Volunteer and placements

The NT Archive operates a rolling scheme offering voluntary, unpaid work experience placements. We like to offer work experience candidates a variety of work so that they gain an understanding of archives, the archive profession and the operations of the National Theatre.

• Work experience placements are expected to be able to work well both independently and as part of the Archive team. Candidates are either set an individual task so that they can have a sense of ownership and fulfilment in completing a task, or they are involved in ongoing projects within the department. Tasks may include but not be limited to listing, cataloguing using our archival software system CALM, conducting research, de-accessioning, and repackaging.
• Duration of placement: flexible but usually either 2 weeks full time or a couple of days a week for several weeks.
• Location: NT Archive, NT Studio, 83-101 The Cut, SE1 8LL (note: not main NT site)
• Reimbursement: Daily lunch and travel expenses (up to £5 each, per day) can be reimbursed on production of receipts.
• Contact: Erin Lee, Head of Archive, archive@nationaltheatre.org.uk
• When contacting the archive, please mention that you saw the announcement on the APAC website.

The Royal Ballet and Opera Collections offers a rolling programme of work experience placements. The placements are designed to offer a taste of working in archives and the heritage sector, no prior experience is required.

• Candidates will have the opportunity to be involved in helping with ongoing projects to preserve and catalogue the historic collections of the Royal Opera House. You may be asked to handle and repackage archival material and create data for the Collections catalogue or Performance Database.
• Duration of placement: each volunteer opportunity has a role description and suggested time commitment.
• Location: The Royal Opera House, Bow Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DD 
• Reimbursement: the placements are unpaid but we reimburse agreed out-of-pocket expenses for travel up to £13.50 per day and refreshments up to £4 for longer sessions.
• Contact: to view available opportunities and apply, visit our volunteer page Volunteer (rbo.org.uk).
• Please mention that you saw the announcement on the APAC website.

Volunteers at Shakespeare’s Globe assist in preserving and caring for the collections of the Library & Archive. Volunteers benefit from learning a range of skills and can gain an understanding of library and archive work.

• The types of tasks volunteers in the Library & Archive carry out include: repackaging archives into preservation materials; re-shelving books; basic listing of collections; quality control of digital material; electronic file renaming, reformatting and saving; scanning; boxing items
• Duration of placement: volunteering opportunities take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays, vary in duration and are flexible
• Location: Library & Archive, Shakespeare’s Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, London, SE1 9DT
• Reimbursement: travel expenses can be paid within London, up to Zone 4
• Contact: library@shakespearesglobe.com
• When contacting the Library & Archive, please mention that you saw the announcement on the APAC website.

The V&A holds the UK’s National Collection for the Performing Arts documenting current practice and the history of all areas of the performing arts, including dance, drama, opera, circus, puppetry, comedy, musical theatre, popular music, pantomime, set design and more.

Work placements and volunteering roles can cover a variety of positions across the museum, such as front-of-house, working on events such as the V&A’s annual Performance Festival as well as back-of-house with curatorial and archive teams on object-based tasks.

• Contact: All opportunities and information will be listed on the V&A’s vacancy and volunteering page https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/jobs#volunteering
• When specific roles come up with the Theatre and Performance collections, please mention you came across the opportunity via APAC’s page.