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The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 17.1064  Thursday, 30 November 2006

From:         Stuart Hampton-Reeves <shampton-reeves@uclan.ac.uk>
Date:         Thursday, 30 Nov 2006 00:45:01 +0000
Subject:     Guardians of the Theatre Museum

With apologies for cross-posting, I copy below an email from Ian Herbert 
of the Society for Theatre Research, which is campaigning to save the 
Theatre Museum in Covent Garden. There is more information about the 
closure and the campaign at www.theatremuseumguardians.org.uk. I am sure 
that this will be of interest to many SHAKSPERians.

Stuart Hampton-Reeves

(from Ian Herbert)

Our website is now up and running at www.theatremuseumguardians.org.uk 
-please visit. Then tell your students, your friends, your relatives, 
your flower arranging group - anybody - to visit too. See below for 
details, but there's even more on the site. The Guardians are officially 
supported by SCUDD - now we need that confirmed by your participation.

Thanks
Ian Herbert
Society for Theatre Research

The Guardians of the Theatre Museum need your help.

Who are they?

Well, this is what we said in today's Press Release:

Leading lights of the theatre world have sent an uncompromising message 
to Government and museum authorities: The Theatre Museum must not be 
destroyed. Sir Alan Ayckbourn, Simon Callow, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Peter 
Hall, Sir David Hare, Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir Eddie Kulukundis, Sir 
Cameron Mackintosh, Lord  Rix and Sir Donald Sinden and many others, 
with the support of major representative theatre organisations, have 
formed the Guardians of the Theatre Museum.  Their aim is to prevent the 
museum's Covent Garden site being closed and the Collection being 
absorbed by the Victoria and Albert Museum.

What do they want?

* Short Term: to ask the Victoria and Albert Museum to withdraw its 
notice of closure on the Theatre Museum's Russell Street site, in order 
that alternative proposals for its future may be coolly examined.

* Medium Term: To look for better ways of managing the Theatre Museum 
and supporting its funding.

* Long Term: To investigate broader possibilities for properly housing 
what the V&A describe as 'the largest collections in the world for the 
UK's performing arts'.

The Russell Street site is due to close to the public on 7 January 2007, 
which leaves very little time to put pressure on the V&A to rescind 
their decision. If it does close, the public will not have access to its 
exhibits for at least two and probably five years.  Further, the huge 
potential of the site as a cultural focus in Olympic Year 2012 will have 
been thrown away.

The Guardians plan to enroll as many members of the theatre professions 
and the theatregoing public as possible, as quickly as possible.  
Membership is of course free - all that is needed is enough voices.

The aim is to have 100,000 Guardians by Christmas

Said a Guardians spokesperson, 'Our supporting organisations already 
account for tens of thousands of people. If we can mobilise the 
theatregoing public, this target can be reached very easily. The V & A, 
and their masters the DCMS, have suggested that no one cares about the 
Theatre Museum. We care about it passionately, and we can prove that we 
are not alone.' Sir Derek Jacobi added, 'I deplore the closure of the 
Russell Street premises as an act of cultural vandalism.'

Act Now: join us at www.theatremuseumguardians.org.uk -  and tell everyone!

The Guardians are convened by the Save London's Theatres Campaign and 
the Society for Theatre Research.  They are supported by The Actors' 
Centre, The Association of British Theatre Technicians, The Association 
of Lighting Designers, The Association of Personal Managers, BECTU, The  
British Music Hall Society, The British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild, 
The Critics' Circle, Equity, The  International Association of Theatre 
Critics, The International Federation for Theatre Research, The 
International Society of Libraries and Museums of the Performing Arts, 
The Irving Society, The Mander and Mitchenson Theatre Collection, The 
Musicians' Union, The National Campaign for the Arts,  The Noel Coward 
Foundation, The  Noel Coward Society, The Puppet Centre Trust, St Paul's 
Covent Garden (The Actors' Church), The Society of British Theatre 
Designers, The Stage Management Association, The Standing Committee of 
University Drama Departments and The Theatres Trust.

Principal Lecturer in English and Drama
University of Central Lancashire
www.britishshakespeare.ws
www.uclan.ac.uk/shakespeare

_______________________________________________________________
S H A K S P E R: The Global Shakespeare Discussion List
Hardy M. Cook, editor@shaksper.net
The S H A K S P E R Web Site <http://www.shaksper.net>

DISCLAIMER: Although SHAKSPER is a moderated discussion list, the 
opinions expressed on it are the sole property of the poster, and the 
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