News

The British Museum is working with The National Archives to improve how it adminsters its records. The move follows an internal audit which found it was "not compliant" with the Public Records Act.

The act governs the Place of Deposit system, through which archive services are appointed to preserve and provide access to public records. This is carried out on behalf of the Public Record Office, part of The National Archives.

According to The National Archives, a Place of Deposit “needs to meet basic standards of preservation, access and professional care for the type of public record held, the size of the collection and its use”. The British Museum is recognised as a Place of Deposit for its archives and written records.

The museum said in its annual report for 2023/24 that an internal audit had found that it was not compliant with the Public Records Act.

Furthermore, a report in The Sunday Times said the museum had committed an offence or breached the legislation, an allegation the museum has roundly rebutted.

A British Museum spokesman said: “The British Museum holds a historic archive of national significance, with a dedicated team overseeing its day to day management.

“The museum’s archive was awarded provisional accreditation by The National Archives (TNA) under the Archive Service Accreditation Standard and is working closely with TNA to reach full accreditation.”

A new guide is hoping to clarify issues around copyright and collaboration agreements when working on devised and collaborative theatre projects.

Created by the writers' union, the Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), Devised and collaborative theatre - a guide is available to download for free.

The 17-page guide covers a range of issues that can arise when working on projects with multiple writers – or even, in some cases, no clearly defined writer at all.

The areas covered include who counts as a writer; copyright, fees, royalties and definining percentage contributions; the importance of collaboration agreements; joint authorship and co-authorship; and what to do when a collaboration breaks down.

Writer, deviser, director and producer Jenifer Toksvig led the development of the guidelines. She said: "I’m very excited about this addition to the Guild’s amazing and comprehensive guidelines.

"Devised and collaboratively-made work is such a huge and magical area of theatre, and these guidelines will support and protect the writers and performers working in a collective space."

The new guide will be discussed at a free Edinburgh Festival Fringe event on Saturday 24 August. Writers who wish to attend can register here.

A theatre in Surrey that closed for safety reasons in 2023 is to remain shut with no current plans to reopen.

The Harlequin Theatre and Cinema in Redhill closed its doors last September due to the presence of RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete).

At a recent meeting of the Reigate and Banstead Borough Council executive, plans for the theatre to remain closed for the forseeable future were approved, with no alternative venue proposed.

The council has also agreed a reduction in theatre personnel to "a core team of two to three staff".

The remaining staff will be tasked with developing a business case "for a medium-term cultural offering for the borough".

Council Leader Richard Biggs said that despite the decision, the council's "commitment to the arts is not in question".

He continued: "We did not anticipate being in this situation. Since the building’s closure, officers have been working closely with external partners to establish the implications of RAAC and respective responsibilities, as well as working innovatively to ensure that some arts activities could continue, albeit not in the usual way.

"This decision recognises the need to use public money appropriately and therefore focus on developing sustainable plans for a future cultural offering while the Harlequin building remains closed."

The Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow, north-east London, is to undergo a £4.5m redesign that will add creative workspaces, increase exhibition space, and adapt its historic buildings and gardens.

Waltham Forest Council has given planning approval for the ‘deep reuse’ design proposed by architecture firm Studio Weave, which will see a modern ground-floor extension partly demolished and replaced with a single-storey extension.

The museum, which tells the story of Waltham Forest through a collection of more than 100,000 historical objects, will also be made more accessible, and a café and new event space will be added.

Director of Studio Weave, Eddie Blake, said the aim was "to open up the building, both practically and metaphorically, making Vestry House more accessible to the widest possible audience".

He added: "We see our role as part of a continuum, looking backwards as well as looking forwards. So the new structural elements are demountable, helping future generations to reuse them.

"Wherever the building allows, we have peeled back historic layers, revealing the history and engaging in a conversation across generations."

Waltham Forest Council is funding the work through its Levelling Up Fund programme.

Construction is expected to begin towards the end of 2024, with a scheduled reopening in early 2026.

A bid to keep a 450-seat venue in Hampshire that was operated without planning permission has been turned down.

The BBC reports that the Arden venue was constructed behind the existing Titchfield Festival Theatre in St Margaret's Lane, Titchfield, on land purchased in 2021.

Fareham Borough Council issued a Planning Enforcement Notice in November because the building only had consent to be used for storage.

The theatre appealed against that decision but the case was rejected by the Planning Inspectorate.

Titchfield Festival Theatre has now been told it has to stop using the venue for performances by 12 October and remove the stage and seating within seven months.

Ian Bastable, Vice chairman of the planning committee at Fareham Borough Council, said: "I am pleased to see the Planning Enforcement Notice has been upheld and the appeal dismissed.

"It seems extraordinary that, despite concerns raised by the council in connection with creating a large theatre here, the works still went ahead."

It could take up to five years to establish a new permanent home for Buxton Museum and Art Gallery, Derbyshire County Council has said.

The Buxton Advertiser reports that the museum was temporarily closed in June 2023 after dry rot was discovered in the building.

The council says the building is no longer viable due to the potential costs and length of time needed for us to bring it back into use as a modern-day museum and is putting it up for sale.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “We’re determined to see the collections displayed locally as soon as possible.

“Three to five years is the time we believe it could take to establish a new permanent home for Buxton Museum and Art Gallery and so plans are currently being developed for a museum service to be offered at alternative locations until a permanent home is found.”

“We can’t make any decisions about exactly how the temporary service will operate until a suitable building is secured, but potentially it could include a small temporary museum in the town as well as additional ‘pop-up’ displays at other venues."
 

Mentoring charity Arts Emergency is seeking volunteers from the creative and cultural sectors to join them as it expands its reach to help more young people.

Arts Emergency said its mentoring programme is designed to tackle inequalities within the creative industries at a grassroots level by pairing passionate young people with mentors who are established professionals in various creative fields.

The organisation says ideal candidates include artists, writers, designers, musicians, actors, curators, and other professionals in the arts and humanities from the London, Greater Manchester and Merseyside areas who can spare one hour a month to share their experience with young talent.

Neil Griffiths, CEO and Co-founder of Arts Emergency said: "No matter what you've achieved, someone at some time gave you a leg up, and Arts Emergency is thousands of people from across the cultural and creative industries doing just that for the next generation by donating money, time and contacts to help them get in and get on."