sustained theatre

Baroness Young of Hornsey provides Sustained Theatre with an introduction to the delivery of the national priority. Further information on Archives can be accessed below this article.

”The hidden histories of people from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean are just beginning to be revealed. Preserving the material that will enable more people to disseminate information about the complex, multifaceted past of this country and the place of these artists in it is vital.

Thanks to the efforts of historians, writers, practitioners and researchers, at least a few people will be aware of the theatrical achievements of Ira Aldridge, the 19th century African American Shakespearean actor who performed extensively on the London stage. The names of other artists from that period and earlier have yet to become known to a wider public. Even the record of the more recent history of the presence of African, Caribbean, Asian and Eastern Asian artists in the arts and cultural life of the Britain has not been secured.

There is now no excuse for not being aware that the history and the presence of people of African, Asian, Caribbean and East Asian descent in Britain stretches back over several centuries. In spite of that long, complex and intertwined set of histories – many of which involve arts and cultural exchange and appropriation – there is little that has been profiled on how these artists, their work and stories have impacted on and changed the nature of the arts in England today.

From 1948 onwards, Britain has attempted to come to terms with its changing demography in a variety of ways. In the 30 years since Naseem Khan’s report on ‘The Arts Britain Ignores’ was published where the artistic landscape has changed it has been largely due to the magnitude of human effort made by arts practitioners of African, Asian, Caribbean and East Asian descent.

The need for personal and community stories to be told, and histories to be shared, was summed up in the Whose Theatre….? Report (2006)”.

Archives Menu

Online Archive Toolkit
An essential guide to any person working within academia and the Sector wanting to learn how to develop an archive for theatre and performance.

The aim of Sustained Theatres Online Archive Toolkit is to provide the Sector with an accessible series of documents, writing, information on resources and a range of support materials and images that provide a detailed account of the differing issues and items that are associated with developing archives.

With a comprehensive series of Sector case studies, further information and links associated with archiving can be found at Sustained Theatres Online Archive Toolkit.

Speaking Truth To Power'
A provocative and fascinating new paper commissioned by Sustained Theatre to shake up the national debate on questions of identity, ethnicity and the arts.

It takes the form of an exchange of correspondence between the two people who conducted the consultation - Professor Gus John and Dr Samina Zahir.

Josephine Melville and Leon Robinson Archive Film Presentations for Sustained Theatre 
Josephine Melville and Leon Robinson are well recognised for their work in archive development within the Sector. With Sustained Theatre, they delivered a series of presentations of why the Sector should archive.

They then both came back together for one time to develop a series of filmed presentations for the Sector.

Black British Theatre Archive at the National Theatre Studio
The Black British Theatre Archive is a joint partnership between the National Theatre Studio and Sustained Theatre, and is generously supported by Arts Council England.

A major venture that archives and record extracts from every African, Caribbean and Black British play produced in the UK in the last 60 years.

Kwame Kwei-Armah is joined by fellow playwrights Michael Abbensetts and Winsome Pinnock to introduce the Black British Theatre Archive based at the National Theatre Studio. Alongside rehearsed readings from 'Weathering the Storm' by Dona Daley, 'Skyvers' by Barry Reckord, and 'Two Can Play' by Trevor Rhone, the panel discuss the genesis of the project with Mark Lawson.

Further information on the project being developed by the National Theatre Studio and Kwame Kwei-Armah can be accessed here; Sixty Years of Forgotten Treasures

Sustained Theatre Resources
A range of online based resources that focus on Archiving and Critical Debate.