Playbill for Dreamgirls: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Playbill for Dreamgirls. White background with yellow box at top; black box below with the lower half of three women each with one exposed leg, holding a microphone in hand, with title below. [PLAYBILL/IMPERIAL THEATRE/DREAMGIRLS] White circular sticker on back, handwritten 1982.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1982
• Published by: Playbill, American, founded 1884
• Used by: Imperial Theatre, American, founded 1923
• Subject of: Obba Babatunde, born 1951
• Subject of: Cleavant Derricks, American, born 1953
• Subject of: Loretta Devine, American, born 1949
• Subject of: Ben Harney, American, born 1952
• Subject of: Jennifer Holliday, 1960
• Subject of: Sheryl Lee Ralph, American, born 1956
• Type: theater programs
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 8 3/4 x 5 3/4 in. (22.2 x 14.6 cm)
• Place used: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Musical Theatre
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Object number: 2011.45.24
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Kayla Deigh Owens
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Playbill used by permission. All rights reserved, Playbill Inc Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.