Kenneth Rea Papers on Director Training

The collection includes a copy of the Director's Training enquiry’s completed report, the submitted questionnaires and accompanying letters from directors, material on director training and courses in the UK and overseas, and material relating to the seminar which was held during the enquiry.

Kenneth Rea was appointed as researcher to a project designed to investigate the training of directors for theatre, film and television. The enquiry was set up by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 1987, with most of the survey work conducted by questionnaire and site visits during 1988. The research culminated in a report produced in May 1989, A Better Direction: an enquiry into the training of directors for theatre, film and television. The enquiry was chaired by Professor Edward Braun, Head of Drama at Bristol University and Chairman of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre. Members of the enquiry included Mike Alfreds, Paul Bassett, Yvonne Brewster, Sheila Kelly, Mike Leigh, Adrian Noble and Chrissie Poulter. Ian Brown, Drama Director of the Arts Council acted as an advisor to the enquiry. A questionnaire was sent to every known director in Britain.

This archive collection is available for consultation in the V&A Blythe House Archive and Library Study Room by appointment only. Full details of access arrangements may be found here: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/archives/.

Access to some of the material may be restricted. These are noted in the catalogue where relevant.

Information on copying and commercial reproduction may be found here: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/archives/.

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

No further accruals are expected.

See also the core collections of the V&A Department of Theatre and Performance. Material relating to Theatre direction in the 20th and 21st century, as well as the details of Kenneth Rea's own productions in general may be found in several collections, including the biographical, productions, company and photographs files.

Please ask for details.