Broadway lighting designer and CMU Drama alum, Jules Fisher, with his former faculty member and mentor, Professor William "Bill" Nelson., c. mid-1980s

The Donald Marinelli Collection contains material related to Don Marinelli’s time as a Carnegie Mellon professor of drama and Associate Head of the Drama Department (1979-2000). The collection includes information on Carnegie Mellon’s collaboration with the Moscow Theatre School, CMU drama courses, alumni, and Marinelli’s professional commitments to drama-related associations and publications.

The material within this collection is divided into five series:

Personal Files (1985-1997): This series is comprised of a small amount material that is rather personal in nature, including biographical information and personal correspondence. The files also include thank-you letters from friends and various Carnegie Mellon Drama alumni, letters of recommendation from peers, as well as congratulatory greeting cards. The material is arranged alphabetically.

Work Related Files (1983-1998): The Work Related Files series contains materials related to various CMU Drama alumni, conferences, trips, and departmental materials, most of which come from Marinelli’s time as Associate Head of the Drama Department. Items of interest include the files on the Kiev State Institute of Theatrical Art, and the Moscow Art Theater, both of which contain materials from the CMU faculty and student trips to Russia and the establishment of the collaborative drama program between CMU and the Moscow Art Theater which Marinelli helped establish (photographs of these trips can be found in the Photographs series). The material is arranged alphabetically by subject. This series also includes a subseries labeled, “Course Materials”, which consists of syllabi, reading lists, and assignments that were used for various drama classes that were taught at Carnegie Mellon as part of the drama program.

Writings and Related Materials (1993-1996): This series consists of material related to the two books Marinelli edited during his career: “Arthur Giron’s Edith Stein: A Dramaturgical Sourcebook” (1994) and “Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts: A Dramaturgical Sourcebook” (1997). Additionally, the series includes a file on Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture”. The materials are arranged alphabetically.

Photographs (1979-1999): This series contains photographs featuring Donald Marinelli and various Carnegie Mellon drama staff, students, and alumni during the years 1979-1999. There are a substantial amount of photographs relating to the Moscow, Russia trip which concluded with the collaborative drama program that Marinelli is credited with establishing. There are also many photos of Marinelli and other drama staff at Drama Alumni Clan meetings that were held in Los Angeles and New York City. Additionally, there are autographed photos of famous Carnegie Mellon drama alumni and actors that Marinelli had formed close relationships with. The photos are a mix of black and white and color prints and are arranged chronologically with undated materials located at the end of the series.

Memorabilia (1983-2000): The Memorabilia series contains gifts and certificates given to Marinelli throughout the years of his professional career (1983-2000). Also included are a small amount of ephemeral materials such as programs and flyers, including an advertisement for a Carnegie Mellon event related to Marnielli’s doctoral thesis on Futurism.

2022-11-14: This finding aid was revised during a reparative language review in the Fall of 2022. A copy of the legacy finding aid can be accessed by emailing archives@cmu.edu. See revision statement for more information.