Documenting theatre : varying perspectives

Abstract

The structure of an archive facilitates the documentation and storage of artefacts and information, tangible or otherwise, for the consumption of those seeking access to the collection. However, the concept that theatre is ephemeral, and therefore does not exist beyond the theatrical event, suggests that its documentation is more complex than the recording of more concrete artefacts. The documentation of the theatrical event could therefore be understood as a product of perception, whereby what is stored within the archive has been identified by an observer and reconfigured through their personal context. This results in any performance documented in this way being once removed from the event itself through the perception of the documenter. This dissertation seeks to discuss the impact perception has on the documentation of theatrical events and how the ephemeral nature of performance is questioned through this documentation. The active state of the archive will therefore be deliberated on with regard to the varying perspectives that contribute to the collection of information and the way the transmission of knowledge occurs via the archive.