When Award-winning actress Glenn Close visited William & Mary in the fall, she stopped by Swem Library to meet and talk with W&M film & media studies students. While there she took a moment to reflect on her years as a W&M student, perusing her class notebooks, letters and other items from her personal papers housed in Swem’s Special Collections Research Center.
During her undergraduate years at William & Mary, Close ’74 became an integral part of the campus community, and those ties have remained strong throughout her career. An exhibit at Swem Library explores her time at the college and the lasting connections she formed here.
The exhibit, “Close Connections: Glenn Close’s ties to the William & Mary community,” features notebooks, letters from fellow William & Mary production cast members, and other items. These items reveal a serious and talented student, who was an intricate part of the campus theatre community. Posters, programs and photographs from productions she performed in while at the university, including “The Common Glory,” “The Seagull” and “Anything Goes,” shed light on her budding theater career.
The exhibit also chronicles Close’s post-graduation connection to the college through letters to and from William & Mary professors, photographs of campus visits and coverage of her 1989 commencement address. Close maintained correspondence with theater professor Howard Scammon, who offered guidance, caught her up on Williamsburg happenings and even analyzed her movies, television shows and plays.
The exhibit will be on display in the Swem Library’s Marshall Gallery (first floor) through March 2. For more information on the library, visit www.swem.wm.edu.
During her visit in the fall, Glenn Close views one of her class notebooks which are housed in Swem Library’s Special Collections Research Center.