This collection contains the records of the Kirklees Theatre Trust prior to the establishment of the Lawrence Batley Theatre, and after. It also contains ephemera produced by visiting musicians and production companies.
The Community Outreach section contains records relating to the audience development programme, c.2000, which aimed to increase theatre attendance from under-represented groups including black and Asian people; and records of the Friends of the Lawrence Batley Theatre.
The Estates Management series contains minutes, correspondence, drawings and contracts relating to two major capital works programmes: the initial conversion of the building into a theatre, and the redevelopment of the North Wing into better rehearsal space. There is also one document relating to the 2004 redevelopment of 6-8 Queen Street. Photographs of the conversion works can be found in KTT/PTT/1.
The Productions section contains documents which were generated during the process of drafting, developing, rehearsing and staging various in-house productions, staged between 1993 and 2002. Documents include rehearsal schedules, audition contact sheets, draft scripts and musical scores.
The Fundraising records document the efforts of the Kirklees Theatre Trust to generate additional revenue through corporate sponsorship; grants from funding bodies; and donations from individuals through the ‘name a seat’ programme, ‘Gift Aid’ donations, and other schemes (1993-2004).
The Kirklees Theatre Trust Constitution and Committees section contains records generated by the official committees of the Kirklees Theatre Trust from 1991-2000. These incomplete series document the decisions made by the Trust and other stakeholders during the conversion and afterwards. Documents generated during the early 1980s, when the ABC cinema on Market Street was considered as a potential venue to house the theatre, are also featured here.
The Artistic Directorship section contains the working files of the first artistic director, Ron McAllister. He had creative input in many of the theatre’s home-grown productions, and also played a lead role in fundraising efforts. These files reflect his varied role, and feature correspondence relating to the staging of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, bids for grant funding, and the theatre’s creative partnership with the Hudawi Cultural Centre (1996-2000).
At the time of the conversion, the Methodist Church owned the freehold to the theatre building, but the leasehold belonged to the Council. The files in the Legal Affairs series relate to the management of this lease (1989-1997).
Researchers interested in how shows, concerts and events were brought to the attention of the public may wish to consult the publicity files within the Publicity and Marketing section, which contain marketing strategies, press releases and photographs of performers. Additional, loose publicity photographs can be found within KTT/PT/1. The Publicity and Marketing series also contains posters, brochures and programmes (1994-2016).
The Project Management section contains records generated during the lottery funded project to establish an archive of the Lawrence Batley Theatre. It is in this section that the scope of the archive widens, and programmes, press cuttings and other ephemera relating to the history of theatre in Huddersfield generally, and the history of the Lawrence Batley Theatre building are included. Oral history recordings and written reminiscences on these subjects are also present.