We had been very saddened final week to be taught of the demise of the actor, director and archivist, Murray Melvin (1932-2023) on the 14th April. Murray had an extended affiliation with the Library over various years and we had been at all times grateful to him for sharing his information and reminiscences with us, in addition to being such good firm. With that in thoughts we wish to have a good time Murray’s life and work right now and particularly to focus on the best way by which he labored to create and protect the archive of the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
Murray had an extended and distinguished profession together with time spent within the theatre firm, Theatre Workshop, below the visionary director, Joan Littlewood. Murray joined the corporate in 1957, as a scholar and ASM (Assistant Stage Manager…or ‘dogsbody’ as Murray referred to as himself). He went on to play Geoffrey in A Taste of Honey (each on stage and movie), and acted in different important Littlewood productions The Hostage, The Quare Fellow and Oh! What a Lovely War. His later profession included movies akin to Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon and Alfie with Michael Caine, and appearances in tv sequence together with Torchwood and The Avengers.
Murray Melvin supervising the Theatre Workshop Archive being transported by van to the British Library in 2020. Photo with type permission of Karen Fisher
Theatre Workshop remained essential to Murray for the remainder of his life and he was notably involved concerning the legacy of the corporate and its director, Joan Littlewood. Littlewood’s firm had developed out of agit-prop theatre within the Nineteen Thirties, formalised itself as Theatre Workshop in 1945 earlier than settling completely in Stratford in 1953. As effectively as preserving this historical past, Murray additionally cared an ideal deal concerning the historical past of the Theatre Royal constructing and of its location in Stratford, East London, and what the theatre symbolised and meant to the area people.Â
Over the course of thirty years, Murray set about gathering archive materials that was already held at Theatre Royal bringing it collectively in Littlewood’s personal workplace and re-housing and itemizing it.
But he didn’t cease there. Melvin additionally used his in depth contacts, and an advert within the paper, to encourage others with related materials to think about donating it to him on the theatre. It is a becoming tribute to the love and belief that folks positioned in Murray that so many had been keen to take action.
The archive that Melvin created is outstanding—from the historical past of the constructing within the late 19th century, to a document of each manufacturing all the best way to 2017.
The Theatre Workshop Archive in its new residence on the British Library
In 2020, the Theatre Workshop Archive was donated to the Library with the help of Murray, the theatre and its trustees. It was an ideal supply of delight and satisfaction to Murray that the archive ought to come to the Library and it’s a beneficiant reward that the Library is extremely grateful for.
The archive joins Joan Littlewood’s private archive, which was acquired in 2015 from her property. Together these archives include over 1000 information and supply an unparalleled perception into Theatre Workshop and the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
Murray Melvin was a kind of folks that it was at all times a pleasure to work with. His dedication because the archivist of the Theatre Workshop Archive was tireless, but it surely was additionally joyful and charming. He not solely introduced collectively the archive but it surely clearly gave him nice pleasure to see others utilizing it and he was at all times prepared to inform a wealthy and vibrant story on any side that caught curiosity, in addition to help curators and colleagues on the British Library in any question they may have. We will miss him tremendously and at all times bear in mind him fondly.
In 2022, Murray started recording a Life Story with the British Library. This full oral historical past of his life started from his earliest years, by the course of his life and profession, and, on the level of the final recording reached over eleven hours. It will little doubt be one other nice useful resource for researchers wishing to know extra about Murray’s life and work and 20th century British theatre extra extensively.