Once you have established the necessary buy-in for the idea of an archival program at your theatre company, the practical work begins.
Only a fraction of all the records that your company generates in the process of producing theatre will ultimately find their way into the archives. All archives are records, but not all records are archives. Archives are non-current records deemed to be of permanent historical value. These records will no longer be needed in the course of day-to-day company activities but collectively will document your theatre’s history. Just as each theatre company is unique, its archives are equally distinctive. Current professional archival principles and standards have been developed over decades of archival practice, but each company will address and adhere to them in its own way.
The most basic archival principles are respect des fonds and original order. The principle of respect des fonds dictates that records of different origins (provenance) be kept separate to preserve their context. For example, if the correspondence of the artistic director is filed in her office before it is archived, the correspondence should not be interfiled with the correspondence of the company’s managing director once those records are transferred to the archives. The principle of original order dictates that the organization and sequence of records established by the creator of the records be maintained. For example, the documents in a stage manager’s calling script have a sequential purpose that should be preserved “as is” when placed in the archives. As you begin to survey your company’s records and decide which belong in your archives and how they are organized, these principles will help you preserve your company’s history—especially when the creators of the records are no longer around. When the provenance and/or original order cannot be determined, records should be organized in such a way that they are easily searchable (e.g., chronologically).
Before any archival records are placed in any box or any listings of material are made, you should engage an archivist to conduct an archival assessment. (A Preliminary Assessment is the second part of the ATAP Initiation Program; review Appendix A.) During this process, the archivist meets individually or in small groups with members of each theatre department to become more familiar with the history, activities, programs, practices, needs, and goals of the company and to further explore how the staff envisions a company archives being used. The company’s organizational chart is often a useful tool to guide this discussion.
The archivist will also do a general survey of what types of materials are currently kept and how they are housed (see Appendix B — Preliminary Assessment Guide). Issues regarding shelving space, staffing of the archives, and financial support for its maintenance may be discussed. The often thorny issue of how digital records (both born-digital and digitally reformatted) are stored should be addressed with all staff, especially those in the IT department.
Following the onsite preliminary assessment, the archivist will prepare a preliminary assessment report for your company that details the findings of the assessment and outlines a plan for moving forward (see Appendix C — Sample Preliminary Assessment Report). Included in the report are preliminary goals, including locating, preserving, and making accessible the significant historical records and developing record retention schedules and records management policies for archival and non-archival documents in order to better manage the materials from each season. If your theatre has an approaching anniversary or other event for which you would like to use your newly archived records, realistic deadlines and goals for the event will be discussed. The scalability of your archival program and any preservation issues will be addressed (e.g., what can be done in a week/month/year, what can be done in the future if a preservation grant is obtained, etc.). (If your theatre is participating in the ATAP Initiation Program, the dissemination of the report will be followed by an interactive Workshop, at which an ATAP archivist and documentarian will discuss recommendations with your staff, share basic archival principles and practices, and help you form an archives committee and determine prudent next steps.)
Once your company has consulted with an archivist, conducted a preliminary assessment, reviewed recommendations, and committed to establishing an archival program, your next steps could entail a comprehensive survey of current holdings. If your company is small, the initial records survey that is part of the preliminary assessment may suffice (the ATAP Initiation Program includes up to 8 archivist hours). However, if your company is large and/or old, a more comprehensive survey may be in order (and is required for certain preservation grants). During the survey process, the archivist works closely with your archives committee to review and make note of all existing records and their locations. These can include onsite records in offices, closets, attics, and basements, as well as offsite locations such as record storage facilities and the homes of current or former administrative, managerial, and artistic staff and board members. These records come in a range of formats, including paper, videotapes, audiotapes, photographs, textiles, and digital records. Examples of typical theatre company records are listed below:
Administrative
- human resource files
- licenses/permits
- credit card receipts
- banking records
- employee directories
- invoices
- petty cash vouchers
- safety records
- purchase orders
- equipment maintenance records and manuals
- grant awards
- staff meetings and reports
- press clipping files
- contracts
- artistic correspondence
- photo documentation
- video documentation
- building leases and/or purchases
- capital campaigns
- galas or fundraising events
- trademarks
- theatre architectural drawings and records
- house reports
- concessions reports
- correspondence
- marketing brochures/posters
Creative/Artistic
- script drafts
- final scripts
- scene/character breakdowns
- scores
- song lists
- unused song lists
- running song order
- orchestrations
- orchestration schedules
- cast breakdowns
- development notes
Design/Technical
- set design elevations, plans and notes (including research)
- lighting design plots, cues, and notes (including research)
- sound design cues and notes (including research)
- research on wardrobes/costumes
- dress size sheets (measurement sheets)
- costume specs/sources
- millinery/accessories breakdown
- costume studios bids (with agreements and sourcing)
- costume sketches
- fabric swatches for fabrics used and/or consulted
- photos of actors in costume (fittings photos)
- photo documentation of costumes
- notes on costumes/wardrobe
- costume bibles
- research on props and scenic elements
- sketches and photographs of props/scenic elements
- sources (purchase, loan)
- notes on props/location of props
Production
- production “bibles”
- contact sheets
- calendars
- rehearsal reports
- performance reports
- budgetary (petty cash, timecards, invoices)
- blocking script
- calling script
- fact sheets
- executed contracts and attendant correspondence with agents and unions
- correspondence—internal and external
- performance video recording documentation (if applicable)
The completed survey provides your staff with a clear picture of what records the company has, where the records are kept, and how many records there are. With this information, the appraisal and disposition process can begin.
PRELIMINARY ARCHIVAL ASSESSMENT
- Review the definition of archives: non-current records deemed to be of permanent historical value.
- Understand the archival principles of respect des fonds and original order.
- Consult an archivist to conduct a preliminary assessment of your theatre’s records.
- Review the archivist’s recommendations and establish an archives committee to take the reigns of next steps.
- If your company is large or old (i.e., has an enormous amount of records), engage an archivist to perform a comprehensive survey.