Breathing Broadsheets at St Bride

For most of June, coinciding with the Story of London Festival, the St Bride Printing Library in London will host Breathing Broadsheets, an exhibition of some of the 19th-century broadside prints from the Library’s collection. Given the both the topic and the host, there are bound to be some prime examples of material printed using large and/or wood type.

The exhibition is tied in with a “promenade” performance titled Broadsheet Ballads created by the Occam’s Razor Theatre Company. I have no idea exactly what a 30-minute long walking play about broadside prints would be like, but it sounds… interesting. As I won’t be able to attend any of the events, I’d be curious to hear from anyone who does have a chance to go.

The Story of London website gives a bit more insight into the exhibition and performance:

A grant of £9,200 has gone to the St Bride Foundation which aims to serve the educational, social and cultural needs of Fleet Street and the surrounding areas. The project focuses on the St Bride Library’s collection of 19th Century Broadsheets. Some 30 young people will research the broadsheet collection, record their thoughts, write contemporary broadsheets and dramatise their findings. The results will feed into a piece of promenade theatre Broadsheet Ballads created by Occam’s Razor Theatre Company. An educational pack will be created in conjunction with the project to promote the use of St Bride Library’s collections and heritage materials to inspire learning in history, literacy and the arts. A small exhibition which will feature broadsheets, historical pictures of the local area, and information on the history of Fleet Street will also be produced. Histories of local inhabitants, Fleet Street and St Bride Church during the late 19th century will all be explored through this project.

When: June 6–July 3, 2009
Where: St Bride Library; 14 Bride Lane, London [map]
Admission: Free; call ahead to check availability