Blackgrounds & Blackstage

Name of your project:
A) Blackgrounds
B) Blackstage

Respondent or information from other source:
Jill Evans, Producer, National Video Archive of Performance

Aims, policies, purpose/impetus for project:
Interviews with key first generation Black theatre practitioners. and recorded by Theatre Museum in conjunction with Talawa Theatre Company,

Dates: 1998 and c.2001

Key individuals and roles involved:
A) Yvonne Brewster, producer; Jill Evans, director; David Johnson, interviewer
B) Yvonne Brewster, producer; Jill Evans, director; Tara Hulls, interviewer

Paid or voluntary, training in oral history: Paid

Project funded by:
A) Funded by Arts Council of England
B) Funded by Heritage Lottery

Management of project: Talawa Theatre Company

Format of interviews: Digibeta 16 x9 widescreen, edited, copied to VHS viewing copies

How interviewees are selected and located:
Key individuals identified by Yvonne

Interview running time:
~1 hr edited to 20 - 30 mins

Copyright in interviews. Assignment rights?:
Talawa and V&A. Some assignment forms signed

Location of interview copies. Accessibility to public/format:
Through Blythe House Study Room on VHS. Email tmenquiries@vam.ac.uk to book a viewing appointment. Yvonne Brewster interview on website

Collection contact details/website: Theatre & Performance

Interview transcripts/lists of topics or other content indexes:
Yes, transcripts of rushes of Blackgrounds, not publicly available. Transcripts available of extracts used on website.

Cataloguing: Yes

Future plans for project/interviews?: No

Materials used for publications, exhibitions, conferences, radio/TV programmes or performances etc or future plans for this?:
Yes, an educational booklet was produced and launch events were held with discussions and displays. Info also fed into Black and Asian Performance at the Theatre Museum: a Users's Guide.

Project website: Theatre & Performance
Some info on Talawa Theatre Company Archive

List on a joint (possibly STR) website: Yes

Join listserv/emailing list/forum: Yes

Further information:

List of interviewees provided: Yes

Interviewees

A) Blackgrounds David Johnson in conversation with:

Barry Reckord 22nd April 1997 at Barry's home in Primrose Hill,
London. (Transcript available) 9704091/A, 994031/A, 994031/A2

Cy Grant 7th May 1997, at Cy's home in Highgate, London
(Transcript available) 9704092/A, 994032/A, 994032/A2

Alaknanda Samarth 19th May 1997, at the Theatre Museum, Covent Garden
(Transcript available) 9704093/A, 994033/A, 994033/A2

Earl Cameron 29th May 1998, at Jill Evan's home in Queen's Park London.
(Transcript available) 9704094/A, 994034/A, 994034/A2

Pearl Connor 25th June 1997, at Pearl's home in Wembley, London.
(Transcript available) 9704095/A, 994035/A, 994035/A2

Compilation (16:9 Letterbox) and Compilation (Loop)
2 x 26 min (16:9 Letterbox) 9704100/A, 9704097/A

also a series of edited extracts:
A Taste of Blackgrounds99404815/10/1999 6 mins.

B) Blackstage

BLACKSTAGE, Series 2 (all in letterbox format)
Michael Abbensetts024119/A
024119/A2		31 min
with s/t
Thomas Baptiste024111/A
024111/A2		25 min
with s/t
Yvonne Brewster024112/A
024112/A2		39 min
with s/t
Corinne Skinner Carter024113/A
024113/A2		26 min
with s/t
Jacqui Chan024120/A
024120/A2		33 min
with s/t
Frank Cousins024114/A
024114/A2		34 min
with s/t
Mona Hammond024115/A
024115/A2		36 min
with s/t
Ram John Holder024116/A
024116/A2		32 min
with s/t
Naseem Khan024117/A
024117/A2		33 min
with s/t
Rudolph Walker024118/A
024118/A2		29 min
with s/t
(DigiBeta anamorphic)
Education Video (clips from some of the above)024121/M24 min


Oral History Survey Pages
Main Page
Introductory Report
Index of Projects
Appendices

External Links
Talawa Theatre Company Archive
Theatre & Performance

21st April 2009
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