Theatre Collection

menu

UK Archives and Repositories

UK Archives and Repositories:

In order to simplify the organisation of the material that resides in the United Kingdom, we have used the geographic location of repositories as markers. Alongside each entry you will find a brief description of the subject matter covered by the materials that are listed

Clearly, much of the material that relates to the York or Chester Mystery Cycles, for example, will be found in repositories located in these towns. However, this is far from exclusively the case. Several repositories and archives contain important material covering many different plays and performances. The University of Bristol Theatre Collection or the V&A Theatre and Performance Collections are cases in point.

Wherever possible the information is available as both a downloadable pdf file and a link to a saved search.

Bristol

The University of Bristol Theatre Collection

The University of Bristol Theatre Collection holds both the Medieval Players and the Glynne Wickham archives. As one of the world’s largest collections of British  theatre material, it also contains a huge variety of material relevant to 2MP from a wide range of archives and collections. All of this material has been tagged within the catalogue as 2MP, and is available in a PDF folder, along with PDF files of 2MP searches for the Medieval Players, Glynne Wickham and Bristol University Drama Department

Alongside these catalogued materials the Theatre Collection holds as yet uncatalogued archives and collections significant to the 2MP researcher. Examples include valuable detail on the National Theatre’s 1985 production of The Mysteries in the recently deposited Jack Shepherd archive, and the world-renowned Raymond Mander & Joe Mitchenson Theatre Collection (M&M) which contains material on Bernard Miles, The Mermaid Theatre, Tyrone Guthrie and the 1951 Festival of Britain, amongst many others.

Contact: theatre-collection@bristol.ac.uk

Chester

University of Chester Seaborne Library

Unsurprisingly, the material held at the University of Chester’s Seaborne Library relates exclusively to the Chester Cycle of Mystery Plays. It covers the period from 1951 through to 1997 fairly comprehensively, including some audio and video recordings alongside programmes, photographs and play texts.

Contact: lis.helpdesk@chester.ac.uk

Cheshire Archives & Local Studies Collections

The local studies collections at Cheshire Record Office and in Cheshire Libraries have some interesting photographic material from the 1950's, and a November 1906 pamphlet which mentions a proposal to perform the entire cycle at Whitsun the following year.

Contact the Archives

Chichester

West Sussex Record Office and Archive

The material relates mostly to a 1967 performance in Chichester Cathedral of a 'Cycle of Mystery Plays' which was performed by local schoolchildren. The texts used were from the York, Wakefield and Chester cycles. Though uncatalogued at present, there is also some correspondence material in the Petworth House Archives which refers to a possible performance of a 'Mystery Play' in the 1938 Tudor Revels held at Petworth.

Contact: records.office@westsussex.gov.uk

Coventry

Coventry History Centre

The bulk of the material on the Coventry Mystery Plays is from the Belgrade Theatre Collection, which includes a wealth of photographic evidence, programmes and posters from 1978 – 1991.

Contact: historycentre@theherbert.org

Coventry Cathedral Archives

The papers here deal with some earlier productions of the Coventry Mystery Plays covering the 1950's and 1960's, plus some detailed information regarding the Cathedral’s relationship with the Belgrade Theatre.

Contact: 02476 267 065 or write to: The Archive Team, Coventry Cathedral. 1 Hill Top, Coventry, CV1 5AB

Durham

Durham Medieval Theatre Company

The archive of the Durham Medieval Drama Group – later Durham Medieval Theatre Company -includes a range of materials from the period 1976-2004 which includes programmes, posters, photographs and some videos. It is currently in the private possession of Professor John McKinnell, who can be contacted directly regarding access: john.mckinnell@durham.ac.uk

Durham Medieval Drama Group Archive (PDF 47Kb)

Leeds

University of Leeds, Special Collections - Brotherton Library

There is a wealth of material at the Brotherton, ranging from the papers of Canon Purvis, to the recently deposited archives of Martial Rose, Philip Butterworth and Richard Rastall.

Leeds University Archives

Within the Leeds University archive are Jane Oakshott's papers which cover the 1975 processional production of the York Mystery plays in the Leeds University precinct, and two subsequent productions in York - 1994 and 1998. The University Archive also holds the minutes of the Centenary Celebrations Committee for 1974-75 which contain planning details for the 1975 production.

Lincoln

Lincoln Mystery Plays

The excellent Lincoln Mystery Plays website has an archive section which contains photographs, reviews and cast lists of productions dating back to 1969.

London

Lambeth Palace Library

George Bell, Bishop of Chichester, whose papers are held at Lambeth Palace Library, was an important figure in the discussions around religious drama in the middle of the last century. He was a correspondent of T. S. Eliot, and John Masefield and had strong links with the British Drama League and its director E. Martin Browne.

National Theatre Archive

The materials for the National Theatre’s landmark 1985 and 1999 productions of Tony Harrisons’s “The Mysteries’ are housed at their London archive facility. This detailed range of documentation Includes video recordings of performances from 1999.

V&A Theatre Collections

The Victoria & Albert Museum's Theatre Collections at Blythe House have a great deal of material that is highly relevant to the 2MP project. As the home of the William poel archive the collections have the most important set of materials relating to Poel’s groundbreaking production of Everyman. An edited version of the Poel catalogue, showing only references to Everyman is available for download here.

