Provenance and theatre archives

Abstract

This article discusses issues pertaining to performing arts archives, in particular materials created by live theatre. Theatre materials cover the full range of creative and administrative activities and include a variety of formats; artists and other people involved in live theatre are also viewed as living archives. Theatre materials at times pose challenges for archivists who are not properly trained to handle them. Theatre materials also do not lend themselves to the classic interpretation of “life cycle”. This article introduces different types of materials and formats and discusses their provenance in the context of different types of organizations, individuals, cultures, and artistic practices, bringing attention to issues that are understood within the relatively small performing arts archiving community, but are still often overlooked in other environments. This article invites a holistic and multicultural perspective and argues that a strong understanding of theatre and performance is needed to properly manage, preserve, and make accessible theatre materials.