A playbill of the first show on the Nottingham Theatre Royal stage in 1865 and a signed photo by two legends of comedy are among the items uploaded to the theatre’s digital archive in its first year.
More than 1,000 posters, photographs and other material chronicling the theatre’s 154-year history are now available to view including a playbill for The School for Scandal and Laurel and Hardy’s signed photo.
Much of the rare material has not been seen before, including personal scrapbooks and mementos from performers. A huge array of posters and programmes has been uncovered, from Peter Pan to the hippie rock musical Hair.
There are also oral history interviews with performers, backstage crew and staff which can be accessed at the Our Theatre Royal web site.
David Longford, creative learning manager for the Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall, said, “we’re all delighted with the impact of the digital archive in its first year.
“It’s been a long-standing ambition for the venue to create a digital resource showcasing our wonderful heritage and from our figures we can see that it’s been very well utilised. Its success has been the result of an excellent partnership with the University of Nottingham and the hard work by all our heritage volunteers.”