As the Lyric Theatre’s Ridgeway Street site prepares for demolition, the Lyric Lives Heritage Project – with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund – will focus on archiving the history of the Lyric. From its inception as The Lyric Players amateur company in 1951 in the O’Malley’s Derryvolgie Avenue private studio to the professional Lyric Theatre’s own building in 1968, the history of the Lyric Theatre is rich with memories, artefacts, and milestones in Northern Ireland’s cultural landscape.

In addition to organising a comprehensive collection of the Lyric Theatre’s storied history, the Lyric Lives Heritage Project is devoted to amassing an ambitious Oral History Archive. Through interviews with the key players - past and present - in the theatre's history (actors, theatre practitioners, writers, directors), the Lyric Lives Heritage Project will also be collecting stories from the company’s most treasured asset: it’s audiences. Both young and old, participants and observers, are invited to share their memories of the Lyric Theatre.

In the meantime, sift through our Banked Memories section to see what others are sharing about the Lyric Theatre and share your own story.