Shropshire Archives and Pentabus join forces
Shropshire Council’s Shropshire Archives and Pentabus are proud to announce they are joining forces to open up Pentabus Theatre Company’s archive to the general public.
The archive will have a new home at Shropshire Archives in Shrewsbury from April 2014, containing 40 years’ worth of playscripts, posters, photos and business records about the company.
Sal Mager, senior archivist at Shropshire Archives, joined the Pentabus team in the autumn of 2013, working a day a week to ensure the material is properly documented and to prepare its transfer to its new home in Shrewsbury.
Tina Woodward, Shropshire Council’s deputy Cabinet member responsible for visitor economy said:
“It’s great to see the success of this project, which will ensure the long-term survival and accessibility of the Pentabus Theatre archive. It will be a very valuable addition to the fantastic collections held by Shropshire Archives, reflecting the amazing development and impact of the company since the 1970s.”
The project has been boosted by £2,000 of support from the Business Archives Council, after Pentabus won one of only two national awards earlier this year, the BAC cataloguing grant for Business Archives Related to the Arts.
Lorna Williams, Trustee at the BAC, said:
“The judging panel recognised that Pentabus is a rare survivor of an innovative theatre movement, and the judges were extremely pleased that the grant will help to establish Pentabus’s company archive, especially as it will help to promote the company’s 40th anniversary next year.”
The project is now at an exciting phase where Pentabus are seeking volunteers to work with the team in a range of ways on both the archive and their 40th birthday.
Rachel Griffin, Managing Director, said:
“We are looking for local volunteers to help us with a range of projects, gathering memories of the company, planning a big birthday party, mapping every village hall we have toured to, and interviewing past Pentabus staff. We are also interested in any memorabilia Shropshire residents may have up in a loft or in a photo album, and welcome any additions to the collection.”
Anyone who is interested in volunteering or who has memorabilia they wish to donate should contact administrator Sarah Hughes on sarah@pentabus.co.uk or call Pentabus on 01584 856564.
Pentabus is a contemporary theatre company, producing original plays about the rural world for local and national audiences. Based on a farm in Shropshire, the company was formed in 1974 and has been a key touring theatre company ever since.
