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THM/31 - Sir Michael Redgrave Archive
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Sir Michael Redgrave Archive

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This material is held at V&A Museum: Department of Theatre and Performance
Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31
Dates of Creation1890-1996
Name of CreatorSir Michael Redgrave
Language of Material English
Physical Description 204 boxes (1411 files)

Scope and Content

Scripts for plays in which Michael Redgrave appeared, as well as a number of typescripts for the various readings and recordings which he made throughout his career.

Administrative / Biographical History

Michael Redgrave was born on 20 March 1908, the child of actors Margaret (Daisy) Scudamore and Roy Redgrave. He studied at Cambridge University before becoming a teacher of modern languages at Cranleigh School, Surrey, where he spent much of his time directing and acting in amateur dramatic productions. His professional acting career began at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1934, where he met and married actress Rachel Kempson. They had three children, Vanessa, Corin, and Lynn, who later went on to have distinguished acting careers of their own. In 1936 Michael Redgrave joined the Old Vic where he played several prominent roles, including Orlando to Dame Edith Evans' Rosalind in As You Like It.

Redgrave moved into films in 1938, starring in Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes. He went on to have a long film career, with films including The Dam Busters, The Browning Version, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Mourning Becomes Electra, for which he received an Oscar nomination. He continued to have equal success on the stage, taking leading Shakespearean roles with The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company (later the Royal Shakespeare Company) at Stratford-upon-Avon, as well as principal parts in plays in London and on Broadway . His prolific stage career continued well into his sixties, and he continued to work despite the onset of Parkinson's disease, touring throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and South Africa.

The author of several books and plays, Michael Redgrave was involved in virtually all aspects of the Theatre, directing the opening festival of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford and becoming president of Questors Theatre, London. He was appointed Commander of the British Empire in 1952 and Knighted in 1959. He died in 1985 after a long battle against Parkinson's disease.

Arrangement

The original working order of this archive had largely been lost. It has therefore been divided into 16 series:

  • THM/31/1 - Scrapbooks and photograph albums
  • THM/31/2 - Photographs, negatives, and slides
  • THM/31/3 - Correspondence
  • THM/31/4 - Diaries and notebooks
  • THM/31/5 - Articles, lectures and publications
  • THM/31/6 - Scripts and typescripts of readings
  • THM/31/7 - Contracts
  • THM/31/8 - Financial records
  • THM/31/9 - Sound recordings
  • THM/31/10 - Images: posters, playbills and drawings
  • THM/31/11 - Books
  • THM/31/12 - Programmes and brochures
  • THM/31/13 - Press cuttings
  • THM/31/14 - Sheet music
  • THM/31/15 - Magazines
  • THM/31/16 - Miscellaneous

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is available for consultation in the V&A Department of Theatre and Performance's Reading Room, which is located at Blythe House, 23 Blythe Rd, Olympia, London, W14 0QX. The Reading Room is open Tuesday to Friday between 10.15 am and 4.30 pm. Access to it is by appointment only. To request an appointment please email tmenquiries@vam.ac.uk or telephone 020 7942 2698.

Access to some of these files may be restricted. These are identified at file level.

Conditions Governing Use

Archive material may not be photocopied. Arrangements can be made to photograph material in the reading room using non-flash photography.

Appraisal Information

This collection was appraised in line with the collection management policy.

Acquisition Information

The Sir Michael Redgrave Archive was acquired, catalogued, and conserved with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund. Further funding for acquisition of the Sir Michael Redgrave Archive was given by the Friends of the National Libraries. The archive was purchased from Rachel Kempson (Lady Redgrave) in 2000.

Custodial History

The archive was drawn together from various different sources prior to its sale to the Theatre Museum, including Rachel Kempson, Vanessa Redgrave, Corin Redgrave, Beattie and Co. (family solicitor), Mrs Joan Hirst (former secretary), and Anne Hutton Management.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Related Material

See also V&A Department of Theatre and Performance Core Collections: material relating to Michael Redgrave may be found in several collections, including biographical file, production files, company files and photographs. Please ask for details.

Bibliography

Findlater, Richard, Michael Redgrave, Actor. London: Heinemann, 1956. 170p., ill.

Kempson, Rachel, A Family and its Fortunes / Rachel Kempson, Lady Redgrave. London: Duckworth, 1986. 242p., [32]p. of plates, ill.

Redgrave, Corin, Michael Redgrave, My Father. London: R. Cohen, 1995. xiii, 176p., [16]p. of plates, ill., ports.

Redgrave, Michael, Sir, The Actor's Ways and Means. London: Heinemann, 1953. 90p., plates.

Redgrave, Michael, Sir, In My Mind's Eye. An Autobiography. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1983. viii, 256p., [24]p. of plates. ill. ports.

Redgrave, Michael, Sir, Mask or Face; Reflections in an Actor's Mirror. London: Heinemann, 1958. 188p., ill.

Redgrave, Michael, Sir, Mountebank's Tale. London: Heinemann, 1959. 135p.

Personal Names

Redgrave, Sir Michael Scudamore. ( 1908-1985)
Redgrave, Vanessa. ( 1937-)
Kempson, Rachel. ( 1910-2003)
Scudamore, Margaret. ( 1884-1958)
Redgrave, Lynn. ( 1943-2010)
Redgrave, Corin. ( 1939-2010)

Family Names

Redgrave family.

Corporate Names

Royal Shakespeare Company

Geographical Names

Old Vic Theatre, London, England Google Maps
Questors Theatre, London, England Google Maps
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guilford, England Google Maps

Cataloguing Info

TitleSir Michael Redgrave Archive
Sub-titleCatalogue of records in the Victoria & Albert Museum: Department of Theatre and Performance
AuthorCatalogued by Alexia Kirk
Revisions
November 2008
  • Converted to EAD 2002 by Guy Baxter using Altova XMLSpy v2007
November 2008
  • Access restrictions updated by Guy Baxter.

