Tony Kushner papers, 1920, 1961-2018

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Series II: Correspondence, 1978-2017

This series contains cards, letters, and correspondence received by Kushner.

Kushner's correspondence was not organized into a filing system. The correspondence was filed in various mailing envelopes, so that most correspondence is gathered in small groups that are similar by date. Some names are noted in the scope and contents notes for individual files within the finding aid. There are also no outgoing correspondence files, and the collection does not include electronic mail files at this time.

This series also contains printouts of email and AOL chats between Craig Lucas and Tony Kushner for 1995-2001. These printouts comprise nearly 1500 pages, and were printed out by Lucas and given to Kushner.

There is additional correspondence with the files for specific projects and professional files throughout the collection.


Subseries II.1: General Correspondence, 1978-2017

Files are arranged in a rough chronological order, based on the earliest date in the file.



Box 84 Folder 1 Correspondence / Contracts, 1978, 1984-1986


Box 84 Folder 2-4 Cards and Postcards, 1980s-1990s, 3 folders


Box 84 Folder 5 Correspondence--Miscellaneous Letters to TK, 1988-1995

Includes correspondence from Christopher Bram, Thom Gunn, Leo Lerman, Alfred Kazin, Adrienne Kennedy, Ned Rorem, and Naomi Wallace.


Box 84 Folder 6 Correspondence, 1991-1992

Includes letters from Charleston Heston and William Kushner.


Box 84 Folder 7-9 Correspondence--Letters (Folders 1-3, of 5), 1993-1999, 3 folders

Mix of personal and professional cards and correspondence.



Box 85 Folder 1-2 Correspondence--Letters (Folders 4-5, of 5), 1993-1999, 2 folders

Mix of personal and professional cards and correspondence.


Box 85 Folder 3-7 Correspondence--Letters 1990s, 1990s, 5 folders

Mix of personal and professional cards and correspondence. Includes notes from Sarah Schulman and Naomi Wallace.


Box 85 Folder 8 Correspondence--Letters (Folder 1, of 6), 1991-2009, 1 folders

Includes correspondence and cards from Oskar Eustis, Marcia Gay Harden, Christine Quinn, and Naomi Wallace. There is also a postcard of Kushner from the Annie Liebovitz exhibit.



Box 86 Folder 1-5 Correspondence--Letters (Folders 2-6, of 6), 1991-2009, 5 folders

Includes correspondence and cards from Oskar Eustis, Marcia Gay Harden, Christine Quinn, and Naomi Wallace. There is also a postcard of Kushner from the Annie Liebovitz exhibit.


Box 86 Folder 6-9 Correspondence--Letters (Folders 1-4, of 7), 1992-1995, 4 folders

Includes correspondence and cards from Sarah Schulman and Naomi Wallace.



Box 87 Folder 1-3 Correspondence--Letters (Folders 5-7, of 7), 1992-1995, 3 folders

Includes correspondence and cards from Sarah Schulman and Naomi Wallace.


Box 87 Folder 4-5 Correspondence--"Answered Letters 1992", 1992-1994, 2003-2007, 2 folders

Includes letters from Alec Baldwin, Lydia Davis, Robert Giard, Sarah Schulman, Mary Soames, and Naomi Wallace.


Box 87 Folder 6-8 Correspondence--Miscellaneous Correspondence 1997, 1993-1997, 3 folders



Box 88 Folder 1 Correspondence and Faxes, 1994

Various incoming and outgoing correspondence and faxes. These relate to Angels in America, Slavs, Breakdown in the Heart of America, and other topics.


Box 88 Folder 2 Correspondence--Miscellaneous, 1994-1996

Includes correspondence from Christopher Bram and Ronnie Gilbert.


Box 88 Folder 3-12 Assorted Personal Letters, 1995-2014, 10 folders

Includes cards and letters from Mike Nichols, Liev Schreiber, Maurice Sendak, Stephen Sondheim, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Naomi and Nadira Wallace, and George Wolfe.


Box 88 Folder 13-17 Assorted Correspondence, 1997-2006, undated, 5 folders

Includes cards from Scott Griffin and Mara Manus.


Box 88 Folder 18 Correspondence, 1996

Includes photocopy of letter from Edward Albee to Paul Tetreault regarding the Alley Theatre.



Box 89 Folder 1 Letters--Miscellaneous, 1996-2016


Box 89 Folder 2 Correspondence, 1997


Box 89 Folder 3 Correspondence, circa 2000

Clippings; sent from Mike at Icarus Productions.


Box 89 Folder 4-6 Letters and Cards, 1998-2008, 3 folders

Includes correspondence from Mart Crowley, Michael Douglas, Marcia Gay Harden, and Rosie O'Donnell.


Box 89 Folder 7-12 Correspondence--Miscellaneous Letters, 1998-2016, undated, 6 folders

Includes correspondence from Edward Albee, Joe Kennedy, Wendy Lesser, Mike Nichols, and Steven Spielberg. Also includes two autograph requests with "Lights of Broadway" cards of Kushner. Also includes several 60th birthday cards.



