The National Theatre has been awarded Archive Service Accreditation, the first theatre to achieve this accreditation and the 100th service awarded to date.
The National Theatre Archive is a treasure trove of historical material, encompassing all of the creative, technical and administrative records of the National Theatre. The Archive is open to everyone to explore the history of the NT, its productions, recordings, correspondence, posters, scripts and much more. The collection covers the movement to found the National Theatre and the period from the start of the company in 1963 up to the present day.
Speaking about receiving the accreditation, the National Theatre’s Head of Archive Erin Lee said, “It is a great honour to be the 100th service to be accredited and a testament to the fantastic collections we hold and hard work of the NT in opening up these resources to as many people as possible. Moving forward, we are dedicated to documenting the dynamic work of the NT and developing new audiences.”
Accredited Archive Services ensure the long-term collection, preservation and accessibility of our archive heritage. Accreditation is the UK quality standard which recognises good performance in all areas of archive service delivery. Achieving accredited status demonstrates that the National Theatre Archive has met clearly defined national standards relating to management and resourcing; the care of its unique collections and what the service offers to its entire range of users.
Bruce Jackson, chair of the Archive Service Accreditation Panel noted that “We were extremely impressed with the National Theatre Archive and feel that it is perfectly placed within the organisation, particularly working in the context of the theatre’s Learning department which allows it to deliver outward-looking and innovative means of accessing the rich collections. We were delighted to award Accreditation to the National Theatre as our first theatre to receive the honour.”
