Theatralia
One of the main objectives of the WG Theatralia, launched in 2021, is to respond to the needs of theater artists, experts, and researchers, providing guidelines for the best methods to implement the digitally based strategies in their research, i.e., in a theatrical production or performance, and to increase the awareness and usage of ICTs in the Performing Arts research in general.
Group leaders are Anamarija Žugić Borić (Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research/DARIAH-HR) and Dr. Cécile Chantraine-Braillon (La Rochelle University).
Thus, Theatralia will be oriented to the following target groups:
- researchers
- archivists / collection curators
- theatrical artists.
In collaboration with the theatrical experts, Theatralia will analyze the challenges that arise from the digitization of various theatrical aspects, i.e., scenography (sets), costumes, sounds and projections, as well as from a performance as a whole, which would otherwise solely exist in the participants’ or audience’s memory. Theatralia will therefore extend the scope of a current Digital Humanities approach that fails to take into account this intangible heritage aspect.
Furthermore, through its research, workshops, and collaboration with other WGs, Theatralia will operate to devise the best standards and practices, e.g., those pertaining to the metadata schemata and vocabularies in the digital theatrical registries, rather than to focus on the digitization per se or to operate on the digitization of theatrical materials only.
The first phase of the Theatralia WG project (Performing Arts: Transitioning to the Digital Age) highlighted the fact that one of the central issues in the epistemological transition implied by the digitization of performing arts research is the need to reflect on a common computerized language for describing and representing the field, with the aim of both digitally exchanging knowledge and data about Performing Arts and creating real scientific added value on the research led in the domain.
Pursuant to its mission, Theatralia in its second phase (from March 2024 : Performing Arts: Navigating through Digital Knowledge Models) will be focused on the following task: to initiate work on the creation of a computer model of knowledge and description related to the performing arts field. To do so, the project will progress in two stages. Year one focuses on team training in metadata schemas and controlled vocabularies, with specialists in the archival field and knowledge organization providing essential insights. In year two, language models for describing and representing the performing arts will be developed.
The project envisions publishing the defined models on open-access platforms, facilitating their availability to a wide audience. Future efforts may include seeking European project funding to extend the work initiated and structured over the initial two years.