Black performance in Britain before 1800
There are references to African performers in Edinburgh dating from 1505, and it is also recorded that the court of…
Read article
Black and Asian performance in Britain 1800-1899
Throughout the 19th century, black performers regularly appeared on the London stage, often from theatres in Americ…
Read article
Black & Asian performance in Britain 1900-1939
At the turn of the 20th century, black musicals such as 'In Dahomey' became the rage in both New York and London, b…
Read article
Black & Asian performance in Britain 1940-1969
Successful black shows on the 1940s London stage included the musical 'Calypso', featuring the West Indian actor Ed…
Read article
Black & Asian performance in Britain 1970 onwards
In the 1970s new black theatre companies included Black Theatre Co-operative (now Nitro), Carib Theatre, Temba Thea…
Read article
Black and Asian Performance - A Users' Guide
'Black and Asian Performance at the Theatre Museum - A User's Guide' was the V&A Theatre Collections’ first major s…
Read article
Black and asian performance reading list
Recommended reading list about black and asian performance
Read article
Theatre and performance archives
The V&A Theatre and Performance Collections include many special collections and archives of the performing arts, f…
Read article
Transformation and Revelation: Gormley to Gaga. UK design for performance 2007–2011
17 March 2012 – 30 September 2012. Exploring the theme of transformation, this display will reveal contemporary designs for performance by over 30 British Theatre Designers.
Man's black wool suit, by unknown maker, 1800–17
An ensemble made from black wool has been the uniform of the middle-class professional – doctor, lawyer, clergyman, academic, merchant, businessmen - since the late 16th century. This tradition continued through the 19th century and well into the 20th.
The story of music hall
The story of the Music Halls. Music Halls can be traced back to the taverns and coffee houses of 18th century London where men met to eat, drink and do business. Performers sang songs whilst the audience ate, drank and joined in the singing. By the 1830s taverns had rooms devoted to musical clubs.
Recording your own live performances
Record Today for Tomorrow video project and how to record live performance yourself.
The National Video Archive of Performance
The National Video Archive of Performance (NVAP) creates high quality archival recordings of live performance which are available for theatre researchers. It is the outcome of a unique agreement between the Federation of Entertainment Unions and the V&A Theatre and Performance Department.
Related images from the collections
A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
More
Event - Theatre & Performance Galleries Tour
Fri 19 February 2010–Mon 31 December 2012
TOUR: Take a guided tour of the V&A's exciting theatre and performance collections, including rock & pop posters, theatre and ballet costumes, puppets, stage sets and more! See new costumes from the Lion King now on display.
More details