Scrapbooks and photograph albums

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1
Dates of Creation1901-1979
Physical Description 87 volumes

Scope and Content

Scrapbooks, mainly relating to the career of Sir Michael Redgrave, but also including those relating to Rachel Kempson and Margaret Scudamore. These contain press cuttings, reviews, programmes, letters and photographs. The series also contains photograph albums which include photographs of productions as well as personal photographs of the Redgrave family and their friends.

Arrangement

The series is divided into four sub-series:

  • THM/31/1/1 - Scrapbooks relating to Sir Michael Redgrave
  • THM/31/1/2 - Scrapbooks relating to Margaret Scudamore
  • THM/31/1/3 - Scrapbooks relating to Rachel Kempson
  • THM/31/1/4 - Photograph Albums

Scrapbooks relating to Sir Michael Redgrave

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1
Dates of Creation1923-1979
Physical Description 61 volumes

Scope and Content

Scrapbooks mainly relating to the career of Michael Redgrave, from his early amateur performances at Clifton College and Cranleigh School, to the tours of Shakespeare's People which he undertook in the latter years of his life. The scrapbooks contain mainly newspaper cuttings, but also some photographs, programmes, and letters.

The sub-series also includes a scrapbook which relates to the Redgrave family as a whole, including cuttings relating to the early careers of Vanessa, Corin and Lynn Redgrave.

Arrangement

The scrapbooks are arranged in chronological order.

Scrapbook relating to Michael Redgrave's performances at Clifton College (1923-25), ADC Theatre (1926-32), and Cranleigh School (1932-33)

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/1
Dates of Creation1923-1933

Scrapbook relating to Michael Redgrave's performances at the Liverpool Playhouse

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/2
Dates of Creation1936 Feb-1937 Jan

Scrapbook relating to various performances by Michael Redgrave

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/3
Dates of Creation1937

Scrapbook relating to The White Guard, Twelfth Night, and the Family Reunion, at the Phoenix Theatre

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/4
Dates of Creation1938-1939

Scrapbook relating to Beggar's Opera and Thunder Rock

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/5
Dates of Creation1940

Scrapbook containing cuttings relating to Michael Redgrave

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/6
Dates of Creation1942 Jul-1943 Sept

Scrapbook relating to Thunder Rock, The Way to the Stars, and Dead of Night

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/7
Dates of Creation1942-1945

Scrapbook containing cuttings relating to Michael Redgrave's 'Critics and Contemporaries'

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/8
Dates of Creation1943-1944

Scrapbook containing cuttings relating to Michael Redgrave in Uncle Harry

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/9
Dates of Creation1944

Scrapbook relating to Jacobowsky and the Colonel

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/10
Dates of Creation1945

Scrapbook relating to The Captive Heart, The Years Between, and The Man Within

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/11
Dates of Creation1946

Scrapbook relating to Macbeth and The Father

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/12
Dates of Creation1947-1949

Scrapbook relating to the performances in New York of Macbeth

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/13
Dates of Creation1948

Scrapbook relating to A Woman in Love, and The Father

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/14
Dates of Creation1949 Jan- June

Scrapbook relating to the season at the Old Vic

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/15
Dates of Creation1949-1950

Scrapbook relating to the Hamlet Continental Tour

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/16
Dates of Creation1950

Scrapbook relating to Le Martyr de St Sebastien, The Seventh Man, Michael Redgrave's CBE, and other miscellaneous cuttings

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/17
Dates of Creation1950-1954

Scrapbook relating to the season at Stratford-Upon-Avon

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/18
Dates of Creation1951

Scrapbook relating to the season at Stratford-Upon-Avon

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/19
Dates of Creation1951

Scrapbook relating to The Browning Version

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/20
Dates of Creation1951

Scrapbook relating to The Browning Version, Mourning becomes Electra, and A Lady Vanishes

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/21
Dates of Creation1951-1952

Scrapbook relating to Winter Journey and Uranium

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/22
Dates of Creation1952

Scrapbook relating to The Magic Box and The Importance of Being Earnest

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/23
Dates of Creation1952-1953

Scrapbook containing cuttings relating to Michael Redgrave's projects in New York

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/24
Dates of Creation1952-1953

Scrapbook relating to the season at Stratford-Upon-Avon

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/25
Dates of Creation1953

Scrapbook relating to the season at Stratford-Upon-Avon

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/26
Dates of Creation1953

Scrapbook relating to the books The Actor's Ways and Means, Talking of Shakespeare, Michael Redgrave - Actor, and The Player Kings by Richard Findlater

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/27
Dates of Creation1953 -1971

Scrapbook relating to The Night my Number Came Up, Confidential Report, Oh! Rosalinda, and including photographs of Macbeth in New York

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/28
Dates of Creation1954-1955

Scrapbook relating to the Redgrave family, including cuttings relating to Sight and Sound, Hamlet ( Denmark), Edinburgh Festival, Oscar Wilde Centenary Luncheon, Royal Film Performance, Night of 100 Stars, British Theatre Museum, Questors Theatre, National Theatre, The Mask and the Man, Shakespeare - Soul of an Age and other performances

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/29
Dates of Creation1954-1964

Scrapbook relating to The Green Scarf, The Sea Shall not Have Them, 1984

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/30
Dates of Creation1954-1956

Scrapbook relating to Tiger at the Gates ( London and New York), and A Month in the Country ( New York)

Reference Number(s)GB 71 THM/31/1/1/31
Dates of Creation1955-1956
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