Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-2023
Keywords
West Side Story, Musical theater, Theaters, Homophobia, Maine Gay Symposium, University of Southern Maine History, Diane Elze, Cheryl Ring, Myles J. Rightmire, Dale McCormick
Abstract
Description:
Collection includes two copies of an oral history interview (one edited) and an automatically generated transcript.
In the edited version of the interview, Dale McCormick recalls her role as producer of "Gay Side Story," an adaptation of the musical West Side Story, with Diane Elze, Miles J. Rightmire, Cheryl Ring, and others. The play was performed for two nights in Luther Bonney Hall at University of Southern Maine during the 10th Maine Lesbian & Gaymen's Symposium in May 1983. McCormick discusses her work on the writing team, the set design, and the positive reception of the production during a time when, in McCormick's words, "we were a feared and hated minority."
Megan MacGregor, instruction and outreach librarian at University of Southern Maine, in Portland, Maine, conducted an oral history interview with Dale McCormick, in Augusta, Maine, on March 23, 2023, using Zoom to preserve her memories of the creation and performance of Gay Side Story at the 1983 Maine Lesbian & Gaymen's Symposium held on the Portland campus of the University of Southern Maine. The interview was prompted by a program hosted by the LGBTQ+ Collection and funded by an grant from the University's Intercultural and Diversity Advisory Council (IDAC) to play the film of the 1983 musical for University students and staff in Robie-Andrews Hall on the same date.
Date Range:
2023-03-23
Size of Collection:
958 Megabytes
Recommended Citation
Piekut Roy, Jill, "LG MS 160 Dale McCormick Gay Side Story Interview" (2023). Search the Manuscript Collection (Finding Aids). 49.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/lgbt_finding_aids/49
Included in
American Studies Commons, Cultural History Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons
Comments
Conditions Governing Access:
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use:
Materials in this collection are the physical property of the University of Southern Maine Libraries. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the creator, or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult Special Collections staff.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Megan MacGregor, Gift, 2023