Doug Dyer Papers

An Inventory of the Collection

Biographical Sketch

Douglas Dyer was born on November 19, 1942, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He later attended Louisiana State University and graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas in 1965.

While pursuing a Master's of Fine Arts in theatre from the University of Texas at Austin, Dyer entered the Austin theatrical scene with a controversial production called Now the Revolution in 1968. This coming-of-age play, which portrayed youth rebelling against authority and featured nudity, was banned on campus. Joseph Papp, New York producer, hosted the show in New York City under the title Stomp. The show was highly successful and eventually toured Europe.

Dyer returned to New York City and directed several rock musicals for Papp's Public Theatre in the early 1970s. In 1976 when he was back in Austin, Dyer performed “Esther’s Hard Core de Ballet,” an Esther Williams based water ballet skit, at Liberty Lunch with friends Michael Shelton and Shannon Sedwick. He had met Shelton and Sedwick in the late 1960s while involved in the Curtain Club, an informal theater group at the University of Texas. The Liberty Lunch Esther Williams based skit inspired a regular Friday night show that was a precursor to Esther’s Follies, which eventually would be performed out of Esther’s Pool. Esther's Follies still performs today with a rotating cast in downtown Austin.

Dyer wrote a play based upon Edward Swift's novel Splendora and in 1984, it was performed in Austin. The Safe Sex Players were founded by Dyer in 1985. At the same time, Dyer was instrumental in the revival efforts for the State Theatre on Congress Avenue. In the 1980s, Dyer directed several plays such as T-Shirts, Madwomen, and I Pass For Straight.

Douglas Dyer died in Austin on April 10, 1991, of complications from AIDS.

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Scope and Contents

The collection is arranged into eight series. The first series documents Doug Dyer’s correspondence, primarily between friends, family, and lovers, from 1972-1991. A small number of letters are sent to or received from professional contacts, including theater collaborators and grant foundations. Of note are letters sent to Dyer during his illness and remembrances sent to Dyer’s family in April 1991 following Dyer’s death. A majority of the communication is received correspondence from his parents, brother, and friends.

The Legal series is very small, containing only two documents from the New York Police Department from 1982-1983 and undated/unsigned stage production contracts.

The Printed Material series spans 1965-1990 and documents gay rights events, AIDS information, and theater reviews, invitations, and programs. Dyer’s MFA diploma from the University of Texas at Austin and his Bronco yearbook from Hardin-Simmons University are also included in this series. Several broadsides and posters primarily document Esther’s Follies productions. A large number of musical compositions comprise their own series, making up about .5 linear feet. These are dated 1987-1990, however are mostly undated works-in-progress likely attributed largely to Dyer, though some are titled and attributed to other persons.

The largest series is comprised of finished and unfinished scripts, dating from 1977-1990. Of note are the Now the Revolution/Stomp script, Dyer’s final production I Pass For Straight, and several skits and monologues written for Esther’s Follies productions. Various scripts collected are attributed to persons other than Dyer, including Doric Wilson, Sterling Price-McKinney, and Eryk Markham. Also of mention are Aqua Festival scripts, notes, and ideas. A small series is dedicated to Production Notes, including notes from 1990 on I Pass For Straight. The majority of the notes are undated and related to Esther’s Follies, Splendora, and Stomp.

The items in the Assorted Materials series date from 1964-1983 and include poems attributed to various people, including Dyer. Of note is a copy of the 1964-1965 The Autumn Corral, a poetry journal published by Hardin-Simmons University, which features two poems by Doug Dyer. Also included in this series is an account ledger for Esther’s Follies, a student paper about Dyer, and a drawing by local artist Mickey Joe Mayfield. A subseries on Michael Cain includes manuscripts, correspondence, and printed material. Michael Cain, a friend and collaborator of Dyer’s, was a composer with multiple degrees in music, including a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He was part of the Safe Sex Players with Dyer in the late 1980s. Of note in his materials are two thank you letters from playwright Robert Patrick regarding having received materials on Safe Sex Players productions as well as Patrick’s own collaboration on their projects.

The final series documents photographs taken from 1944-1990. The first subseries is theater-related photographs from the 1970s-1990, including professional images for publicity purposes as well as informal documentation of productions. Spendora, I Pass For Straight, Madwomen, and the Safe Sex Players are documented in these photographs. The personal subseries dates from 1944-1990 and includes a few photos from Dyer’s childhood, but most are snapshots of Dyer as an adult with friends, and may include theater personalities. Dyer is recognizable in many of the personal photos, but most do not have identifications. Some of the personal photos include male nudity. The negatives do not overlap much with the prints. In all, there are 133 prints, 148 slides, and 316 negatives.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open to all users

Use Restrictions

The Austin History Center (AHC) is the owner of the physical materials in the AHC collections and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the AHC before any publication use. The AHC does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

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Related Material

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Separated Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Doug Dyer Papers (AR.1991.006). Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, Texas.

Acquisition Information

Donor #: DO/1991/100

Donation Date: 9 May 1992

Processing Information

Collection was arranged by Tim Wilder in 1994. Finding aid created and encoded by Kelly Hanus in 2017.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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