Theatre Royal has received a funding boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund ahead of a project to work on creating a digital archive of its history.
The project has received £17,300 to help fund Our Theatre Royal Nottingham: It’s Stories, People & Heritage along with existing funding from Nottingham Civic Society and Theatre Royal.
Members from the project say that the additional funding will allow for more historical stories to be preserved in more detail by a team of volunteers who they plan to recruit to help find out and detail the historical stories.
Project lead and creative learning manager at Theatre Royal David Longford said: “We know from the many stories people have shared with us already that the Theatre Royal is a much-loved venue with a rich and fascinating past.
“This project will mean a new community of volunteers working with us, resulting in an exciting new digital archive for everyone to access.
“After all our efforts in 2015 celebrating the theatre’s 150th anniversary I am so pleased that we can now continue with intensive and much-needed work on our theatre’s archive.
“The University of Nottingham’s involvement means that we have the opportunity to create something very new and ground-breaking, too; we can’t wait to get started.”
Lead academic partner for the project Dr Jo Robinson said: “This additional funding will enable the theatre’s history to be accessed both by visitors and anyone with an interest in Nottingham’s fascinating cultural history.”
Head of Heritage Lottery Fund for the East Midlands Jonathan Platt said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for volunteers to learn from specialists and create an innovative new resource, ensuring the theatre can continue to tell its stories for years to come.”
