Columbia University Archives: Varsity Show

Archival collections are non-circulating and can only be viewed in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library's reading room (RBML). In order to use the University Archives collections at the RBML, you will be required to register your own Special Collections Research Account before your visit and to validate the account in person with government-issued photo identification or Columbia ID card. Once you have created your Special Collections Research Account, you will be able to request materials directly from the finding aid: click the check box located on the right for the box(es) you need, and then scroll back to the top of the container list document and click “Submit Request” button in the red-rimmed box at top. This should lead you directly to your Special Collections Research Account to complete the request form.

• Varsity Show Records 1894- 

The Varsity Show Records is an archival collection that documents the history of Columbia University's Varsity Show, an annual student written and produced musical that lampoons Columbia life. The records contain programs, scores, scripts, photographs, posters and other memorabilia from past productions. Notable Varsity Show alumni include Richard Rodgers (CC 1923), Oscar Hammerstein II (CC 1916), Lorenz Hart (CC 1918), Herman Wouk (CC 1934) and I.A.L. Diamond (CC 1941).

In order to view the Varsity Shows records at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML) reading room, you will be required to register your own Special Collections Research Account before your visit and to validate the account in person with government-issued photo identification or Columbia ID card. Once you have created your Special Collections Research Account, you will be able to request materials directly from the finding aid: click the check box located on the right for the box(es) you need, and then scroll back to the top of the container list document and click “Submit Request” button in the red-rimmed box at top. This should lead you directly to your Special Collections Research Account to complete the request form.

Please keep in mind that the following boxes are located off-site: Boxes 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, and 21. You will need to request this material from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at least two business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

• The Varsity Show : a Celebration.

Conceived and directed by Paul Gelinas; with  foreword by Terrence McNally; essay by Thomas J. Vinciguerra. New York : Columbia, 2004. You can request this volume from its CLIO record: Look for the "Request: Special Collections" link found by the item's location and call number on the right side of the page. This should lead you directly to your Special Collections Research Account to complete the request form.

For more information on how to access our collections, check out our Research & Access website. If you have any questions about how to find materials or how to access materials, please contact uarchives@columbia.edu.

Additional Archival Collections

• Holcomb E.M. Jones Photograph Album, 1936-1943

Jones (CC  1940) was active in Columbia Dramatic Group and Columbia University Players. He served as the Captain of the Varsity Show's Pony Ballet in 1940. This collection consists of one-29 x 39 cm-photo album with 125 leaves. Jones documented his days at Columbia College: photographs of his dorm rooms in Hartley Hall, the Columbia Boathouse and crew teams, Varsity Show rehearsals and behind-the-scenes action, a night at the Lion's Den, and football games both at Baker Field and away.

• C. Ogden Beresford papers, 1940-1990s

This collection consists of a section of "Blue Sea Lion," a set of essays written by C. Ogden Beresford in the 1990s. In the essays, Ogden discusses his undergraduate years at Columbia College, followed by Midshipmen's School and his service during World War II. "Oggie" participated in three Varsity Show productions, twice as a member of the Pony Ballet (1940, 1941) and once as a second lead (1942). Unfortunately, he tells us, there was no Varsity Show in 1943. The memoir also includes copies of show photographs.

• Columbia University Committee on Student Organizations Records, 1905-1919

This collection contains the records of the University Committee on Student Organizations of Columbia University from its early days in 1905 through 1919. The Committee on Student Organizations governed rules of eligibility regarding academic standing and eligibility for student organizations as well as number of absences allowed before becoming ineligible. It also monitored athletic activities, scheduling of events, etc. The collection includes the Committee's interactions with Varsity Show from 1906 to 1917.

Archival collections are non-circulating and can only be viewed in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library's reading room (RBML). In order to use the University Archives collections at the RBML, you will be required to register your own Special Collections Research Account before your visit and to validate the account in person with government-issued photo identification or Columbia ID card. Once you have created your Special Collections Research Account, you will be able to request materials directly from the finding aid: click the check box located on the right for the box(es) you need, and then scroll back to the top of the container list document and click “Submit Request” button in the red-rimmed box at top. This should lead you directly to your Special Collections Research Account to complete the request form.

For more information on how to access our collections, check out our Research & Access website. If you have any questions about how to find materials or how to access materials, please contact uarchives@columbia.edu.