Alumni work with Theatre Royal on Heritage Lottery Fund project following its 150 year anniversary

MA Alumni are currently filming the digital archiving project, which will be screened in Nottingham next year.

Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Nottingham

Alumni from the MA Documentary Journalism course are working alongside Theatre Royal, University of Nottingham and East Midlands Oral History Archive to film a project which aims to research and archive the Theatre Royal's 150 year history. The project is part of the MA Documentary Production Hub, Borderless, established by Course Leader Lyn Champion in order to provide opportunities for students and alumni to work on live projects in the local community.

The two year project, made possible by Heritage Lottery Fund, constitutes a major programme of archive heritage work around the Theatre Royal itself and its central role in Nottingham across 150 years. The project aims to create a digital archive of the history of the theatre through research, oral history interviews and collaborations with other theatre archives such as Rambert’s archive in London. Interviews will be carried out with performers, staff and audiences over the years to get a true picture of the theatre’s impact on Nottingham culture.

During the exploration of the Theatre Royal’s heritage, free talks and heritage days will take place in Nottingham, enabling the public to learn more about the project and its research findings. This work will culminate in a brand new digital archive for the venue, created by Horizon Digital Economy Research based at the University of Nottingham.

Archive room at the Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Nottingham

Image courtesy of Lara Philipps

MA Documentary Journalism Alumni are currently filming throughout the process of the digital archiving project, and the resulting documentary they make will be screened in Nottingham next year. The film is being produced by alumna Lara Phillipps and filmed by alumni and students from the course. The documentary and digital archive will be transformed into an online public resource in the future.

The MA Documentary Production Hub, Borderless, has previously worked on pre-release material for the Ken Loach film ‘I, Daniel Blake’ as well as material for the Nottingham Civic Exchange. They are also looking to film the first ever Nottingham Puppet Festival, which will also be a collaboration with the Theatre Royal.

Find out more about the Theatre Royal Heritage Lottery Funded Project here: https://trch.co.uk/theatre-royal-nottingham-stories-people-heritage/