Theatre & Performance Archives

The collection was founded in the 1920s when private collector Gabrielle Enthoven donated her extensive collection of theatrical designs, memorabilia, books and photographs to the Museum. Since then the collection has continued to grow.

Particular strengths are the archives of key theatres, theatre and dance companies, 20th-century stage designers, actors and directors, photographers and government bodies such as the Arts Council. Typically, the archives contain a wide range of materials such as diaries, correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, business papers, and designs.

We welcome all visitors to view material from the Theatre and Performance Archives by appointment in the Study Centre at V&A East Storehouse. Archive appointments are available on Mondays to Wednesdays from 10.00-17.00. All visits are by appointment only and require 2 weeks’ notice. All visits are by appointment only and require 2 weeks’ notice. Please submit an appointment booking to request your items.

We can support with general enquiries, advise on other available resources (at the V&A or elsewhere), and provide a copying service for a limited selection of digitised Archive collections. You can also access the V&A Museum Archive and Registry, which is now located at V&A South Kensington.

Donations

If you would like to offer a donation for consideration or discuss further, please contact us.

Search the archives to discover collections documenting both current practice and the history of performing arts in the UK.

The David Bowie Archive was acquired by the V&A with support from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Warner Music Group, and Jones/Tintoretto Entertainment Company.

David Bowie saved over 90,000 items documenting his life and creative process. The archive includes paper items like sketches, writings, lyrics and photographic prints, as well as 3D items from costumes and musical instruments to props and set models. We welcome visitors to view items from the archive at V&A East Storehouse.

Paper material

Visitors can visit the Bowie Study Room at V&A East Storehouse by appointment to view paper material. Appointments are available on Thursdays and Fridays from 10.00 – 17.00 and require two weeks’ notice. Please submit an appointment booking to request your items. All book, paper and photography material in the David Bowie Archive are part of Theatre and Performance Archives, which visitors can search online.

3D objects

Visitors can book to see 3D items from the David Bowie archive through the V&A’s seven-day-a-week Order an Object service. Visitors can book up to five items per visit at a time that suits them. Please note that the service is very popular. Bookings must be confirmed and booked well in advance.

The National Video Archive of Performance (NVAP) is an archive of over 400 high-quality live performance recordings made since 1992. This ever-expanding archive has been made possible due a unique agreement between the Federation of Entertainment Unions and the V&A Theatre and Performance collections, enabling us to make these recordings without payment of artists' fees, for research purposes.

Appointments can be made to view recordings at V&A East Storehouse and in the National Art Library at V&A South Kensington. To arrange, please contact us.

School group viewings take place in the Learning Centre at the V&A, South Kensington. For more details, email: schools@vam.ac.uk

Visit the Theatre & Performance blog to keep up-to-date with the latest news, explore our collections, read about our new acquisitions, and hear first when collections are catalogued and available for research in our Reading Room.