1. British Library Audiovisual Theatre: Past, Present, Future

In the June 2011 edition of Viewfinder we include an article by Stephen Cleary, Lead Curator of Drama Recordings at the British Library, in which he looks at the past, present and future of the BL’s audiovisual materials relating to live theatre which goes back several decades and which has been built up thanks top long-standing relationship with some of the UK’s leading theatrical companies. In the article, Stephen explains that:

• “The Library has a long history of recording live theatre on location … [dating back to] 22 October 1963 – which was the opening night of the new National Theatre (NT). The production was Hamlet, starring Peter O’Toole and directed by Laurence Olivier”

• “Live recording of Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) productions in London began in 1964 … [and] selections from these historic recordings have been issued on two commercial 2-CD sets produced in collaboration with the RSC”.

To read the full article, see the current issue of Viewfinder, which is previewed here

Details of the British Library’s recordings and CD releases can be found on the BUFVC Shakespeare database.

2. A New Theater of Sound

www.wnyc.org/thegreenespace/newtheaterofsound/
The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, in collaboration with Yorinks Theater Group, has launched ‘A New Theater of Sound’ with the aim to achieve a live, online and on air conversation driven by great theatrical work with sound at its core. RSC productions are planned for the near future but at present one can listen to plays and discussions from such noted audio practitioners as Norman Corwin and Tom Stoppard as well as works by the likes of WH Auden, HG Wells and Garson Kanin.