Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Black-Eyed Susan.
2. Clemente, Alba.
3. Curtis, Jackie, 1947-1985.
4. Du Plenty, Tomata.
5. Eichelberger, Ethyl, 1945-1990.
6. Hujar, Peter, 1934-1987.
7. Indiana, Gary.
8. Ludlam, Charles.
9. Machado, Agosto.
10. Mahlsdorf, Charlotte von, 1928-2002.
11. Mueller, Cookie.
12. Ricard, Rene, 1946-2014.
13. Vehr, Bill.
14. Vreeland, Diana.
15. Angels of Light (Theatrical troupe)
16. Cockettes (Theatrical troupe)
17. Ridiculous Theatrical Company.

Description

1. 8.34 linear feet (8 boxes)

Summary

1. The John Edward Heys papers primarily include materials related to the people and personalities whom Heys knew and performances either attended by Heys or in which he appeared.

Subject

1. Heys, John Edward, 1948-
2. Mueller, Cookie
3. Black-Eyed Susan > Correspondence
4. Curtis, Jackie, 1947-1985 > Correspondence
5. Ludlam, Charles > Correspondence
6. Machado, Agosto > Correspondence
7. Vehr, Bill > Correspondence
8. Ridiculous Theatrical Company
9. Experimental theater > New York (State) > New York
10. Gay actors
11. Gay theater.
12. Female impersonators > United States
13. Monodramas
14. Drag shows.
15. Performance art > New York (State) > New York
16. Cross-dressers > New York (State) > New York

Genre/Form

1. Clippings.
2. Correspondence.
3. Obituaries.
4. Memorial cards.
5. Photographs.
6. Posters.
7. Scripts (documents)

Call number

1. *T-Mss 1998-045

Access (note)

1. Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Source (note)

1. Heys, John Edward

Location of other archival materials (note)

1. Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.

Biography (note)

1. Actor/performer John Edward Heys (born 1948) appeared with numerous performance groups, including the Angels of Light and Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company, but also became known for one-man shows, including his portrayal of Diana Vreeland.

Indexes/finding aids (note)

1. Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Author

1. Heys, John Edward, 1948-

Title

1. John Edward Heys papers, circa 1962-2001 (bulk 1969-2000)

Restricted access

1. Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Biography

1. Actor/performer John Edward Heys (born 1948) appeared with numerous performance groups, including the Angels of Light and Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company, but also became known for one-man shows, including his portrayal of Diana Vreeland. Heys, who was born in New Jersey, moved to New York City in 1967 and became a part of that city's downtown art and performance scene. He began his career as an usher, then stage manager and designer for the performance artist, Ethyl Eichelberger. During the 1970s, he was a member of the New York-based drag troupe, Angels of Light, an offshoot of the San Francisco group, the Cockettes. In addition to appearances in New York, in such productions as the Palm Casino Revues, Heys also worked with both groups in San Francisco (though he never was a member of the Cockettes). A onetime lover of Charles Ludlam, Heys acted in several of his Ridiculous Theatrical Company productions during the 1980s. He starred as Moderna 83 in Le Bourgeois Avant-Garde (1982), Aristotle Plato Socrates Odysseus in Galas (1983), and as Schahabarim in Salammbo (1985). In addition to his work with Ludlam, Heys also collaborated on experimental theatre productions with many other notable artists during this period, including Jackie Curtis, Gary Indiana, Cookie Mueller, Tomata du Plenty, and Bill Vehr. He also was a favorite model of photographers, including Peter Hujar. Heys created several one-man shows, beginning with an autobiographical monologue, The Childhood Show. In 1982, he presented La Mamounia (Crime Doesn't Pay Interest), an autobiographical show written and performed at the Open Gate Theatre at Bellevue Hospital. In 1983, he performed La Mamounia in Berlin, where he would later settle. His acclaimed portrayal of Diana Vreeland was first performed in New York at La MaMa E.T.C. in the early 1990s and at several other venues in subsequent years. By the late 1990s, Heys was working more often as a director than a performer. In 1997, he directed socialite Alba Clemente in a New York stage production of Jean Cocteau's A Human Voice, with a new translation by Rene Ricard, as well as a short documentary film, co-created with Matthias Küntzel, concerning Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Location of other archival materials

1. See also John Edward Heys papers in the Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.

Indexes

1. Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Connect to:

1. Request Access to Theatre Division Special Collections material
2. Finding Aid

Occupation

1. Female impersonators.
2. Performance artists.

Added author

1. Black-Eyed Susan.
2. Clemente, Alba.
3. Curtis, Jackie, 1947-1985.
4. Du Plenty, Tomata.
5. Eichelberger, Ethyl, 1945-1990.
6. Hujar, Peter, 1934-1987.
7. Indiana, Gary.
8. Ludlam, Charles.
9. Machado, Agosto.
10. Mahlsdorf, Charlotte von, 1928-2002.
11. Mueller, Cookie.
12. Ricard, Rene, 1946-2014.
13. Vehr, Bill.
14. Vreeland, Diana.
15. Angels of Light (Theatrical troupe)
16. Cockettes (Theatrical troupe)
17. Ridiculous Theatrical Company.
18. pt Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498 WPRC/HK

Research call number

1. *T-Mss 1998-045