The Campbell Howard Collection of Australian Plays

Abstract

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Mr. A.C.M. Howard, the Deputy Director of the University of New England Department then styled 'Adult Education', made a collection of potential research material, some 229 plays which had been written in the period 1920 to 1955. This collection is housed in the Dixson Library of the University. While the plays were generally performed but not published in an accepted format, they remained largely unknown. As he explained in the 'Preface' to the original catalogue, - 'Australian Plays in Manuscript: a check list of the Campbell Howard collection held in the University of New England Library', edited by S.M. Apted and published in 1968, by the University of New England Library, - A.C.M. Howard was concerned to collect "for historians of Australian drama and literature, some of the basic data", explaining that "'An Australian play', for my purpose, meant a play written by someone who by birth or residence was an Australian" (op cit, p. 4). The standard set for inclusion in the collection was that they had been performed by a reputable company and reviewed by a responsible critic, or by an unnamed critic in a reputable journal - in some cases reference being given to a particular review on the copy of the play. Many of the plays were prizewinners in various competitions.