Nadia Davies is an Apprentice Archive Assistant at the National Theatre Archive. They are currently studying the Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprenticeship through Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES). Nadia started the apprenticeship in September 2023.
What are the responsibilities of your role and what does a typical day look like for you?
As an Archive Assistant, I am there to assist with anything happening in the Archive. I am responsible for the day to day running of our research room which involves booking in researchers, retrieving physical and digital material for them and assisting them as needed during their visit to the archive. We also have group bookings, usually from schools and universities, who come to the archive to view production recordings or look at some of our physical materials and it is my responsibility to set up the seminar room and retrieve materials for these sessions. We provide monthly Archive Unboxed public tours and internal Archive Inductions for staff, which I regularly facilitate as part of role. I also manage our volunteer programme which sees a diverse range of people work on volunteer projects at the archive, from helping us digitise material to sorting and labelling artefacts. I answer enquiries from researchers and members of the public, order archival materials and deal with the archive’s financial admin. Lots to do and learn!
What has surprised you the most about the apprenticeship and the industry?
How helpful my colleagues are and how willing they are to share their knowledge and experience to help me develop professionally. The apprenticeship gives me the opportunity to learn while working in an Archive, gaining the practical experience I need to succeed in the industry.
Do you have any highlights or a memorable moment from your apprenticeship?
Working at the National Theatre Archive is exciting as our office building also houses rehearsal studios, so there’s often actors roaming the halls and we can sometimes hear shouting and singing as they workshop and rehearse together. Passing Michael Sheen on the stairs when he came in to rehearse for Nye was a big highlight!
What’s been the biggest learning curve?
Learning the day-to-day work that goes into running an archive! There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that visitors to the Archive don’t see, and it’s been eye-opening to learn the many different aspects of the Archive assistant role.
Why did you decide to take the apprenticeship route into the industry?
I chose to study this apprenticeship as an alternative way of getting into the archive profession. I had intended to study for a master's degree to get the necessary qualification, but it wasn't financially feasible for me. Studying the apprenticeship with the National Theatre is great because it means I can learn about the archive industry in an accredited archive with experienced and knowledgeable colleagues and earn at the same time.
What advice would you give to those considering an apprenticeship?
Go for it! It’s a great way of learning about the industry, the inner workings of an archive and the role of an archivist (or archive assistant) and getting qualified, while earning a wage. I feel very lucky to be an apprentice and would recommend it to anyone wanting to get into the archive industry.
The National Theatre’s Archive holds all the organisation’s creative, technical and business records. It covers the movement to found the theatre and documents every production from opening night in 1963 right up to the present day.
From props to prompt scripts, photographs to recordings – the Archive holds a treasure trove of material relating to theatre and performance. If that sounds like heaven to you, the Archive is free and open to everyone by appointment. Find out more about apprenticeships at the National Theatre.
The National Archives helped to develop and launch the Level 7 Archives and Records Management Apprenticeship across in England. As the official archive and publisher for the UK government and for England and Wales, The National Archives is the guardian of some of our most iconic national documents, dating back over 1,000 years. Find out more.