Box 90 Folder 1-2 Correspondence, 2001-2008, 2 folders


Box 90 Folder 3-5 Correspondence--Assorted Correspondence, 2001-2007, 3 folders


Box 90 Folder 6-7 Correspondence--Largely unsolicited letters to me, 2001-2007, 2 folders



Box 91 Folder 1 Correspondence--Letters to me from various people, 2003-2007


Box 91 Folder 2-3 Letters, 2002-2007, 2 folders


Box 91 Folder 4-7 Letters, 2004-2007, 4 folders



Box 92 Folder 1 Letters, 2002-2008


Box 92 Folder 2-5 Letters, 2005-2007, 4 folders

Includes printout of an email (2006) from Morton Sobell.


Box 92 Folder 6-8 Letters, 2006-2007, 4 folders



Box 93 Folder 1-2 Letters and Cards, 2004-2007, 2 folders

Includes correspondence from Mike Nichols and Nadira Wallace. Also includes condolence cards related to the death of Martha Deutscher, Kushner's aunt.


Box 93 Folder 3 Correspondence, 2005-2007


Box 93 Folder 4 Correspondence, 2006-2007


Box 93 Folder 5-9 Cards and Letters, 2006-2011, 5 folders

Includes notes from Tony Bennett, Daniel Day Lewis, Cynthia Mace, Harold Prince, Steven Spielberg, Doug Wright.



Box 94 Folder 1-5 Cards and Letters, 2010-2011, 5 folders

Includes notes from Kirsten Gillibrand and Mike Nichols.


Box 94 Folder 6 Correspondence, 2007, undated


Box 94 Folder 7-11 Holiday Cards, 2009-2010, undated, 5 folders

Includes cards from Steven Spielberg and the Obamas.



Box 95 Folder 1 Cards, circa 2010-2011


Box 95 Folder 2-4 Correspondence--Personal, 2010-2011, 3 folders

Includes photographs of Kushner receiving honorary degree from the New School.


Box 95 Folder 5 Correspondence, 2011-2012

Includes card from Mike Nichols.


Box 95 Folder 6-10 Cards and Letters, 2011-2013, 5 folders

Includes a letter from Craig Lucas, as well as birthday wishes from Mike Nichols and Steven Spielberg.


Box 95 Folder 11 Correspondence, 2012-2013


Box 95 Folder 12 Correspondence, 2013



Box 96 Folder 1-4 Correspondence, 2013-2014, 4 folders


Box 96 Folder 5-6 Cards and Letters, 2016-2017, 2 folders



Box 95 Folder 13 Cards, undated


Subseries II.2: Alphabetical, 1995-2016


Letters, 1998-2008



Box 97 Folder 1 A-B

Includes Ossie Beck, Peggy Brian, and Robert Brustein.


Box 97 Folder 2 C

Includes Jeff Calhoun and Richard Christiansen.


Box 97 Folder 3 H-J

Includes Mandy Hackett, Marcia Gay Harden, and Ruth Hendel.


Box 97 Folder 4 K-L

Includes Jeffrey Katzenberg, Joyce Ketay, Jill Krementz, William Kushner, and Robert Jay Lifton.


Box 97 Folder 5 M

Includes Gregory Maguire, Terrence McNally, Susan Medak, and Freida Mock.


Box 97 Folder 6 N-P

Includes Mike Nichols, Mary O'Connor, Marc Platt, Richard Plepler, and Harold Prince.



Box 96 Folder 7 Rane Arroyo, undated


Box 96 Folder 8 City University of New York (CUNY), 2011

Letters to Kushner.



Box 98 Folder 1-5 Craig Lucas, 1995 July 30 - 1996, 5 folders

Printouts of email correspondence and American Online (AOL) chat conversations between Tony Kushner and Craig Lucas. Lucas printed these out and gave Kushner a copy. Approximately 1500 pages.



Box 99 Folder 1-7 Craig Lucas, 1997-1999, 7 folders

Printouts of email correspondence and American Online (AOL) chat conversations between Tony Kushner and Craig Lucas. Lucas printed these out and gave Kushner a copy. Approximately 1500 pages.



Box 100 Folder 1-2 Craig Lucas, 2000-2001 June, 2 folders

Printouts of email correspondence and American Online (AOL) chat conversations between Tony Kushner and Craig Lucas. Lucas printed these out and gave Kushner a copy. Approximately 1500 pages.



Box 96 Folder 9 McLeod/Wallace Family, 1997, undated

Letters from the children of Naomi Wallace.


Box 96 Folder 10 Other People's Work, 2011

Letters to Kushner.



Box 100 Folder 3-5 Re: Manuscripts Mailed Out, Etc., 1994-1996, 3 folders

Includes correspondence from Stanley Kunitz, Paul Rudd, Harold Bloom, and others.



Box 96 Folder 11 Stephen Sondheim--Correspondence on Merrily We Roll Along, 2004

Correspondence with reviews and fascimile of the text.


Box 96 Folder 12 Card from Steven and Kate Spielberg, 2011


Box 96 Folder 13 Card from Steven and Kate Spielberg, 2016