Contact theatralia@dariah.eu
Mailing list wg-theatralia@dariah.eu
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.
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.
Tools, services and outputs developed in the framework of THEATRALIA:
Videorecordings of the THEATRALIA Conference International Conference of the DARIAH-EU Working Group Theatralia: Performing Arts – Transitioning to the Digital Age (15 – 17 March 2023)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPdu_a9pztuLEY6V1B78uJSN8xAO07-DF
e-spect@tor:
e-spect@tor for Performing Arts is an online application dedicated to annotate videos of live performances. It has been developed in the framework of the project “L’École du Spectateur funded by La Région Nouvelle Aquitaine, with the collaboration of the CANEVAS research consortium accredited by the French research infrastructure HUMANUM, the Working Group THEATRALIA, and the CNRS “Sciences et Cultures du Visuel” research federation.
Access to e-spect@tor and its tutorial: https://especellu.huma-num.fr/
Call for Papers: Performing Arts in the Digital Age: Research, Archives, and Innovation
A call for papers is now open for the upcoming thematic open-access volume Performing Arts in the Digital Age: Research, Archives, and Innovation, which will be released as a fully digital edition on the platform of Éditions des Archives Contemporaines (EAC). The volume will explore the impact of digital technologies on the performing arts, with a particular focus on archiving, preservation, and digital humanities methodologies. This publication builds on discussions from two major events: the DARIAH-EU Working Group Theatralia conference Performing Arts: Transitioning to the Digital Age, held in March 2023 in Zagreb, Croatia, and The Spectator’s School: Digitizing Research in Performing Arts, which took place in November 2024 in Lille, France. By bringing together international perspectives, the volume aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in the field.
The expected publication date is early 2026. Submissions are open until 31 May 2025. For further information, inquiries can be directed to the editors, Anamarija Žugić Borić (zugicboric@ief.hr) and Cécile Chantraine Braillon (cecile.chantraine_braillon@univ-lr.fr), co-chairs of WG Theatralia. You can find more information on the call here.
Visit Theatralia:
Contact Theatralia: theatralia@dariah.eu
