A grant from thespace.org has ensured that Falmouth University is able to preserve over 1,500 photographs, interviews, designs, programmes, footage and posters from Cornwall’s beloved Kneehigh Theatre Company. This is part of a new initiative to create a living and digital archive of materials from Kneehigh’s forty years as a leading theatre company in the UK.
Following Kneehigh’s closure in 2021, a special project was launched to ensure that the internationally renowned company’s cultural and educational legacy was preserved for future generations.
Building on the existing collection that the University’s archive team has held since 2010, archivists sought to ensure that key materials and records from Kneehigh were safeguarded and protected as part of a new interactive platform.
The digital platform carries a myriad of educational resources including photographs, programmes, posters, recordings, interviews and study guides which will be publicly available and accessible to the world from April 17th.
Kneehigh was an internationally recognised company with global reach. They toured across the world and pushed the boundary of how theatre was devised and performed, developing a multitude of productions and racking up critical acclaim throughout their 40-year history.
Their closure in 2021 sent shockwaves across the theatre community, but Falmouth's archivists were able to step in to ensure that production recordings, interviews, photographs, programmes, evaluation reports and behind the scenes content research and development materials would continue to thrive in a new digital repository.
Some of the beneficiaries of Kneehigh’s new digital home include Elaine Cox, from The Malling School in Kent. Like many drama teachers in the south west and beyond, she was an avid user of Kneehigh’s popular “Cookbook” teaching resource, due to Kneehigh being featured on the English curriculum.
Kneehigh’s “Cookbook” was an online teaching resource that helped educators and practitioners understand and teach Kneehigh’s dynamic brand of community-based, inclusive and experimental theatre. The resource was no longer accessible following Kneehigh’s closure. Thanks to the University’s archive and the launch of This is Kneehigh, these eclectic and inspiring records will once again be publicly available.
Hearing that the Kneehighs tips, tricks and secrets will now once again be fully accessible for other teachers across the globe via Kneehigh’s new digital home, The Malling School’s Performance Art Lead, Elaine Cox said:
“Students enjoy learning about a practitioner that is UK based and feel so connected to the landscape of Cornwall. There are many similarities between Cornwall and where we are live, particularly around tourism, and this helps with their understanding. We spend a long time looking at what was going on when Kneehigh started – politics, tourism in Cornwall etc. Over the years we’ve focused on Tristan and Yseult and The Flying Lovers, for which the Cookbook has been so important to support students with their work.
“Having a new home for the Kneehigh resources means we can continue to embed their work within what we teach and provide students with a more information than a general internet search can provide. We continue to embed Kneehigh within our work with key stage 4 and 5 students, and hope to continue doing that for a long time to come...”
Rikki Jackson is Head of Drama at Dorset’s Canford School. He has directed over 100 plays and musicals since joining the teaching profession and recently directed a School production of Kneehigh’s show Dead dog in a suitcase. He adds:
“Kneehigh told stories and they told them brilliantly. At the heart of all drama is the need to share stories using anything and everything that you have to hand. To once again have access to the resources Kneehigh shared in the Cookbook is a huge benefit to teachers who rightly see Kneehigh as one of the most important theatre companies of the last century and to students who yearn to bring theatre to life in a way that speaks to them in a holistic, theatrical manner...”
Archivist Sarah Jane, Falmouth University’s Archivist (Development Lead) outlines how it was important to preserve Kneehigh’s playful personality.
“It was important to us that Kneeghigh’s new digital home is an embodiment of Kneehigh’s colourful and energetic aesthetic, ethos and impressive cultural legacy. We’ve had a wonderful response so far to this collaboration. This is a valuable resource for students and teachers as well as Kneehigh friends and we’re pleased to be able to build on the project to support more teaching, research and practice in the future. Kneehigh’s story is not over, and we’re delighted to play a role in the next chapter. What a privilege it is to get these wonderful records out of their archive boxes and out into the world…”
Mike Shepherd, Kneehigh’s founder said:
“Kneehigh were a touring company that embraced and were embraced by the world for forty years. I’m delighted that there is an archive to tell the stories of that time and which myself and Kneehigh artists can continue to contribute to….long may the spirit live on !”
Past cast members in Kneehigh productions include actor Ncuti Gatwa, famous for his standout role in Netflix teen drama Sex Education – and soon to be the BBC’s new Doctor Who lead. Ncuti starred in Kneehigh’s ‘946’ in 2015.
Thisiskneehigh.co.uk will be live from 17 April and Mike Shepard will be sharing Kneehigh’s story in a talk / Q&A at St Austell’s Arts Theatre on the 21st April.
