Sheridan Morley Theatre Collection Exhibition

THIS EVENT HAS TAKEN PLACE

Official Opening: 6th July
Exhibition: 7th-9th July 2009
Learning Resource Centre, Penrhyn Road, Kingston

During his lifetime critic, writer, broadcaster, director, performer and producer Sheridan Morley collected a vast amount of theatre material which his widow, the writer and critic Ruth Leon, who collaborated with him on some of his books, has now donated to Kingston University.

A ceremony takes place in Kingston's prestigious new C-SCAIPE (Centre for Sustainable Communities Achieved Through Integrated Professional Education is the full title!) on July 6th when the collection will be officially opened by the celebrated director Sir Peter Hall who became Professor of Theatre at the University in 2003 and is Chancellor of the University.

To celebrate the opening of the collection the Archive is presenting an exhibition to show its highlights and to introduce it to researchers. It can be seen in the Archives and Special Collections Room of the Learning Resource Centre on the University's Penrhyn Road Campus on 7th - 9th July between 11am and 3pm. There is no need to book, just drop in if you would like to take a look.

The collection includes a wide coverage of Morley's life and interests focusing on his work in and relating to the theatre ranging from a stage model for a 1997 production of Noel and Gertie to correspondence with Laurence Olivier and Alec Guinness and his close friend Noel Coward but also contains personal material from his childhood, his first love letters and other family material relating to his father Robert Morley and grandmother Gladys Cooper. There is a core library of over 5000 books and research material, transcripts and publicity material for many of the books he wrote. Scripts, programmes, photographs, correspondence and publicity material in the collection relate to many of the shows he directed, talks he gave and other appearances on the stage and there are over 70 volumes of press cuttings featuring his reviews as well as a large collection of programmes dating back to the early twentieth century, posters, playbills, cartoons and theatrical memorabilia.

To view the exhibition, or any items in the collection, after the 9th July
contact: archives@kingston.ac.uk
How to get there: directions.pdf