The Heritage Lottery Fund has given Birmingham Hippodrome £76,700 to catalogue and digitise the theatre’s archive.
Over the next 18 months, the theatre will work with more than 30 volunteers to collect interviews with performers, staff and audiences about the Hippodrome’s history.
The volunteers come from across the Midlands and have diverse backgrounds. They are aged from 18 to over 65. They include Camilla Fisher from Edgbaston who holds 21 years’ experience as BBC Radio 4’s archivist for The Archers, John Purser from Coventry who has experience in banking history and Olivia Kimberley from Stourbridge, currently studying A-level history.
Caroline Davis, the Hippodrome’s special projects manager, says, “much of our archive material has been lost or destroyed over time, so this project is extremely important to the theatre and surrounding area.
“The 30 volunteers will work alongside our full-time archivists Jenny Smith and Gwendolen Whitaker to help create a digital archive web site and touch-table installation which in 2016 will be available to theatregoers, the local community and schools.
“The team has already unearthed some fascinating stories about the theatre and I’m sure there will be many more as the project continues.”
Birmingham Hippodrome was built in 1899 and opened as The Tower of Varieties and Circus. In later years it has welcomed some of the biggest stars in show business from Frank Sinatra to The Who. It has gained a reputation for attracting the West End’s top musicals including Les Miserables, The Lion King, Wicked and Miss Saigon.
Anyone who can donate memorabilia or wants to be interviewed should contact the heritage project team on 0121 689 1085 or e-mail [email protected].