Charis,
I can give you some information that certainly won't be definitive but 
from my practical knowledge- I was a composer and sound designer for 
about 18 years at many regional theatres on the west coast.

I think you'll find in practice that for theatrical productions the 
stage manager's prompt script will have long term value- it will contain 
the blocking for the actors, where light and sound cues were called and 
many special notes about what happened on stage and who was responsible 
for making things happen such as scenery flying in or out, main drape, 
etc. If the show is ever remounted using the original production 
elements the stage manager's copy of the script is the source document 
for the production.

Typically the designs such as scenery, costumes, lights, and audio are 
property of the designer however most contracts for designers specify 
that the theatre may re-use the design for a fee. I think prudence would 
dictate that copies of the designs for scenery and costumes be retained 
as well as the sound and light plots. The volume of documentation will 
not be too great.

Retention- theatres occasionally do a re-mount of a production but 
rarely in fewer than 5 years from the date of the original production 
and if it is with a new director then the designs are usually new as 
well so the retained documents might be used for reference but probably 
not. Most theatres have someone who keeps track of what shows have been 
performed, who the directors, designers, actors, and stage manager were, 
and other incidental bits of history and this information seems to be as 
long lived as the institution. I think you're right in thinking that 30 
years is too long but I'm going to defer to the people below as having 
some authority.

Bruce Sevy was the Artistic Director at the Denver Center for many years 
and may still be there. If he is he may be able to direct you to the 
production manager who could provide some guidance. You might also try 
contacting Mary Hunter at Yale School of Drama- she's chair of stage 
management there and knows as much as anyone I know about the production 
end of theatre.

Warmest Regards,
Steven M. Klein

Charis Wilson wrote:

>I'm trying to help a colleague who does not subscribe to this list.  She's
>working with an organization that manages a performing arts facility.
>Their friends organization is responsible for booking all the performances
>and collecting fees.  The organization she's working with has various
>records relating to the work they've done in relation to putting on the
>performances, i.e. lighting, stage requirements etc.
>
>She's getting conflicting feedback from the folks that work with the
>records as to how valuable the records are and how long to keep them.  One
>side essentially says, "they have no use once the performance is over, so
>throw them away".
>
>The other camp feels they have a useful life after the performance and they
>refer to them if the same group does a performance at a later date or they
>want to do something similar to the way so-and-so did their performance a
>couple of years ago.  That camp feels they should be kept for 30 years, but
>they have no backup supporting documentation as to why that is the correct
>period.
>
>The organization's current retention schedule does not even mention this
>records series.
>
>My personal feeling is that while the 30 years might be a bit excessive,
>the throw it away at the end of the production is a bit too short.
>
>We've searched and found references to performing arts records in relation
>to universities but those records seem to relate more to productions put on
>by students as part of their curriculum, so they don't seem to fit.
>
>Has anyone ever come across records of a similar nature?
>
>As always, any and all assistance is greatly appreciated.
>____________________
>Charis Wilson, MLS, CRM
>Records Manager / FOIA Officer
>National Park Service - DSC
>Technical Information Center
>PO Box 25287, Denver, CO   80225-0287
>303-969-2959
>
>List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
>Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
>
>
>  
>

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance