• Arqiva to record four London theatre productions for the National Video Archive of Performance
• Recordings to be preserved and available to view at the Victoria & Albert Museum's Reading Room near Olympia

Arqiva announced today that its Outside Broadcasts team are recording four specially selected theatrical productions over the next two months - ‘Rhinoceros', ‘The 39 Steps', ‘Ikrismas Kherol' and ‘Metamorphosis'. The tapes will be added to the National Video Archive of Performance established in 1992 and based at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Arqiva has already recorded five productions over the past 18 months and has been responsible for 35 recordings in recent years.

One of Arqiva's state-of-the-art Outside Broadcast trucks will be deployed with a specialist director for each performance. Up to four Ikegami HL59W cameras are used to record the production, including a single camera wideshot to capture the traditional audience perspective. Carefully positioned microphones on the stage and in the auditorium will capture the important ambient sound of a live theatre performance. Video and audio is mixed live in the Outside Broadcast truck and preserved for posterity.

Arqiva is recording the following productions in London theatres between 6 December 2007 and 31 January 2008:

• ‘Rhinoceros' at the Royal Court: Eugene Ionesco's satire on mindlessness and conformity as rhinoceroses run riot in a French town
• ‘The 39 Steps' at the Criterion: The ‘unstageable' production of John Buchan's book sees 4 actors play 150 roles and features the first theatrical biplane crash
• ‘Ikrismas Kherol' (A Christmas Carol) at the Young Vic: A musical adaptation of Dickens' classic set in modern South Africa
• ‘Metamorphosis' at the Lyric Hammersmith: Kafka's macabre story follows Gregor Samsas' transformation into a six-legged monster

Jill Evans, Producer of the National Video Archive of Performance, said: "This is a unique archive of important UK productions across a broad range of performance. Video is still the only way to document and preserve live theatre for future generations to study and enjoy for free at the Victoria & Albert Museum's reading room in Blythe House atOlympia. Arqiva has demonstrated considerable skill and sensitivity in capturing the essence of these live performances." 

Mick Bass, managing director of Arqiva's Outside Broadcasts team, added: "We are proud of our participation in this important heritage project. Arqiva's high-spec technical equipment and extensive experience in a wide range of outside broadcasts has proved invaluable in meeting the very particular challenge of capturing the spirit of live theatrical performances."

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