Playwright Neil Simon’s papers go to Library of Congress

By MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of notebooks, scripts, speeches, drafts of letters, artwork and even signed baseballs owned by the late playwright Neil Simon have been donated to the Library of Congress. The collection offers historians and researchers access to the creative process of American theater’s most successful and prolific playwright. The collection includes about 7,700 items documenting the evolution of his scripts and screenplays, including “Barefoot in the Park,” “The Sunshine Boys,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “Lost in Yonkers.” The donation will be officially announced at a special event with actors Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker and Elaine Joyce, Simon’s widow on Monday.