We also have a listing of Audrey Cruddas' costume designs for the landmark 1961 Mermaid Theatre production of the Wakefield Mystery Plays with a text by Martial Rose.

William Poel Catalogue - edited for references to Everyman (PDF 77Kb)

Audrey Cruddas/Alix Stone Costume Designs (PDF 28Kb)

Norwich

Norfolk Record Office

The records of the Maddermarket Theatre, eventual home of Nugent Monck’s Norwich Players, are kept here. Monck, who had been William Poel's stage manager at the Abbey Theatre, purchased the rights to Poel’s production of Everyman in 1913.

The Maddermarket’s own archive has one photograph of this production, staged at Canterbury Cathedral in 1929. Contact the archivist at: mmtheatre@btconnect.com

Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare Centre Library and Archive

The records shown here have been thrown up by a several keyword searches of the Royal Shakespeare Company Performance Database. Of particular interest is a 1909 staging of the Chester Mystery Cycle, performed by Frank Benson’s company in the Guild Hall at Stratford-upon-Avon. No archival records exist of the production, but a set of newspaper reviews is available.

Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury Abbey Archives

The archives at Tewkesbury Abbey contain a programme and set of unique photographs of the 1935 ‘Tewkesbury Festival of Three Plays’ (Noah's Flood, Everyman and Samson Agonistes), performed by a company of players from Oxford University, directed by Nevill Coghill.

The text from a report on the performance in the Tewkesbury Register and Gazette from July 27th 1935 is available for download. (PDF 44Kb)

Wakefield

Wakefield Libraries Local Studies Department

The Wakefield Libraries Local Studies Department has posters, programmes and photographs relating to some of the performances. There is also a collection of newspaper cuttings from about 1974 onwards, and articles in the Wakefield Express have been indexed since the early 1950s. These can be consulted on microfilm. The Wakefield Council website has a useful list of reference material held at the Local Studies Library and more information on the performance history of the plays since 1951.

West Yorkshire Archives - Wakefield

The records of the  Wakefield Festival Committee are held here - covering the period from 1970 -1980. The Yorkshire Archaeological Society at Claremont has a collection of correspondence from the early twentieth century which references performance of the Wakefield Mystery Plays

York part I

York Minster Archives

The York Minster Archives contain material from the 2000 York Millennium Mystery Plays performance directed by Gregory Doran, the most expensive and wide-reaching project in the history of the plays' modern revival. This includes photographs, prompt script, costume and prop designs, press materials and videos.

Though the Minster Archives does not usually allow access to material which is less than 50 years old, researchers are welcome to request special permission to view this collection.

Contact the archivist, Peter Young at: petery@yorkminster.org

Yorkshire Film Archives

Yorkshire Film Archives (YFA) have a significant amount of material relating to productions of Mystery Plays in both York and Wakefield. Notably, an 80 minute film documenting the 1973 production in York, and a half hour documentary on the 1980 Wakefield production narrated by Jane Oakshott. A section of the 1973 film, accompanied by detailed contextual notes, is available for viewing at YFA Online.

Contact the archivist at: yfa@yorksj.ac.uk

York Minster Archives

The York Minster Archives contain material from the 2000 York Millennium Mystery Plays performance directed by Gregory Doran, the most expensive and wide-reaching project in the history of the plays' modern revival. This includes photographs, prompt script, costume and prop designs, press materials and videos.

Though the Minster Archives does not usually allow access to material which is less than 50 years old, researchers are welcome to request special permission to view this collection.

Contact the archivist, Peter Young at: petery@yorkminster.o

 

York part II

Yorkshire Film Archives

Yorkshire Film Archives (YFA) have a significant amount of material relating to productions of Mystery Plays in both York and Wakefield. Notably, an 80 minute film documenting the 1973 production in York, and a half hour documentary on the 1980 Wakefield production narrated by Jane Oakshott. A section of the 1973 film, accompanied by detailed contextual notes, is available for viewing at YFA Online.

Contact the archivist at: yfa@yorksj.ac.uk

York City Archives & Local History Collections

The 25 boxes of York Town Clerk’s papers, filled with material relating to productions of the Mystery Plays from 1951 to 1977 are an outstanding resource, as are the several smaller privately deposited collections of scrapbooks and photographic material. The Archive also holds some of the papers of Canon J.S. Purvis relating directly to productions of the Mystery Plays.

The local history pamphlet and book collection also contains programmes and printed reminiscences relating to many of the performances of the 1950s and 1960s.

Contact the archivist at: archives@york.gov.uk

York Mystery Plays

The very comprehensive York Mystery Plays website, aside from providing a large amount of valuable background information on productions since 1951, also houses the online York Mystery Plays Archive. This very important and continually expanding repository contains a wide range of material relating to productions of the York Mystery Plays.

Eileen Skaife’s scrapbooks are referenced here alongside digitised images of programmes and photographs, transcripts of interviews and records of correspondence.

The materials themselves are housed at the National Centre for Early Music in York. For access please contact:info@yorkmysteryplays.or

Feedback

Edit this page