IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 2603 LIFT
Held at: Goldsmiths College, University of London
Title: London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT)
Date(s): 1981-2001
Level of description: Collection (fonds)
Extent: 60 linear metres
Name of creator(s): LIFT
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
Originally called the London International Festival of Student Theatre, LIFT was formed in 1980 by Rose de Wend Fenton and Lucy Neal inspired by their participation in a student theatre festival in Portugal. LIFT became a registered charity in 1981 and in that year, along with another student, Simon Evans, Rose and Lucy organised the first London International Festival of Theatre which presented companies from Poland, France, Brazil, The Netherlands, Malaysia, West Germany, Japan, Peru, and the UK. Following the success of the first festival Rose and Lucy, along with a growing number of permanent and freelance employees, volunteers and placements, researched and organised another eleven festivals including one 'Out of LIFT' season especially for young people. In the early years LIFT had to overcome a number of funding problems including almost having to cease trading in 1983 and the abolition of the Greater London Council in 1986. LIFT continued to present and commission work from all over the world; in the period 1981-2001 companies from over 60 countries participated in the festivals. LIFT presented theatre for a variety of audiences, both in conventional theatres and at unusual and different sites. Over the years work has been presented at places such as Bankside Power Station, the site for the LIFT, '93 Launch, Limehouse Basin, the site for Welfare State International's ‚'The Raising of the Titanic‚' LIFT, '83, and Euston Tower, the site for Deborah Warner's ‚'The Tower Project‚' in LIFT, '99. LIFT not only presented new theatre it also re-presented old or forgotten places in London. In 1991 LIFT piloted an Education and Community Programme in order to devise a long term strategy for working in this sector in the future. An Education Officer, Tony Fegan, was employed in 1993 and produced LIFT's first Education Programme for the 1993 festival called the BT LIFT Education Programme. By LIFT '95 the Learning Programme was integrated into the main programme of festival events and has remained so ever since. Festivals presented many education and community projects including ‚'Sang Song ‚' River Crossing‚' at LIFT, '93, 'Sirk Uzay‚' Celestial Circus‚' at LIFT, '95, and ‚'Utshob‚' in LIFT, '97. From early on LIFT, realising the potential for debate and learning that existed in the coming together of different cultures and countries included workshops and discussions in the festivals. LIFT, '93 launched the first Daily Dialogues and each festival had lectures or forums in addition to the main programme of events. Other projects grew out of LIFT, 's passion for learning and participation. In 1996 Phakama, an international arts exchange project for young people, was born, the first Business Arts Forum took place in 1995 and the Teachers Forum began in 1999. After twelve festivals LIFT decided to break with the traditional biennial festival format and enter the Enquiry period, a five-year venture to investigate theatre and present year round events.
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
Records relate to the organisation and running of LIFT festivals and other events from 1981-2001 and include material about the companies that performed, planning documents, directors' notebooks, technical and artistic documents, and research and marketing material. Records exist here that also show the history of the company since its inception and include board papers and funding documents. The photograph and video series includes promotional material from companies and documentation of festival events, and spans 1981-2001, as does the audio collection which mainly includes recordings of LIFT talks and discussions. There are also some objects in the collection that are related to LIFT events. A large collection of international festival programmes also spans 1981-2001 and print material such as programmes, flyers, and posters exists for this period also.
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material:
The majority of records are in English, other languages are documented where appropriate.
System of arrangement:
Documents have been ordered into sub-fonds by festival year 1981-2001, with four further sub-fonds for administration and cross-festival records, Out of LIFT records, non-festival events, and LIFT Enquiry records, two series also hold Director's Diaries and International Festival Programmes. All other media is separate from the documents, as it was when the archive was received for cataloguing, and it is arranged into six series: Photographs, Audio, Posters, Print, Video and Objects.
Conditions governing access:
Open access to the archive, some files are closed (subject to review) and some have restricted copies available in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.
Conditions governing reproduction:
Copyright owned by Lift unless otherwise identified. Permission must be sought from Copyright holders prior to any reproduction of material in this collection.
Physical characteristics:
Includes photographs, posters, audio-visual material and objects.
Finding aids:
Catalogued on CALM, http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/archive
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:
Appraised prior to deposit.
Accruals:
Further accruals are possible.
Archival history:
The archive was catalogued in 2007-8 during the 'Lift Living Archive' project, funded the the HLF, and deposited at Goldsmiths at the end of that project, in order to increase access to the archive.
Immediate source of acquisition:
Deposited in the Library at Goldsmiths by LIFT in 2008.
ALLIED MATERIALS
Existence and location of copies:
The website, the 'Lift Living Archive' http://www.liftfest.org.uk/LIFT-living-archive.aspx contains digital copies of selected documents from the archive.
Related material:
Also held are around 1,000 unique videos of drama sent to the organisers of the London International Festival of Theatre since 1984 by companies from around the world.
Publication note:
Rose de Wend Fenton and Lucy Neal (2005) 'The Turning World stories from the London International Festival of Theatre', Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Archivist's note:
Dates given after person names relate to their time with LIFT.
Description compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; and National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.
Date(s) of descriptions: 2008