Any volunteers?

When promoters ‘buy-in’ our shows it’s on the understanding that whilst we will provide the actors, set and stage management, they will put up posters, sell tickets and round up a posse of local volunteers to run the bar and generally make the evening go with a swing. It’s a Big Society-style system that has worked for the past 30 years.

When it comes to site-specific shows and performances at our own theatre it’s a similar deal. With only one paid member of front of house staff, the Christmas schedule just wouldn’t work without our volunteer ‘Angels’ to tear tickets and sell coffees and Cornettos. In return, they are offered free tickets and a programme credit but, more importantly, they get to spend the evening in the company of other like-minded volunteers and know that their contribution is really valued. Many also become members of our friends scheme or donate through our new philanthropic Copperfield Programme.

It’s not just about getting something for nothing. It’s a concrete way of engaging with the community, giving local people the chance to feel part of your work. Finding front of house helpers is one thing, but now Eastern Angles has embarked on a project with a much higher level of volunteer engagement, which will stretch our powers of persuasion to the limit. Eastern Angles and Peterborough Archive Service (under the auspices of Peterborough’s new Cultural Trust, Vivacity) have set up a three-year initiative exploring and creatively interpreting Peterborough’s history from 1968 to 2008.

‘Forty Years On’ will require more than 100 volunteers to catalogue material which will form the basis of a documentary-style touring production, ‘The Peterborough Effect’. The volunteers will archive records, reinterpret the evidence and flag up interesting documents for our playwright. Participants will also conduct and transcribe more than 150 oral history interviews, charting three waves of immigration from London’s overspill families and established immigrant groups to recent European arrivals.
As a climax, we will stage a community play requiring a further group of volunteers willing to perform on stage or work backstage and in stage management. In total, the volunteer element will contribute £123,750, based on 825 days given over three years. So who will help us make it happen? “The image of a volunteer archivist is someone holed-up in a windowless room, poring over dusty old documents,” says Anna Sexton, Peterborough’s Head Archivist. “Actually, that image pretty accurate, but, those box files of paperwork will contain some real gems – snippets of information that will shed light on the development of our city and provide the inspiration for some fascinating drama. I’m really passionate about the power of archive material – it’s a primary source, first-hand documentation. I hope potential volunteers will find the prospect of sifting through this stuff as exciting as I do.” Cara Baker, Vivacity’s Volunteer Development Manager, is equally positive: “Believe it or not, cataloguing is really popular; it’s the thing that most volunteers sign up for. To help encourage participation we’ll be introducing an accreditation system giving a series of awards according to how many hours people put in.” For Eastern Angles’ Artistic Director, Ivan Cutting, the potential for community involvement is one of the most exciting aspects of the project: “We have a long tradition of making theatre informed by local oral history. With Forty Years On we’ll be training-up volunteers and asking them to do a lot of the research. This is the interesting bit – whether they are frustrated archivists, interviewers or performers there will be space for them. The great thing is everyone can get involved.”