In 1996, Sydney Theatre Company was the first performing arts company in Australia to establish its own dedicated archives' repository to house its corporate records, and to employ a trained archivist.

STC Archives collects and preserves significant records created by or for STC and makes them available to researchers for reference.

STC has produced over 1,400 plays, workshops, playreadings and events since inception in 1978. Archived material and information is used in the daily operation of the Company, and adds to the heritage of performing arts in Australia.

There are two main groups of records:

Administrative records including annual reports, minutes of meetings, licences, contracts, departmental operating files,  correspondence, etc.; and

Production information found in season brochures, programs, posters, archival recordings, production photographs, reviews, prompt copies, scripts, designs for sets, props, costumes, lighting and sound, etc. (Please note: amount and variety of material differs from play to play.)

STC Archives is open to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10am and 5pm, by appointment with the archivist, Judith Seeff. Telephone (02) 9250 1745 or email jseeff@sydneytheatre.com.au

Access is available to most records, some material may be copied, archival recordings of productions may not be borrowed or copied, but may be viewed, by appointment. Costs: research service fee $10; photocopies $0.30 a page; photographs, upon application. Limited searches can be conducted for remote researchers or those unable to come in to the archives.

STC is grateful for the support of the STC Pier Group and the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation in the establishment and subsequent refurbishment of the archives.

Visiting The Wharf?

The Walkway Project, curated by Tania Kelley, is a retrospective of Sydney Theatre Company production photographs, dating from the Interim Season of the Company in 1979 to the present.  Designed to be an evolving exhibition, The Walkway Project is a testament to the creativity of the Company and its commitment to its history, and would not have been possible without the generous support of Ian Darling.