The conference marks the conclusion of the ARTHE – Archiving Theatre project, funded by the FCT over the past three years, and proposes a reflection on the preservation and transmission of performing arts archives. The project enabled the study of archives from various Portuguese theatre companies, analyzing their role in cultural memory and contemporary artistic practices.
The event will discuss the care of theatrical materials of different kinds—costumes, audiovisual records, photographs, scenography, and documents and the importance of ensuring their safeguarding and use as an active part of artistic creation. Additionally, it will explore the potential of these archives in rethinking post-25 April cultural history, highlighting the need for institutional and collective actions to guarantee their continuity.
The program includes interventions by experts such as Hélia Marçal (museology and heritage), Luís Trindade (cultural history), and Luís Castro (performer and co-director of KARNART), as well as presentations by researchers in the field and roundtables with representatives from institutional archives and members of the ARTHE team.
There will also be visits to the exhibition on theatre, censorship, and democracy, organized by Torre do Tombo, and to the KARNART space, which houses an archive and museum dedicated to the performingn arts.
The event aims to foster a broad debate on the future of theatre archives, promoting the exchange of knowledge between researchers, artists, and cultural managers, while encouraging practices of care and preservation that ensure their historical and artistic relevance.
Date and venue: Torre do Tombo National Archives, 5th, 6th and 7th February 2025
