Join us for the first enquiry in an ongoing series; two weeks of live work and events seeking to find an alternative archival lens.
Living Archive aims to reject the historical notion of what an archive is; a new portal that reimagines the history of the Royal Court in order to redefine its future.
Encouraging radical thought and imagination, it resists the idea of ‘canon’ and instead, will bring attention to work which has been erased or not been brought to the attention of our audiences and writers.
Both universal and specific to the Royal Court, it will be fun, interactive, exploratory and conversational.
Each event will have a different ‘Guest Archivist’ who will use their personal perspective to inform the focus through which the work is captured.
“Born as an idea through discussions with our artists and associates, Living Archive is a vital new strand of our work. Who gets to decide what is remembered and what is archived. What has been forgotten and what should have existed. Many brilliant people have fed into the idea of what this can be. It’s our ambition that we begin a whole new interactive portal which explores past work for the future and teaches us how to document and share what we do. This work will never be finished.”
Vicky Featherstone, Artistic Director
It is a cumulative experiment and an ongoing commitment to digitising our work and making it fully accessible. All questions and learning will inform the development of a new digital archive.
Living Archive Vol. 1
Living Archive: Human Highlights
Wed 29 Jun, 7.45pm
Gorilla’s, Floods and Pot Noodles: Life as a Stage Manager at the Royal Court
Cast: Philip Arditti, Lena Kaur, Martina Laird, Sarah Malin
Living Archive: New
Tash Brown & Joel Tan | Thu 30 Jun & Fri 1 Jul, 7.45pm
Lie. Stir. Repeat. written and performed by Tash Brown
Directed by Nastazja Domaradzka
Collect, Cumin, Coriander, Chardonnay, and Cashews by Joel Tan
Directed by Izzy Rabey
Cast: William Gao & Letty Thomas
Living Archive: Re-Balance
Sat 2 Jul, 7.45pm
A reading in celebration of Under the Sun by Sylvia Wynter acquired by the Royal Court in 1958.
Directed by Jasmine Lee-Jones.
Cast: Mara Allen, Mensah Bediako, Doreene Blackstock, Chanté Faucher, Llewella Gideon, Hayden McLean, Clare Perkins, Susan Lawson Reynolds, Raphael Sowole, Luke Wilson
Living Archive: New
Zia Ahmed & Anchuli Felicia King | Thu 7 & Fri 8 July, 7.45pm
Recovery position by Zia Ahmed
Directed by Izzy Rabey
Cast: Dinita Gohil
Ephemera by Anchuli Felicia King
Directed by Alessandra Davison
Cast: Aoife Gaston, Terique Jarrett, Patrick McNamee, Shala Nyx
All the writers began with questions around what archive means to them, and what it could be.
Living Archive: Imagine
Sat 9 Jul, 7.45pm
Highlights, snippets and surprising archival material from Royal Court plays that don’t exist, but that writers wish did.
Writers: Josh Elliott, Amy Bethan Evans, Deborah Pearson, Daniel York Loh
Cast: Doreene Blackstock, Déja Bowers, Stefan Chanyaem, Adam Fenton, Amy Forrest, Anna Leong Brophy
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Wed – Sat: 7.45pm
Please note that all performances will be filmed for online sharing. Please let Box Office know when booking if you would prefer not to be seen on camera.
We support audience members, unless medically exempt, to wear face coverings throughout the venue and in the auditorium, out of respect for others, and in support of the cast. Read full details about your visit to the Royal Court here.
Join us for multiple events in our programme and save: book 3 or more tickets, and get 20% off.*
*Valid on full price tickets. Offer ends 9 July.
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