Lyric Lives!
Respondent or information from other source:Former Project co-ordinator (no name given)
Aims, policies, purpose/impetus for project:
The old Lyric Theatre closed in January 2008 for significant redevelopment.
Lyric Lives! is a programme which marks the importance of the Lyric in the recent history of Northern Ireland and includes:
· an oral history archive, which will record the memories of audience members, actors etc.
· a photographic record of the current Ridgeway Street premises including the public and private spaces.
· outreach events with invited local community groups with a view to deciding what memories of the Lyric 1950- 2007 should be incorporated into the new building
· mounting two exhibitions - one on the history of the Lyric and one on the Lyric Lives! project itself
· cataloguing of items of historic/records interest in the Lyric including board minutes, streams of significant correspondence, headlining financial documents etc.
Dates: December 2007 - January 2009 (limited duration)
Key individuals and roles involved
One Individual - Project Co-ordinator
Paid or voluntary, training in oral history:
Paid. Experience in interviewing through previous projects with interview based research but no specific oral history training.
Project funded by: Heritage Lottery Fund (main funder) and Lyric Theatre
Management of project:
The project was managed by the Lyric Theatre's Chief Executive to whom the Project Co-ordinator was directly responsible.
Format of interviews:
The practitioner interviews were WAV audio. Audience contributions were recorded through a video kiosk as av files.
How interviewees are selected and located:
The project covered over fifty years and as such practitioner interviews were selected to cover the whole of this period. A broad range of disciplines, eg management, actors, designers, set builders etc were also sought. Whilst the majority of interviewees were actively approached by the project co-ordinator a website request together with a targeted flyer also allowed for further participation.
The video kiosk was available during a Lyric off site production (three weeks) and was available for attending audiences to use.
All workshop participants were also provided with the opportunity of recording their memories on the video kiosk.
Interview running time:
Practitioner audio interviews averaged one hour twenty minutes. Although some were considerably longer due to the varying breadth and length of experience of the Lyric of different practitioners.
Video Kiosk interviews asked 5 questions each with a minute answering window.
Copyright in interviews. Assignment rights?:
The Lyric Theatre holds copyright and oral interviewees signed a form assigning rights and also agreeing to deposit arrangements with the Linen Hall Library were the oral archive will be stored.
Location of interview copies. Accessibility to public/format:
Linenhall Library, Belfast. The interviews are accessible to the public through prior appointment with the Linenhall Library. All interviews are transcribed and are available in print format. They are also available as audio.
Collection contact details/website:
John Killen. Linenhall Library, 17 Donegal Square North, Belfast. BT1 5GB. Tel: 02890 321707
Interview transcripts/lists of topics or other content indexes:
Transcripts of all interviews were made. These will be indexed by the Linenhall Library.
Cataloguing:
Informally. The Linenhall will be responsible for any further cataloguing to incorporate within other areas of the collection.
Future plans for project/interviews?:
The interviews will be accessible to the public and researchers as a resource through the Linenhall Library.
Materials used for publications, exhibitions, conferences, radio/TV programmes or performances etc or future plans for this?:
Extracts from the recorded interviews were used as an edited sound scape together with production photography and archive footage in an installation piece which marked the launch of the archive. This has been exhibited at two venues in Belfast. It is envisaged that a shortened version of the installation piece will be uploaded onto the Lyric Website.
Edited extracts from both practitioner and audience interviews formed the basis of First Memories - a full colour brochure which accompanied the Installation Exhibition.
Project website:
Lyric Theatre
List on a joint (possibly STR) website: Yes
Join listserv/emailing list/forum: No
Further information:
Please find attached a list of practitioner interviewees. Also included in the collection are video kiosk extracts from over seventy audience members and also Community Group Workshop Participants. These are anonymous (although of course only by name as the film element of the information capture, ensures that age, sex etc is apparent)
List of interviewees provided: Yes
Interviewees
| Mike Blair | Lyric bar staff( 1975/6. Stage Management 1980/81. Administrator 1989/1993. General Manager 2003/06 | Full length Interview |
| Jim Carson | Member of Deravolgie Lyric Players and Lyric Theatre Set Builder 1970 - 77 & 1982 - 2008 | Full length Interview |
| Jane Coyle | Theatre Critic | Full length interview |
| Niall Cranney | Stage Management at Lyric 1989 - 1993 | Full length interview |
| Richard Croxford | Actor & Director at Lyric 1988 onwards & current Artistic Director | Full length interview |
| Paddy Donnelly | Lyric Audience Member | Vox Pop Final Night at Lyric |
| Dan Gordon | Acting ASM at Lyric in early 1980s. Actor & Director to present day. Current Board Member. | Full length Interview |
| David Grant | Assistant Director at Lyric 1994 - 1998. Acting Artistic Director 1999. Youth Lyric Director. | Full Length Interview |
| John Hewitt | Member of Deravolgie Lyric Association whilst at school. Professional actor at Lyric with appearances from early 1970s through to closure in 2008. | Full length Interview |
| Conleth Hill | Actor. Performed at Lyric from late 1980s onwards. Associate Artist late 1990s. | Full length Interview |
| B.J. Hogg | Actor. Performed at Lyric from early 1980s onwards. | Vox pop Final Night at Lyric |
| David Johnston | Playwright and Chair of Lyric Board 2000/5 | Full length Interview |
| Marie Jones | Member of Lyric Drama Studio early 1980s. Playwright and actress with long association with the theatre. | Full length interview |
| Brian Kennedy | Singer. Sang Lagan Love on the last night at Lyric | Vox pop Final Night at Lyric |
| Sean Kearns | Actor - performed at Lyric from mid eighties. | Full length Interview |
| Tim Loane | Actor - performed at Lyric from mid 1990s. Playwright . | Full length Interview |
| Martin Lynch | Resident Playwright Lyric 1980/82. Many of his plays have premiered at the theatre in the eighties. | Full length Interview |
| Scott Marshall | Member of Deravolgie Players as amateur actor in the 1960's. | Full length Interview |
| Stuart Marshall | Resident Set Designer mid nineties Numerous Set designs with Lyric to present day. | Vox pop Final Night at Lyric |
| Patricia McBride | Lyric Theatre Administrator 1994 - 99 | Full length Interview |
| Margaret McCann | Member of the Lyric Players 76/84 | Full length Interview |
| Sam McCready | Actor & Director involved with Lyric Players from 1960 onwards. Drama Studio and Youth Lyric leader 1960s - mid 1970s. Artistic Director (joint) 1980/81 | Full length Interview |
| Joan McCready | Actress with Deravolgie group in 1960s. One of the first professional players who moved as a resident company to the Ridgeway site in 1968. Join Artistic Director 1980/81 | Full Length Interview |
Oral History Survey Pages Main Page Introductory Report Index of Projects Appendices
External Links |
28th April 2009 |
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