Virtual Study represents the culmination of the Theatre Institute’s prior work in the area of digitising and establishing databases of its collections. Virtual Study is founded on two large databases—the Verbis database by the KP-SYS company (used by the Library and Bibliography Department) and the Divadlo database developed for the Information and Documents Department (theatre productions, video library, theatre events, key figures, stage plays). The related databases (photographs, scenography) provide direct access to digitised items.

The electronic processing of our collections received significant support from several grant projects. The most significant achievement in this area was the complete inclusion of information on Czech theatre productions since 1945 and the digitisation of nearly 180,000 images from our documentary collection, performed in 2008-2011 as part of the project ‘Preserving and Presenting the Cultural Heritage of Czech and World Theatre’, which was made possible by a grant from Norway through the Norwegian Financial Mechanism.

Virtual Study provides comprehensive access to information and the digitised resources in our databases. These include a library catalogue with a research module and user account administration tool, an extensive bibliographic database of articles linked to the full texts of articles (accessible only via the Institute’s internal network), a video library, a database of Czech theatre productions since 1945, a database of theatre photographs containing 198,202 digitised images, and a database of scenographic items and documentation containing copies of 21,367 stage and costume designs.

In the process of digitising our collections and making them publicly accessible, we made sure to observe the provisions of Act No. 121/2000 on copyright protection. For this reason, some digitised materials cannot be made available via the internet, but are available to registered researchers for study purposes at the offices of the Arts and Theatre Institute. This mainly concerns digitised items published after 1900, some designs in the scenographic collection, and photographs for which we were unable to obtain publishing permission from the copyright holders. These items are labelled accordingly on the internet. Anyone interested in studying these materials may do so in the study rooms of the ATI.

Resources accessible via Virtual Study:

• Library
• Audio Library
• Video Library
• Bibliography
• Theatre Productions
• Scenography
• Theatre Photographs
• Theatre Events

 

Other electronic resources of the Theatre Institute

• EUTA – European Theatre Architecture – Online multilingual encyclopaedia of theatres
• Historical Theatre Bibliography 1851-1989 – digitised card catalogue
• Česká divadelní encyklopedie – German theatre in the Czech lands, biographic entries
• PQ Archive – Digitised archive of every edition of the Prague Quadrennial
• Czech Theatre Premieres
• Festivals in the Czech Republic
• Directory of Theatres and Theatre Institutions

Project coordinator: Ondřej Svoboda, ondrej.svoboda(at)divadlo.cz, +420 224 809 164

Flanders Arts Institute

Flanders Arts Institute is the support centre for visual arts, performing arts and classical music in Flanders. It aims to be an inspiration, source of knowledge, data provider, fact-checker, facilitator and innovator.

The organisation collects, analyses and publishes data on the arts and policy by consulting with all parties concerned, an active involvement in the field and research into the artistic ecosystem.

It supports the development of artists and art organisations through knowledge sharing. It releases publications and presentations, organises information sessions and provides individual advice focused on the sustainable long-term development of the artistic practice.
Flanders Arts Institute supports internationalisation by organising visitor and exchange programmes and putting spotlights on Flanders abroad.

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Contact

Flanders Arts Institute
Ravensteingalerij 38, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

Tom Ruette, Head of Information and Data
E-Mail: tom.ruette@kunsten.be

Website

www.kunsten.be
www.flandersartsinstitute.be

In this database we are collecting, cataloguing and preserving the documentation that is to be the graphic memory of theatre and dance in Andalusia. Programmes, posters, photographs (prints and negatives), press cuttings, costume and set designs… are systematically digitalized and catalogued in our electronic archive (AEI) that holds over 130.000 images from the beginning of the XXth century till today. In near future, it will be available online.

State of the project: in progress, started in 1992

The filming plan aims to record all main events such as professional theatre and dance performances, workshops, festivals… in our region providing a double service both to the companies, who get a free videotape of their work, and to the centre that, being the producer of the videos, has the copyright of these materials.

Currently holding over 7,065 video recordings in all formats: beta, vhs, betacam, 8 mm, and in digital mini dv format.

State of the project: in progress, started in 1999.