBOOK mansfield oh ETHEL BATTIN
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Offered here is a substantial large-format rope-bound scrapbook measuring approximately 12 x 14¼ inches, densely filled and structurally intact, documenting the working production archive of the Ethel Battin Dance Academy of Mansfield, Ohio. The material spans roughly 1942 through 1953, culminating in the fully documented 1953 ballet production Story Book Ball at Mansfield Senior High Auditorium.

This is not a casual souvenir album. It functions as a director’s working ballet production book, preserving rehearsal structure, choreography notes, administrative regulations, cast coordination, ticket policies, financial records, and press documentation across more than a decade of regional performing arts activity.

The archive centers on Ethel Battin, director of the academy (221½ South Main Street, Mansfield, Ohio), and extensively documents student performer Peggy Bayer, whose progression from local recital dancer to advanced ballet study—including documented New York training references—is preserved throughout the volume.

1953 “Story Book Ball” Production Archive

The 1953 section is exceptionally strong and includes:

• Original printed program (June 19–20, 1953)

• Mansfield News-Journal preview article and large photo spread (June 14, 1953)

• “900 Attend Dance Revue” attendance coverage

• Multi-page typed “Show Regulations” packet (June 1953)

• Director’s annotated act breakdown sheets

• Cast assignment sheets with handwritten staging revisions

• Blocking notes marked OSL, OSR, CLOSE IN, SPLIT, and other technical cues

• Costume and cue annotations in multiple inks

• Staff & credits sheet naming instructors and assistants

• Tuition receipt dated April 2, 1953 (signed Bonnie Battin)

• Ethel Battin Dance Academy billing slip

• Ticket sale and complimentary admission policy documentation

These materials clearly represent a working director’s copy used during rehearsal and staging, not simply commemorative ephemera.

Earlier Material (1942–Early 1950s)

The scrapbook also preserves extensive earlier documentation, including:

• WWII-era U.S.O. benefit performances (Toyland Fantasy and others)

• American Legion and AMVETS collaborations

• Civic music club and community festival involvement

• Jewish sisterhood talent program participation

• Full cast lists naming dozens of Mansfield-area children

• Productions of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, Beauty Caravan, and other ballet-themed revues

• Newspaper profile titled “16-Year-Old Studies To Be Ballerina”

• Early ballet training sheets and rehearsal notes

• School of American Ballet and New York ballet training references

• Correspondence relating to advanced study

• Personal certificates and academic ephemera connected to Peggy Bayer

Historical Significance

This archive represents:

• A documented example of mid-20th-century regional American ballet education

• WWII home-front cultural programming

• Postwar community arts expansion in the Midwest

• The administrative and artistic workings of a women-led dance academy

• A rare multi-year continuous performing arts production record

• A small-town-to-New-York ballet training progression narrative

It contains institutional documentation, personal development material, press coverage, financial ephemera, and annotated choreography sheets — an uncommon survival of layered performing arts history.

Notable Individuals Represented

• Ethel Battin

• Bonnie Battin

• Peggy Bayer

• Jeroma Gentile

• Mary Frances Dettemer

• Additional Mansfield-area student performers documented in cast lists

Authentic period piece related to family, historyor local heritage - well-suited for historical collections, genealogical /genealogy research, or museum acquisition.Vintage or Antique.

CONDITION: See listing description and photos.





































































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