Lynn Nottage is among the most important and prolific playwrights of the turn of the 21st century, and her work has been especially well-represented both on and off-Broadway this season. While Nottage’s papers are not yet preserved in a publicly accessible archive, the Theatre Division at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts documents her work in our Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, our clippings and programs files, and in the papers of her collaborators. Nottage’s recent opera adaptation of her own play, Intimate Apparel, is particularly well-documented.

Clippings and Programs

Our clippings and programs files are among the most popular materials in the Library. In the nearly two decades since the original production of Intimate Apparel opened at the Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theatre, the show has become an essential part of the American repertory. The file on Intimate Apparel is therefore rich with programs from and reviews of productions around the world.

Derek McLane’s designs for the original off-Broadway production

One might think that the translation of a small, spoken, off-Broadway play into an opera would require a grander scenic design, but, in fact, Michael Yeargan’s set for the opera at the Mitzi Newhouse is minimal compared to Derek McLane’s design for the 2004 production at Roundabout’s Laura Pels. Yeargan designed a simple turntable, onto which small set pieces are pushed, and a wooden back wall to accommodate rear projections. As depicted in these technical drawings, McLane’s design featured a multi-layered proscenium set with a bed that rose from beneath the stage.

Lynn Nottage discusses the transition to opera

In February 2019, Lynn Nottage appeared on the stage of our own Bruno Walter Auditorium and discussed her work, including the process of adapting Intimate Apparel into an opera. The discussion of the original play begins at about 25 minutes into the recording and the discussion of the opera at 40 minutes.