Music Theatre and Digital Archives

Abstract

This article focuses on setting up a comprehensive digital repository (roadmap) capable of capturing the collective memory of music theatre, enabling sustainable access to performing arts works in Portugal and abroad, and thereby also enhancing their study, re-performance and visibility. This development spans three phases: proposing a termi- nological resource based on a literature review, existing knowledge organisation systems, and specialist inputs; se- lecting and producing ontological classes and properties for a case study, deploying recognised ontologies, such as Dublin Core, RiC-CM, and DOREMUS; developing a conceptual data model incorporating the semantic web and Linked Open Data principles to provide contextual infor- mation on music theatre composers and creators, includ- ing their biographies, work lists, and archive contacts. In- terconnected by defined ontologies, this conceptual model provides users with a holistic view of these works. Rep- resenting music theatre works in digital archives chal- lenges musicology, archival science, and digital humanities through requiring new approaches to ensure system inter- operability. This digital archive helps to preserve unseen performing arts works while also strengthening Portuguese archives by interconnecting them with their international counterparts, enabling new scientific knowledge, histori- cal narratives, and repertoire renewal able to reach wider audiences.