Stored, yes; shelved, no

Famous people who donate their papers to university libraries are usually older than 43, 44 or 45. But those are the ages of the members of Culture Clash, the comedy trio that just donated two decades of memorabilia to Cal State Northridge.

No, they’re not retiring. “We’re not ready to put it into mothballs yet,” said Culture Clash member Richard Montoya. The group is still “living theater,” he said, and he hopes the archives at Northridge will be a growing resource, with frequent contributions from the group.

“That’s the exciting part,” he said. “A lot of it is going to be a work in progress.”

His Culture Clash colleague Ric Salinas said the archive will include drafts of plays and sketches, drawings, photos, radio interviews and video recordings of some of the subjects Culture Clash has interviewed over the years for its shows about specific communities, such as “Radio Mambo” and “Chavez Ravine.” Also available will be angry letters not only from outraged theatergoers but also from Culture Clash members themselves, Salinas and Montoya said. The late Jose Antonio Burciaga, a member of the group in the ‘80s, “was infamous for his letters threatening to quit the group,” Montoya said.

Not all of the letters are hostile. Comic George Carlin penned an appreciative note after he saw Culture Clash’s early show “The Mission.” The note “might fetch $25 at the El Monte swap meet, but we think it’s priceless,” Montoya said.

The collection also will include such artifacts as the pantyhose that the third current Culture Clasher, Herbert Siguenza, wore when he mimicked Prince. “We’re not the Royal Shakespeare Company,” Montoya said.

Culture Clash first received an archival overture from UC Santa Barbara. But the trio has worked with Chicano studies professor Rodolfo Acuna at Cal State Northridge, and they liked the more urban setting and their own proximity to Northridge. “We hope anyone can walk off the street and have access to it,” Montoya said.

Most of the material has been taking up space in their homes, and they also rent a storage unit for costumes. But they feel it’s in better hands at Northridge. “It gets about 105 degrees in my garage,” Salinas said. “I have a closet I can’t put clothes into” because it’s stuffed with memorabilia, he added. “I think my wife will be happy. She’s a spring cleaner every three months.”