Recorded Memory

Introduction

The range of evidence documenting the creation, production and management of theatrical activity is endless. For those aiming to uncover the archival trail, the "theatre archive" or repository specializing in the collection of theatre records, brings into sharp focus the processes of artistic creation and direction and the administrative processes involved in managing the productions of companies, festivals, and associations. In this way, the array of documentation that winds up in a theatre archive is a testament to the numerous efforts of the many individuals who play parts in the theatre world.

From photographs and programs to play scripts, annotated prompt books, casting schedules, sketches of costumes and set designs, reviews, oral interviews with actors and writers, the entire record from creation to production may be housed in an archival theatre collection. Likewise, through correspondence between companies and funding bodies, or contracts with actors and designers, for instance, the accountability, corporate memory, and evidence of a company is visible through the proper preservation and control of administrative records. This section exhibits a sampling of the types of records found within the Dalhousie University Archives as well as records generously donated to us from the files of organizations and individuals for the purpose of this project.

Listed below are some theatre collections accessible to researchers at the Dalhousie University Archives and online via finding aids (inventories), accessible through the following links.

Organizational Collections

Dartmouth Players
Dramatists Co-op of Nova Scotia
Gargoyle Puppet Theatre
Jest in Time Theatre
Neptune Theatre
Nova Scotia Drama League
Pier One Theatre
Theatre 1707
Theatre Arts Guild
Two Planks and a Passion Theatre
Upstart Theatre

Individual Collections