Blog
THEATRE TREASURES: NATIONAL THEATRE ARCHIVE UNBOXED
Posted: Tuesday, February 19th, 2019
In our February blog, Erin Lee, Head of Archive, National Theatre, explains how a new exhibition being staged at the London theatre, is celebrating the 25th birthday of its archive and responses to the treasures held within. In 2019, the National Theatre Archive turns 25. Established in 1994, the Archive aims to document, preserve and […]
Exploring the Value of Programme Collections at the Britten-Pears Foundation
Posted: Thursday, January 17th, 2019
Our first blog for 2019 is inspired by the recent discussions around programme collections on the APAC jiscmail list (www.jiscmail.ac.uk/apac). Dr. Christopher Hilton, Head of Archive and Library, at the Britten-Pears Foundation, explains how programmes, either individually or as a collection, can inform research in a variety of ways. The Britten-Pears Foundation is based at […]
Mikron Theatre Company Archive
Posted: Wednesday, December 19th, 2018
For our December blog we consider theatre with a difference and learn how the archives of a small professional performance company can offer wide ranging research potential, not only in relation to the operational history of the company itself but also in the social history themes and issues that have been the subject of the […]
The Contribution of the Popular Entertainment Sector to the First World War
Posted: Tuesday, November 20th, 2018
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, the National Fairground and Circus Archive, at the University of Sheffield, have mounted an exhibition on the role of popular entertainment during the Great War. Arantza Barrutia, Collections Manager, tells us more in this month’s blog… In 1914 escalating political tensions and power […]
The ‘Creative People’ Project: Enhancing the Research Potential of Theatre Collections
Posted: Thursday, October 18th, 2018
This month Jim Ranahan, Archivist at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT), explains how a joint project between the SBT and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), will facilitate access to the professional and personal archives of three significant figures in the 20th century theatre industry. As reported in APAC Newsletter Number 8 (Summer 2018), the newly […]
The Druid Theatre Digital Performance Archive: new interventions in performance studies in Irish Theatre.
Posted: Thursday, September 20th, 2018
Dr. Barry Houlihan, archivist at the National University of Ireland, Galway, discusses the digitisation of the Druid Theatre Performance Archive and how digital technologies may influence contemporary performance practices. The Druid Theatre Digital Performance Archive is now available at the Hardiman Library, NUI Galway. The collection comprises the digitised recordings made by Druid Theatre […]
Teamwork at the Kings Theatre Archives
Posted: Thursday, August 16th, 2018
This month we put volunteers in the spotlight as Christopher Grant, volunteer archivist, explains how the dedication and achievements of the Kings Theatre archive team were recognised in the recent ‘Portsmouth Inspiring Volunteer Awards, 2018’. Back in 2010 many unsorted boxes of paperwork concerning the Kings Theatre in Southsea were moved from a small room […]
Rambert Performance Database
Posted: Wednesday, July 18th, 2018
This month we hear from Chris Jones, the Rambert Archive’s project manager, who shares with us an overview of the dance company’s new online database recording 92 years of performance history. Launched on 15 June 2018, the Rambert Performance Database provides access to nine decades of performance history, drawing together a wealth of information about […]
Shakespeare Uncut: Talking to Strangers
Posted: Monday, June 18th, 2018
This month we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Refugee Week with a blog from Rossella Black – Librarian at Shakespeare’s Globe – who explains how Shakespeare’s ‘Strangers’ Speech’, from The Book of Sir Thomas More, is as relevant today as it was in the Elizabethan era. ‘..the right to travel, is not a privilege […]
200 Years of The Old Vic in London
Posted: Monday, May 21st, 2018
May 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of The Old Vic in London. The National Theatre and University of Bristol Theatre Collection are both marking this anniversary with exhibitions. Erin Lee – Head of Archives at the National Theatre, and Jill Sullivan – Archives Assistant at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection tell us more. The […]