NEWS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               DATE: 8/24/07 CONTACT : LESLIE SCHALER, COMMUNICATION ASST., (413) 545-0162   UMASS AMHERST LIBRARY HOSTS EXHIBIT “Staged: Scenes from the James Ellis Theatre Collection”   Amherst, MA – The UMass Amherst Libraries hosts “Staged: Scenes from the James Ellis Theatre Collection,” from September 5, 2007 through December 31, 2007 on the Lower Level of Du Bois Library.  The exhibit will include materials from the collection of retired Mount Holyoke College English Professor, James Ellis. Throughout his career, Professor Ellis collected books, broadsides, posters, and letters pertaining to the English and American stage from 1750 to 1915.   Recently, Ellis donated his large and important research collection to the UMass Amherst Libraries Special Collections and University Archives Department, adding over 7,500 items to the Department's already rich holdings for the performing arts.  To celebrate the collection's arrival, the Library will host "Staged: Scenes from the James Ellis Theatre Collection," an exhibit featuring examples of the collection’s highlights, including books depicting the lives and work of Gilbert & Sullivan, the stage and its actors, amateur theatrical productions and private clubs. For more information contact Danielle Kovacs at 545-2784 or dkovacs@library.umass.edu.