Hazelwitch Productions, Inc. Records, 1981-1998

Organization History

Hazelwitch Productions was established in 1981 by a group of women dedicated to bringing lesbian and feminist performers to the Houston community. The organization was incorporated in April 1983 and, over a fifteen year period, produced around forty events featuring musicians, comedians, and performance artists. In addition to performances, Hazelwitch presented films, workshops, and counseling sessions.

At any one time there were between three and five active members in the corporation, supported by a network of secondary members and volunteers. Key members were Cheryl Wolfarth (the organization's founder), Tori Williams, Pokey Anderson, Cindy Edwards, Katherine Hubbard, Kathy Wilcox, and Gail Eldridge. Remembering Hazelwitch, Kathy Wilcox stressed the cooperative nature of the corporation's management and pointed out that officers were chosen for legal reasons only; decisions were made by consensus in an atmosphere of mutual support and with a strong commitment to feminist ideals.

Although Hazelwitch did not publish a newsletter, events were promoted through the local gay/lesbian press. One notable publicity outlet was “The Wand,” the newsletter of the lesbian collective “Womynspace” which had been active since the mid 1980s and has produced the group “Lesbians Over the Age of Fifty,” or “L.O.A.F.” Pokey Anderson and Cheryl Wolfarth also publicized Hazelwitch on a KPFT radio show which aired until 1994.

Typical venues for productions were churches, restaurants, university auditoriums, and theaters, and Hazelwitch engaged the Houston Area Women's Center and local area bookstores, among others, as outlets for ticket sales. The corporation also enjoyed the sponsorship of organizations such as the University of Houston chapter of N.O.W. and the Montrose Counseling Center. In turn they donated proceedings to groups such as the Aids Foundation of Houston and KPFT Radio.

Despite frugal financial management the 1990s brought difficulties for the corporation due to a decline in ticket sales to Hazelwitch events. Patty Larkin's appearance at the Heinen Theatre in March 1996 was the corporation's last major production, and the process of dissolution was initiated that same year. As lesbian performers have begun to enjoy more mainstream success, their need for the kind of close-knit community support, which Hazelwitch provided, has apparently waned. Nevertheless, it is largely due to the groundbreaking efforts of organizations such as Hazelwitch that this on-going transition to the mainstream is possible.

Return to the Table of Contents

Scope and Contents

The collection contains financial, promotional, and managerial records of Hazelwitch Productions from the date of its receipt of Certificate of Operation in July 1981 to its final production in 1996. With the exception of some of the financial records, there was no consistent scheme of organization in the collection. Material is arranged in five series: Financial Records, Production Management, Promotional Material, Dissolution Materials and Miscellaneous. Financial records constitute two-thirds of the collection. Although there is no documentation of finances before the organization's incorporation in 1983, evidence of detailed accounting, and tax records from 1984-1996 provide insight into the day-to-day running of the corporation during these years.

There is very little correspondence in the collection, but dated notes and performance agreements document management of the corporation's productions from 1989-1996. The collection provides very little coverage of performances before 1989, beyond an inclusive collection of promotional material from 1982-1996.

The last two series in the collection, Miscellaneous and Dissolution Materials, were added to the collection separately during the summer of 1998, and were therefore processed separately. They contain financial materials and material pertaining to productions. The collection also contains two placards; both have been placed in the Miscellaneous sub-series. The larger placard has been stored separately from the Hazelwitch collection; it is stored with oversize materials from other collections.

Return to the Table of Contents

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open for research.

Use Restrictions

Special Collections owns the physical items in our collections, but copyright normally belongs to the creator of the materials or their heirs. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, locating copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form. For more information, consult the appropriate librarian.

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Hazelwitch Productions, Inc. Records, Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries.

Acquisition

Donation, 1997

Processed by

Stephanie Ashley, August 1997

Additional Processing by Scout Blum, July 1998

Return to the Table of Contents

Detailed Description

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents