Theatre collections

The Templeman Library's theatre collections comprise a number of large and varied archives of theatrical texts, ephemera, documents and images. They include:

• Bigwood Collection: small collection of material associated with the comedian George Bigwood and the Britannia Thatre, Hoxton
• Boucicault Collections: two collections of material related to the Irish dramatist, actor and theatre manager
• Charles Dickens Theatre Collection: composite collection containing materials relating to performances of Charles Dickens' work
• Copeau Archive: material by and about the French theatre director, actor and dramatist Jacques Copeau
• Melville Collection: unique archive of a major theatre dynasty
• Pettingell Collection: large collection of mainly playtexts assembled by the actor Frank Pettingell, many annotated by the comic actor Arthur Williams
• Reading Rayner Collection: books, pamphlets, and periodicals relating to the performing arts
• Rood Collection: books on and by Edward Gordon Craig and his associates
• Joan Wake Collection of French Plays
• Arthur Williams Collection: photographs and personal documents of the comic actor
• Edward Woodward Collection: memorabilia of the theatre and TV actor

All our programmes and playbills from a number of different sources form the Programme Collection and the Playbill Collection.