Showcasing Theatre Memories: A Case Study

From stage to archives, performing arts materials never stop to engage with the audience. Even when they are archived, performing arts documents and objects remain a source of research and inspiration for theatre professionals and become a sort of aide-mémoire for the patrons who were present at the performances. When displayed, documents and objects bring back the physical memory of being part of a performance. This article has four goals: to provide insight on how to set up a small museum, as well as a display area within an archive; to consider how to adapt and fund existing spaces, specifically a warehouse and a commercial store space, for exhibition purposes; to offer ideas and suggestions based on practical experience and address the joy of keeping theatrical memories alive through continuous engagement; finally, to candidly discuss successes and failures. As a case study, I discuss my experience at the Stratford Festival Archives (Stratford, Ontario, Canada): the renovation and creation of a 4,000-square-foot display area within the archives and the creation of a museum/exhibition space in Downtown Stratford for the 2012 and 2013 seasons