This collection documents theaters, theater companies, and performances through programs and playbills, primarily in Boston and its surrounding areas, the greater New England region, and London, England. It also contains small amounts of materials from theaters in other parts of the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, the Netherlands, and Taiwan.

Programs make up the bulk of the collection. Other materials include scrapbooks, bound volumes of handbills, clippings and writings, photographs, ticket stubs, movie programs, correspondence, and postcards. The collection contains a limited amount of personal information about collectors, including notes about performances, clippings, and writings on theater. Some programs are souvenir programs that include pictures of the performances, and in some cases tickets, advertisements, and notices about actor substitutions are tucked in with theater booklets. Many programs have a year or location note on the cover, which may not be accurate. A few series hold playbills in fragile bound or disbound volumes. Clippings related to the theater season or specific performances may be included with the relevant theater. Materials in individual series that fall outside this scope are noted in series-level notes. A small number of items have been annotated, or signed by performers including Ethel Merman and writer H.D. (Dennis) Bradley.

In addition to documenting the theater scene, programs and playbills also feature advertisements for local businesses, national brands, and alcohol and cigarette companies. Program design features include fonts popular at the time, renderings of theaters, theater companies, and city landmarks. Some programs showcase tourist information about the relevant city, critical essays, and columns on prominent audience members and fashions for the theater-goer.

Theaters and companies strongly represented in the materials include: American Repertory Theatre (Cambridge, Mass.); Boston Lyric Opera (Boston, Mass.); Charles Playhouse (Boston, Mass.); Colonial Theatre (Boston, Mass.); Daly's Theatre (New York, N.Y.); Huntington Theatre Company (Boston, Mass.); Shubert Theatre (Boston, Mass.); Wang Center for the Performing Arts (Boston, Mass.); and Wilbur Theatre (Boston, Mass.).

Some playbills and bound volumes are in fragile condition and should be used carefully.