Benjamin B. Janney collection

Benjamin B. Janney was born in Muncie on February 12, 1927 to Harry Lester Janney and Helen Bowman Janney. He was active in the Muncie Civic Theater, performing in several productions. He served in the U.S. Navy and attended Ball State University. He graduated magna cum laude from the Pasadena Playhouse in 1950. He served for more than 30 years as Director or Production Stage Manager for numerous Broadway Theatre productions including "Irma La Douce," "Photo Finish," "Ben Franklin in Paris," "Not Now Darling," "The Pirates of Penzance," and "Dracula." He also served as Production Manager or Director for numerous regional theatre productions, especially with the Corning Summer Theatre which was established in the Corning Glass Center of Corning, New York. He worked with several famous actors including Joan Fontaine, Peter Ustinov, Andy Griffith, Lawrence Olivier, and Claudette Colbert. He died February 12, 2008, on his 81st birthday, in Sharon, Connecticut where he had lived for 15 years following his retirement.