The Prairie Repertory Theatre Records document theatrical production and performance activity associated with South Dakota State University and related campus and regional organizations from 1931 through 2018. Materials consist primarily of programs, playbills, posters, season calendars, season ticket brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, correspondence, recruitment and promotional publications, and photographs. The bulk of the collection reflects the work of Prairie Repertory Theatre and State University Theatre, including annual seasons, summer outreach activities, and touring or festival participation. Also represented are earlier student and campus theatre activities such as the Footlight Club, Yellow and Blue Revue, Experimental Theatre, Theatre in the Round, and Film and Cafe Society, as well as related academic and promotional materials from the Department of Communication Studies and Theatre and campus media outlets. Together, the materials provide chronological and programmatic documentation of theatrical programming, performance offerings, and audience engagement at South Dakota State University.

This collection provides a record of theatrical life at South Dakota State University across much of the twentieth and early twenty first centuries. It documents the development of university theatre programs, the establishment and growth of Prairie Repertory Theatre, and the role of performance arts in student life, academic instruction, community outreach, and regional cultural activity. The materials support research on campus cultural history, theatre production practices, performance repertory, and public engagement with the performing arts in South Dakota.