Historical Note: This collection houses audio and video of BAM performances and other programming. Newer recordings are born-digital, and others originated in a range of analog formats. Earliest recordings are from 1970's, however consistent documentation video of performances begins in the early 1980's.

Scope and Content Note: The BAM Audio and Video Collection includes documentation of: main stage performances; Education & Humanities programming; community events; non-performance documentation (such as interviews with BAM's leaders and artists, and BAM press); press videos featuring BAM artists and events; and commercial videos (not produced by BAM) related to significant BAM artists. The most common media in the collection are digital files, VHS cassettes, and DVD discs. Other formats include U-matic tapes, DV, Beta SP, and 35mm film. A range of audio recordings are represented in the collection in the form of CDs, cassettes, LPs, and DAT tapes. The bulk of the BAM Audio and Video Collection is made up of the Main Stage documentation. Since the beginning of the Next Wave Festival in 1983, nearly all Main Stage performances have been videotaped and viewing copies are stored in the Archives. Since 1999, BAM's Education & Humanities Department has been documenting select programming from their office, including the Artist Talk series; the Eat, Drink and Be Literary series; and various post-performance events. These documents are regularly transferred to the Archives and absorbed into the Education & Humanities Collection. The Non-Performance Video Collection spans the late 1970s to the present and covers a staggering range of material. Everything from videos used as elements in performance to BAM Board presentations to television programming about BAM are included. The small but growing Video Library is a collection of commercial recordings related to important BAM artists. Some of these acquisitions include commercial DVDs of the Trisha Brown Dance Company; The Living Theatre; and documentaries on Pina Bausch, Bill T. Jones, and the 1984 Dance Black America Festival.

Please contact the BAM HAMM Archives for access to these materials.

Extent: 200 linear feet