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Finding Aid for the Marta Becket Papers, ca. 1969-
1399
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Title: Marta Becket Papers
Date (inclusive): ca. 1969-
Collection number: 1399
Creator: Becket, Marta.
Extent: 5 boxes (2.5 linear ft.)1 oversize box.
Abstract: The collection consists of materials related to the development and growth of the Amargosa Opera House as a performance venue
by Marta Becket and Tom Williams and the productions created by Marta Becket since the theatre's opening in 1968.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library.
Department of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department
of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, Department
of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library,
Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of
the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC
Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Marta Becket, 2003.
[Identification of item], Marta Becket papers (Collection Number 1399). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library, UCLA.
Marta Becket was born in New York City in 1924 and raised there until she was six. She moved with her mother to Harrisburg,
Penn. and later to Philadelphia where she studied piano and art. At the age of 12, after her parents divorce, she returned
with her mother to New York where she studied interpretive dance with Ingaborg Tarrup and ballet with Mme. Dorothy Duval.
During the Depression, she dropped out of high school to begin a full-time dance career. She danced in nightclubs, army and
navy hospitals and theater restaurants, became a member of the corps de ballet at Radio City Music Hall and then performed
in the 1946 revival of
Showboat. Becket also modeled for fashion magazines and did freelance art work. She then won a role in
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and performed at the Alvin Theatre during its year long run which ended in 1951. Her next musical role was in
Wonderful Town with Rosalind Russell which opened at the Wintergarden Theatre in 1953 for another year long run. Becket continued with her
art work and illustrated
Stories of the Great Ballets, by George Balanchine (Doubleday & Co., 1954) and
Star Performance, by Walter Terry (Doubleday & Co., 1954). She developed a repertoire for solo concerts and began touring in 1955. During
this time she met Tom Williams who became her husband and manager. While traveling through Death Valley in 1967, Becket and
Williams came across the Amargosa Hotel, which they had first seen in 1964. On this visit, Marta Becket discovered Corkhill
Hall, an abandoned community center and theatre built by the Pacific Borax Company. She saw the theater as a place to fulfill
her creativity and love of performing. In August 1967, Becket and Williams took over Corkhill Hall which Becket renamed the
Amargosa Opera House. While they renovated the theatre and hotel together, Becket created pantomime dance productions which
first opened to the public in February 1968. She then painted the walls and ceiling of the theatre with elaborate murals of
costumed spectators for her performances and added more murals to the Amargosa Hotel. Through the efforts of Becket and Williams,
the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel were named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. Marta Becket continues
to create new productions and perform for audiences in Death Valley Junction.
The collection consists of materials related to the development and growth of the Amargosa Opera House as a performance venue
by Marta Becket and Tom Williams and the productions created by Marta Becket since the theatre's opening in 1968.
Arranged in the following series:
- Amargosa Opera House publications and printed items
- A documentary directed by Marta Becket
- Videotapes of performances by Marta Becket
- Scrapbooks of articles regarding the Amargosa Opera House compiled by Marta Becket
- Published articles about Marta Becket.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Becket, Marta-- Archives.
Women theatrical producers and directors--California--Archives.
Amargosa Opera House (Death Valley Junction, Calif.)