The theatrical performances and productions have an immediate value to the artistic directors, artists, and production teams, multiple stakeholders, and publics. Theatre companies generate and collect different materials from creating, producing, and publicizing theatre performances since 70’ until today. However, by archiving theatre - performances, scenarios, figurines, documentations -, artists and directors are also bringing value to the individual and collective history of the theatre companies in Portugal. This paper discusses what can an archive tell us about the transformations of social and economic history of artistic work, by analysing archives that tell us how artists was engaged, what was the size of the permanent artistic teams, how were the rehearsals, and what artistic elements and scenarios were most valued to archive? What is the invisible role of archives in the “survival of artistic reputation” (Lang & Lang, 1988), analysing the trajectory of career of directors-artists and theatre companies. Our analysis proceeds in three stages that broadly reveal how archives can and make the history of artistic work in Portugal. Firstly, we examine the individual trajectory of the founder and director of O Bando, using a qualitative interview. Secondly, we described the different types of archives in O Bando: the physical one’s - manuscripts, letters, wardrobe, clippings from newspaper articles, show programs - the digital archive where videos, recordings, photographs are accumulated; and in vivo archives – e.g., the scene machines, particularities of the company that use "archives in the mountain”, due to lack of space to preserve them. Thirdly, the study combined all the qualitative data, using triangulation, to suggest that archiving theatre by creating value implies develop supports and methodologies that protect the originality of the company. The findings contribute to discuss that even though archiving theatre may not lead to immediate results, artists and directors pursue them because (1) they believe that backing to the past may result in later recognition of the history; (2) they value the symbolic appeal of being part of the history of theatre in Portugal; (3) being study and analyse by others such are publics, journalists, and researchers, giving them direct access to digital and physical archives, represents to giving them a new value. Maintaining archives actualized, in a consistent and organized way will help artists and directors to preserve their work and enable current and future interested to identify and access company’s history. Vera Borges. This paper make part of ARTHE-Archiving Theatre (FCT Project), led by Centro de Estudos de Teatro (FL-UL), in collaboration with the researcher, from CIES-Iscte.

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