Catalogue Help
NT Performance Database and Archive Catalogue Help Page
NT Archive Catalogue Search
General catalogue searching hints and tips
NT Performance Database Search
Finding What you want in the Catalogue
N.B. All search screens work the same way
You may enter your search words in upper or lower case.
· You may search by Keyword(s), Reference (document reference number) and Date.
· The more boxes that you fill in the more precise your search becomes.
· You can enter a single word in the Keyword(s) box but this could produce a very long hitlist. If you enter a phrase, the hitlist will contain all records where the words occur in exactly that order; for example, 'Theatre Plans'.
· If you wish to locate records where these words occur separately within the same entry, go to Word Options at the bottom of screen and change 'Phrase' to 'And' by clicking in the blank circle. This will find 'Plans' of 'Theatre' etc.
· Using the Date field will narrow the hitlist further. You can search for documents for a specific year or over a period. If you search for documents for a specific year your search results will include not only catalogue entries with that exact date but also those covering the period in which that date falls. For example, a search for 1968 will also include :
1960s
1960-1970
If you already have the reference number of the document you need you can enter it in the Reference box.
· When you have completed as many boxes as you can, click on the Search button.
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General catalogue searching hints and tips
· When searching for a person, enter the Christian name first ('William Shakespeare'). However, this will not pick up 'W. Shakespeare', 'William A. Shakespeare' etc. and you may prefer to enter just the surname.
· Person and place names may vary in spelling and so you may need to try alternatives in order to find all relevant records
· If you do not get the results you expected, check your spelling or try a simpler, less specific, search. If you still cannot find what you are looking for, please contact the Archive via the contact information on the Archive WebPages.
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Wildcard Searches
The asterisk (*) can be used to make your search more flexible, for example:
· subjects:
'drama*' will find 'dramaturge', 'dramatic' etc.
· variant person and place names:
'M*rston' will find 'Merston', 'Marston' etc.,
'Shak*' will find 'Shakespeare', 'Shakspere' etc.
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Catalogue Hitlist
Your search will provide you with a list of results in three columns:
Hit list number - which is underlined: 1 etc.
Title - gives an idea of the type of document in which the reference occurs
Date - gives the date of the Press Night for the relevant performance or the exact date of creation for other material
Series - gives the series of records to which the item belongs e.g. Programme, Production Photographs etc.
Clicking on Title, Date or Series will rearrange the hitlist accordingly.
· The total number of pages in the hitlist is given at the top of the display, each page containing ten records.
· To move around the list, use the 'Next', 'Previous', 'First' and 'Last' links at the top of the screen
· You can view more detailed document descriptions by clicking on the hit list numbers on the left of screen. The numbers at the top of the entry now represent the total number of records in the hitlist rather than number of pages. [Note: If only one record was retrieved, you will have been presented with the full document description immediately].
· You can view details of the next or previous records in the hit list by using the links at the top of the screen. The [+10] and [-10] links will take you forward or back 10 items in the hitlist.
· To return to the hitlist, click on 'First' and then '1 of ****', or use the 'back' button on the menu bar of your browser. You can select the search option on the menu bar (on the left of the screen) at any time to begin a new search .
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NT Archives are acquired in 'series' from departments of the theatre. Each series is given a code (e.g., RNT/PR) and the sub-series and items within it catalogued accordingly: RNT/PR/2/2 etc. Cataloguing in this way allows you to understand the context in which the item was created.
To view the location of a record within the structure of the catalogue
· Click on the RefNo at the bottom of the entry. This will bring up a full entry for your record, and will give the reference number for the collection it is in top left (RNT/PR/2/2). If your selected record is part of a section or sub-section these will also be shown.
· If there are no sections or sub-sections shown, click on the collection number to bring up a summary description of the whole collection, with the records within it listed below. You can then browse the part of the catalogue where your record occurs by clicking on the appropriate codes. To move from each record back to the list, click on the collection number or use the 'Back' button on your browser.
· If there are sections shown, click on the section number to bring up a summary description of that section, with the records within it listed below. You can then browse the section of the catalogue in which your selected record occurs by clicking on the appropriate numbers. To move from each record back to the list, click on the section number, or the 'Back' button on your browser. If your selected record occurs within a sub-section, use the same procedure to browse.
· The simplest way to retrace your steps to your original hit list is to use the 'Back' button on your browser, although if you have been browsing for long, this could take some time. Alternatively, you can select the Search Catalogue option on the menu strip and begin again.
Consulting the records
If you wish to consult any of the items you have located, details of the opening hours and access requirements for the National Theatre Archive can be found on the contact page of the Archive website.
Copies
Inquiries concerning photocopies, photographs and searches, can be made by letter, telephone or email, see the contact page on the How to get in Touch page.
Further Help
Should you require any further assistance with the Catalogue please contact the Archive via the contact information on the contact information on the Archive WebPages.
NT Performance Database Search
This database contains information about productions by the NT from 1963 to the present.
Complete cast lists and production teams have been entered and are searchable by person, role, venue, play title and year. The entries on the NT Performance Database link directly with the archive catalogue so that users can navigate from the details of a production straight to a hitlist of catalogue records relating to that production.
To find information about a production:
· Select Performance Search and enter all or part of a play title in the Title field. Whole words must be used, but see section on wildcard searches below.
· If more than one title is found, select the title required from the list.
· Select the performance required by clicking on the number in the left-hand column. A list of productions is displayed in date order.
· Select one of the productions. The full performance record is displayed, including cast and (where listed) review details.
· Clicking on the underlined names brings up details of all the roles performed by an actor or member of the production team in NT productions.
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Name and Role Searches
To find details of people or roles:
· Select Roles and enter a name and/or a role. The name box is for personal names of actors, directors, designers etc. Whole words are searched. Entering Richard will find people whose first or surname is Richard, but not Ralph Richardson. Roles are normally listed as they appear in the programme, though major roles are standardized. A list of matching names and productions is displayed.
· Clicking on View brings up the performance record as above.
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Venue and Year Searches
To find details of productions in a particular venue, or in a given year:
· Select Performance Search and enter details in the search boxes. Main venues are listed in the Venue Field. A list of productions is displayed in date order. To put the list in order by one of the other columns e.g. Venue, click on the heading of the column.
· Select one by clicking View. The full performance record is displayed, including cast and (where listed) review details. Clicking on the underlined names brings up details of all the roles by an actor or member of the production team in NT productions.
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Wildcard searches
Wildcard searches can be used in any of the search boxes searching text fields. For example a search for mid* in the Play search box will call up titles containing the words midsummer, midnight and middle. A search for Richard* in the names search box will call up people whose first name or surname is Richard as well as people with the surnames Richards and Richardson.
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