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Jane Pritchard
Archivist by Jane Simpson with Bruce Marriott | |||||||
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What archivists want is more space! Jane Pritchard, archivist to both ENB and the Rambert company, lives amidst proof: her office at ENB House could hardly be smaller, even without the boxes and files lining every square inch of wall. Three of us in there were rather more than a crowd, and felt we should get the information we wanted fast, before the oxygen ran out! Jane describes herself as 'a theatre person with a love of history', and it was to combine these two strands that she became an archivist, taking a course on Performing Arts Archives at Manchester University before starting at ENB in 1980. Like many others, she worked originally as a volunteer, assisting former dancer John Travis, who was responsible for the intial set-up of the ENB archives. Two years later she was asked to set up a similar operation at Rambert, and recently she added a third when The Place invited her to help them establish the same thing for them. The first thing we wanted to know was the basic question, 'What do archivists do?' Jane is very conscious that the public image of archivists is of people even more reclusive than librarians, locked away for ever in dusty attics. I don't think she'd argue about the dust, but otherwise she's very concerned to explain the importance to any company of a properly maintained archive, and to emphasise the 'outreach' aspect of her job. Her prime responsibility is to collect, conserve, and make available as appropriate all records of the history of the company - and this isn't just bits of paper, it also includes costumes, and - very importantly - photographs. The archives at ENB, for instance, contain a record of every performance the company gives: not only the programme (annotated with all cast changes, including 'end-ot-term' surprise appearances) but also the stage manager's nightly report covering any incidents which may occur. Every production has its own file, and these days that includes a video - an arrangement with the unions allows the company to film one performance or a dress rehearsal - and no, before, you ask, these aren't available for hire! The Rambert archive contains even more precious historical material from the thirties, including the wonderful - but silent - films of artists such as Ashton and Markova. Prime users of the archives are the companies themselves,followed by many students at levels ranging from O-level to post graduate. To get 'hands on' access you need to be doing some pretty serious research, but a good part of Jane's time is spent answering phone enquiries. (And she doesn't seem to need to access her own archives very often - she carries an astonishing depth of knowledge in her head.) Journalists and authors rely heavily on information from the archives, and Jane is frequently asked to lend items for dance exhibitions round the world. Although it's not strictly speaking part of an archivist's job, Jane herself is very involved with the educational side of the two companies, often giving pre-performance talks, writing programme notes and lecturing: all ways of making the archival information store useful in the widest possible way. Jane's detailed and fascinating book on Rambert, for their 70th anniversary a couple of years ago, was written in the amazingly short time of 2 months, a real testimony to the quality of the material she manages and to the orderliness with which it is maintained. What qualities does an archivist need? Obviously a meticulous attention for detail; but perhaps more than anything a real love for the subject of the archive, both to cope with the large amount of routine without losing interest and also to be able to judge what, out of the vast amount of material generated by a large company, is actually important. We asked Jane for her 'wish list' if a Lottery Fairy were suddenly to cause money to rain on her archives: more space! was her first one, followed by a properly temperature and humidity controlled environment, a properly designed computer system, better physical storage for the records - and more space. Finally we asked if Jane, with her unique knowledge of two of our most important companies, would nominate a 'golden age' of British ballet - at which she revealed that, not content with the three jobs she already has, she is researching a PhD in her spare time on a choreographer of her favourite period - the nineteenth century - and would probably choose the 1890s!
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