Embedded Files
Marta Moreno
I had the luck to work at Pam Schweitzer's Reminiscence Theatre Archive at the University of Greenwich from September 2013 to May 2014. Pam asked me to talk my experience in the launching of the archive in June 2015. For me, the archive is like a box full of hidden surprises.
When I came back to teaching EFL in Spain, I decided to start a project with my students based on this marvellous archive. I chose "What did you do in the War, Mum?" because it was one of my favourites. For me, reading about the experiences of all these women was a real eye-opener.
With Pam Schweitzer and Ross Crosby, looking at the contents of one of the boxes
You can read more about this wonderful experience here. Thank you Pam for all the things I have learned with you.
To read more about the "What Did You Do In The War, Mum?" project, you can visit the Reminiscence Theatre Archive Website
The room where the boxes are stored at the Drama Department of the University of Greenwich
The box containing the War Mum project
Some of the contents of the boxes.
Archive material sorted by project
Pam Schweitzer introducing the Archive
Pam Schweitzer introducing the Archive
About the Reminiscence Theatre Archive
About the Reminiscence Theatre Archive
The beginning
The beginning
This unique archive is a complete record of the Reminiscence Theatre productions created between 1983 and 2005, during which time Pam Schweitzer was Founder and Artistic Director of Age Exchange Theatre Trust. It covers professional shows, shows by older people, inter-generational shows and it includes local, national and international projects. The archive contains the memories of the elderly people involved and also documents how those memories were transformed into performances.
This archive was created in order to keep safe all the material Pam Schweitzer had collected throughout the years since she founded Age Exchange Theatre Trust in 1983. After consulting many museums, archives and other organizations which could be interested in housing the material, the University of Greenwich was finally chosen to hold the whole collection and indeed to use it to develop reminiscence theatre courses involving a high degree of practical experience.
Current work.
Current work.
Dr Heather Lilley and Dr Harry Derbyshire are the custodians of the archive at the University and are coordinating its development. This involves the preservation, archiving and digitising of the holdings; creating and facilitating research projects; and also embedding the archive within the teaching and learning activities of the Drama programme.
One of the major strands of activity has been the creation of the Reminiscence Theatre Archive Company (RCA CO). The company, lead by Dr Heather Lilley, enables volunteers to collaborate with Pam Schweitzer in creating new performance work from the archived material.
Future for the Reminiscence Theatre Archive.
Future for the Reminiscence Theatre Archive.
The acquisition and digitisation of the archives of the European Reminiscence Network, a research resource that will significantly expand the training opportunities for Reminiscence Theatre practitioners on an international level is planned for 2015-2016. An international conference organised in June 2014 (“Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today”) brought together practitioners and academics to share experience and this event coincided with the launch of the new archive website, creating fresh networks to generate innovative ideas and disseminate extant good practice.
FORUM
FORUM
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