A collection of theatre programmes covering performances by Dame Judi Dench, Sir John Gielgud and Lord Olivier has been unveiled at the University of Glamorgan.
The collection contains over 2,500 UK theatre programmes from the late 1940’s until the 1990’s and has been donated to the University by the family of Henry Evans. Henry Evans and his family are connected to the University through a relative, Richard Rowson, who was for many years the University’s Head of Philosophy.
Professor Steve Blandford said, “We are very grateful to the family of Henry Evans for the kind donation of this collection of his programmes which demonstrates his passion for the theatre and the many varied productions he enjoyed in 56 years of theatre going.
“Many of the programmes contain a wealth of research material about the particular performance, the company or theatre history in general. They also offer a case study in the way that the design of programmes and theatre publicity in general changed rapidly in the days before websites became such a dominant force.”
The variety of productions Henry Evans saw included plays of George Bernard Shaw, adaptations of the Dickens books and the political dramas of David Hare, but he particularly enjoyed the works of Shakespeare, never missing a performance of Hamlet.
The range of his interests also encompassed visiting companies from Japan, Africa and Spain to name but three. When travelling abroad he attended live productions e.g. classical Greek plays in Greece and Cyprus (performed in Greek).
The collection also contains programmes from the Old Vic and the many Shakespeare plays performed there by actors such as Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Paul Schofield, Sybil Thorndike, together with a young Judi Dench as Juliet.
The programmes are housed in glass cases in the Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries library in the Atrium building, and will be accessible to students and researchers via the library issue desk.
The collection was launched at a reception attended by members of Henry Evans’ family at the University’s Atrium campus on Tuesday 14th December.
