Theatre and Performing Arts Archive, Linen Hall Library

Name:	Theatre and Performing Arts Archive
Enquiries:	Ophelia Byrne, Curator.
Address:	17 Donegall Square North, Belfast BT1 5GB, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
Telephone:	0044 (0) 28 90 321707
Fax:	0044 (0) 28 90 438586
Email:	o.byrne@linenhall.com
Website:	www.linenhall.com

Background.

The Theatre and Performing Arts Archive was formally instituted as a working archive five years ago. Prior to this date, arts donations were periodically made on an ad hoc basis to the Linen Hall Library, which is a private subscription library founded in 1788. Since the appointment of a designated staff member to the Archive, donations have been sought on a pro-active basis, much of the extant archival backlog organized and outreach programmes devised to establish the Archive as an active participant in the life of Northern Ireland's performing arts and wider communities. These have included publications, talks, lectures, festivals, performances and exhibitions. The Archive sees itself as both an information point as well as an archival repository, and holds information on current as well as past arts activities. It is currently supported by The Audience Development Programme of the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Development.

Priorities for the next three years include the establishment of a comprehensive website and an oral archive programme.

Nature and scope of holdings.

The Archive focus is primarily on Ulster-related material, largely from the twentieth century. It comprises several thousand items, including original programmes, handbills, posters, photographs, letters, news cuttings and unpublished play scripts. The bulk of the material is theatrical, though the fields of music, opera and dance are also represented. Companies which feature in the Archive include: Belfast Arts Theatre; Belfast Festival at Queen's; Belfast Repertory Theatre (Empire Players); Big Telly; Charabanc; Circle Theatre; DubbelJoint; Field Day; Grand Opera House, Belfast; Kabosh; Little Theatre, Belfast; Lyric Players Theatre; Northern Drama League; Opera Northern Ireland; The Playhouse, Belfast; Prime Cut (Mad Cow) Productions; Replay; Tinderbox; Ulster Group Theatre; Ulster Literary Theatre; Ulster Youth Theatre.

Strengths.

The Archive has received through donation the entire holdings of certain companies, including Charabanc, Ulster Youth Theatre, Opera Northern Ireland and the Lyric Players Theatre (1968-present). The strongest individual holding is the Rutherford Mayne Collection, which comprises much valuable material on the Ulster Literary Theatre. There are good on-going holdings for many of the contemporary Ulster-based companies. The Archive is the principal repository of known extant records on the Ulster Group Theatre and Belfast Arts Theatre for the 1940s-60s period. For many other companies listed above, programme holdings particularly are good or reasonable. The script collection has steadily increased in the last five years to include the work of many writers based in or writing about Ulster. There are very detailed press cuttings scrapbooks for Field Day Theatre Company, encompassing the first seven years of that company. Increasingly, donations are also being made by community theatre companies.

Using the archive.

The Linen Hall Library is located in Belfast city centre. Researchers are welcome by prior appointment. All archive materials are reference only, and must be consulted on the premises. Published plays are not held by the archive, but are located in the Irish and Reference department of the Library and may be borrowed by members of the Library. Photocopying for a fee is possible in the building, subject to copyright restrictions, though for conservation reasons photocopying of rare or fragile materials may not be permitted. The Archive can accept brief reference questions by email/fax/mail from researchers, though not if the query requires in-depth research. Photocopies can be made and forwarded at the researcher's expense, provided there are no copyright or other restrictions. Permission to reproduce materials must be requested in writing, and appropriate copyright clearance must be obtained by the user when necessary.

Catalogues.

Itemised hand lists have been prepared, and will be transferred to the Library website over the next two years. The Archive has been developing full production lists for many companies, and again as completed it is envisaged that these will be transferred to the website.

Archive Exhibitions and Publications.

The Stage in Ulster from the Eighteenth Century; State of Play? The Theatre and Cultural Identity in 20th Century Ulster.