The STR Archive: Uncovering a Legacy of Theatrical Preservation, Legislation and Education

Delivered by Dr Hannah Coleman Manktelow

On 15^th June 1948, a group of theatre professionals and enthusiasts gathered at the Old Vic to discuss the formation of a society dedicated to researching and promoting their shared interest. In the seventy years since, the STR has played a fundamental role in British theatre history, but its work has often been overlooked. In this lecture I will explore the STR’s legacy as captured in its archive, highlighting the most significant achievements – saving historical buildings, creating the 1968 Reading agreement, establishing the Theatre Museum, shaping drama curricula, publishing scholarly works and operating an information service in the pre-internet era – as well as some of the more unexpected findings.

Dr Hannah Coleman Manktelow is the 2018/2019 TaPRA fellow and currently works at Oxford University where she connects researchers with Oxfordshire theatres. She completed her PhD, ‘Provincial Shakespeare Performance, 1769-2016: Cultural Exchange between Centre and Periphery’, at the University of Nottingham. Hannah has collaborated on Shakespeare-related projects with the BBC, British Library and the British Council.