January 28 2026

Preserving 47 years of Theatre Making

Our move to new premises in Penryn required a massive sort out of props, costumes and documents and prompted a thoughtful look at our past and at everything that has been built over nearly five decades of touring theatre. Over 47 years, the company has created more than 70 productions, and alongside the shows themselves sits an extraordinary archive of scripts, rehearsal drafts, posters, photographs, tour records, programmes and early paperwork from the company’s beginnings. Together, these materials tell the story not just of individual productions, but of how a theatre company grows, adapts and survives.

We have been fortunate to welcome Mel Chetwood, who has volunteered her time, to work through the records and create an archive for Miracle Theatre. Mel brings a deep understanding of archiving through her work at Shakespeare’s Globe, London. The Globe’s archives document not only productions, but also its architectural history, original practices in costume making for example and the work of countless theatre practitioners who have shaped its identity. It is a place where performance, research and history meet, and where even the smallest details help tell a wider story. 

With the time Mel has so generously offered, she is helping to ensure that Miracle Theatre’s material is carefully catalogued and preserved for the long term.  Once in order, the company’s archive will be housed at Kresen Kernow, Cornwall’s dedicated archive centre in Redruth. Home to the largest collection of Cornish history in the world, Kresen Kernow cares for documents, photographs and records spanning more than 850 years. It exists to preserve Cornwall’s stories and make them accessible for future generations, making it a fitting home for Miracle’s archive.

All materials are being stored in conservation grade boxes, with photographs, recordings and music gradually being digitised. It is detailed and careful work, but essential if the history of the company is to be preserved for future theatre practitioners, researchers and audiences.

Archiving is about understanding the history of an organisation and recognising the value of the creative process itself. At Miracle, this means preserving everything from early letters and funding requests to touring records and rehearsal notes.  During her time working on the archive, Mel has particularly enjoyed uncovering annotated scripts, where the development of a production can be seen written directly into the margins. These notes reveal ideas being tested, decisions being shaped and moments evolving in real time. Many of the scripts are marked up by director Bill Scott, offering a rare insight into how productions were formed and refined.

For Mel, they capture the creative heartbeat of a company rather than just its finished output. “What has stood out most is the continuity running through the material,” she observed. “While printing methods and presentation have changed over the years, the imagination, energy and collaborative spirit behind the work remain constant. The archive captures that story, preserving not just what was made, but how and why it was created, ensuring that Miracle’s creative legacy is not lost.”

Huge thank you to Mel for her work shaping the archive.