Bright Young Tings

This exhibition of photographs from the National Theatre Archive's Michael Mayhew Collection is a rare snapshot of the work developed by black theatre practitioners between 1979 and 1982.

Michael Mayhew was the NT's Art Director (from 1976 to 2009) when he was first asked by Charlie Hanson to take publicity photographs of the newly established Black Theatre Co-operative.

Shot in 35mm black-and-white film on a Nikon EL2 camera, Mayhew's tightly framed images capture the emergence of the Black Theatre Co-operative and a spirit of hope in its cast and company members.