Black Theatre and the Archive: Exploring the Gaps

What does a timeline of Black British theatre history look like? Where does it start and who gets to decide?
What traditions have shaped Black British theatre and where can we find collections of Black theatre manuscripts?
How does our access to these histories shape what plays are studied, performed and written today?
How does the history of Yorkshire feature in these narratives? What stories can we tell of regional impact and touring?
How do genre, class and race contribute to absences in the archive, and how can we combat this?

This Wiki workshop aims to expand and amplify knowledge produced by and about Black theater makers in the twentieth century. At this Wiki editing workshop, you will receive training on creating and editing wiki pages in order to communicate the hidden gaps of Black history in British theatre making of the twentieth century. You will also be invited to explore resources that can enable better citation justice for BIPOC knowledge producers, and greater access to archive collections documenting Black British histories. With expert support from Wikimedians and researchers alike, this is an unmissable opportunity to improve Wikipedia for the better.

Two workshops will run: you do not need to attend both, though you are welcome to join us for as long as you would like. This booking is for a space on the MORNING session, 9am to 12.30pm.

We are delighted to welcome Joe Williams, of the Heritage Corner Project and Black History Walks Leeds, as our guest speaker. Joe will present over the lunch break, so that participants from both sessions may attend. His talk is entitled ‘Sankofa Yorkshire’. You should book your space at Joe's talk separately using this link.

Black Theatre and the Archive: Exploring the Gaps [Morning Session]