The Orton Collection: records relating to Joe Orton, playwright (1933-1967)

This material is held atUniversity of Leicester Special Collections

  • Reference
    • GB 338 MS237
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1928 - 2009
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • English Dutch German Polish
  • Physical Description
    • 2 vols 15 files + 1149 items

Scope and Content

The Orton Collection comprises the literary and personal papers of Leicester born playwright John 'Joe' Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 - 9 August 1967). The collection includes correspondence, photographs, diary entries and newspaper cuttings relating to Orton's personal life, particularly: his family, education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), his 6 month imprisonment for stealing and defacing books from Islington Borough Library, and Orton's sexuality.

The literary papers of the collection trace Orton's career as firstly an (unsuccessful) novelist, and latterly an award winning playwright. Early drafts and unfinished works reveal Orton's creative writing process, whilst completed scripts with annotations by both Orton and theatre producers highlight the developmental process from script to stage. Theatre programmes, production photographs, scrapbooks and newspaper cuttings compliment staged productions of Orton's works, both contemporaneous and those staged posthumously. Correspondence between Orton and his agent Margaret 'Peggy' Ramsay, alongside correspondence with other literary contacts contextualise the theatre industry of the 1960s, whilst the 'Edna Welthorpe' letters and others penned under various pseudonyms depict Orton's sense of mischief. Within the Collection there also resides a small amount of material relating to Orton's partner Kenneth Halliwell, which has been assigned as a subfonds.

The Collection, purchased from the Orton Estate by the University of Leicester in 1997, is an amalgamation of original material and photocopies created by Orton and collated by his sister Leonie Barnett (nee Orton), his agent Margaret 'Peggy' Ramsay, biographer John Lahr and other unknown individuals. Additional material within the Collection includes that produced by Orton's associates, material created posthumously, and that identified as memorabilia. Contents therefore do not neccessarily reflect Orton's original order or records management, and consequentially have been disorganised throughout use and transfer of material prior to acquisition.

Administrative / Biographical History

John Kingsley (Joe) Orton (1933-1967), playwright.

Arrangement

The Orton Collection is arranged into the following sections:
- Personal Papers
- Creative writing process and unfinished works
- Completed scripts
- Theatre programmes and production posters
- Photographs
- Newspaper cuttings and press reviews
- Joe Orton's correspondence
- Third party correspondence relating to Joe Orton
- Joe Orton memorabilia

An additional subfonds has been added as section 10:
- Papers relating to Kenneth Halliwell

Access Information

Some material within Sections 7 and 8 may be unavailable for general access due to restrictions in line with the Data Protections Act 2018, please contact Special Collections for further information.

The Special Collections Reading Room is open Monday-Friday. Opening hours vary, for updates see our Archives Hub repository page.

Researchers are required to book an appointment before their visit, through specialcollections@le.ac.uk or 0116 252 2056.

Acquisition Information

Purchased from the Orton Estate in 1997.

Other Finding Aids

Full catalogue available via: University of Leicester Archive Catalogue

Archivist's Note

Collection originally catalogued by J. G. Clark in 1998 onto the University's library catalogue. In 2017 extensive catalogue enhancement work was undertaken, which included changes to the collection's arrangement and reference numbers. Website link to the new archive catalogue can be found in 'Other Finding Aids'.

Conditions Governing Use

The Orton Estate holds the copyright for a large proportion of the material, however a significant number of items within Section 5 (Photographs) are attributed to other holders, particularly production photographs and those taken for the press. While it has not been possible to identify all copyright holders, notable individuals include: Douglas Jeffery (V&A), Lewis Morley (Science Museum Group), Mirrorpix and other national newspapers.

Accruals

None expected.

Note: Any material donated to the University after 1997 and outside of the initial deposit has been directed into the collection 'Joe Orton Memorabilia' (reference: PR17)

Related Material

Joe Orton Memorabilia Collection (Reference PR17), held at University of Leicester.