The Records of the Department of Theatre Arts consist of eleven series: Scrapbooks, Playwrights Workshop Scripts, Index Card Files, Program-Picture Files, Theatre Building, Administrative, Play Programs, Audiovisual Materials, Student Organizations, Iowa Shakespeare Festival, and Iowa Community Theatre Association.

Series I: Scrapbooks. Arranged chronologically by year. Includes newspaper clippings, playbills, and programs. Each entry in the inventory represents one volume. Housed in oversized flat boxes. 42.0 ft.

Series II: Playwrights Workshop Scripts. Arranged alphabetically by name of author. Consists of three accruals received at the archives on separate occasions; authors may be represented in one or more of these accruals. 67.5 ft.

Series III: Index Card Files. The series consists of 11 sub-series. 9.0 ft. Productions by Author; Experimental Theatre Productions by Author; Masters Theses by Author; Masters Theses by Topic; Doctoral Candidates by Author; Dissertations by Topic; Productions by Director; Productions by Designer; Productions by Title (1920-2000); Productions by Date (1920-2000); Talent by Name (1930-1980)

Series IV: Program-Picture Files. A majority of student productions from about 1921 to 2000 are represented, arranged alphabetically by name of production, including Summer Repertory Theatre. Files include programs, playbills, photographs of sets and actors, and other information pertaining to the specific production. 37.5 ft.

Series V: Theatre Building. Pertains to the development and management of the Theatre Building, constructed in 1936. 7.5 ft.

Series VI: Administrative. Includes Federal Theatre Project, faculty and staff minutes, correspondence. 9.0 ft.

Series VII: Play Programs. Arranged chronologically by year. Files include Mainstage publication, Iowa Shakespeare Festival, Iowa New Play Festival, Iowa Playwrights Festival, and Summer Repertory Theatre. 3.0 ft.

Series VIII: Audiovisual Materials. 9.0 ft.

Series IX: Student Organizations. Includes Purple Mask, University Players, University Theatre Student Board of Governors, Out-of-Door Players, and National Collegiate Players Pi Epsilon Delta. 2.0 ft.

Series X: Iowa Shakespeare Festival. 1.0 ft.

Series XI: Iowa Community Theatre Association. Documents collaborative productions between the University and community-based companies. 0.25 ft.