ONSTAGE, the Online Data System of Theatre in Amsterdam from the Golden Age to Today

Frans R E Blom,Harm Nijboer,Rob Van Der Zalm

doi:10.1163/24523666-00502003

Abstract

Abstract ONSTAGE is the data repository for Amsterdam’s first and most prominent public theatre venue: the Schouwburg. In theatre history, the Amsterdam Schouwburg has a fairly unique place due to its rich body of extant account books, programs and administrative records of annual play lists, and registers of expenses and revenues. These sources, as a most sensitive finger on the theatre’s pulse, can be used as analytical tools that provide access to the theatre’s artistic business, from its foundation in 1638 until today. This data paper is an assessment of the new ONSTAGE data system, in terms of its structure, the nature of the data and enrichment, and the research potential. The paper also explores future growth in linked data systems.

Highlights

ONSTAGE is the online data repository for Amsterdam’s first and most promi nent public theatre venue: the Schouwburg
Incorporating data from the longue durée of almost four centuries of the atre history, ONSTAGE is complete for the dataset on performances by date, meaning that without any hiatus a play calendar can be reconstructed of 400 years of performances
The cases where data on performance revenues are missing should, be paid attention to in statistics that use these figures as proxies for quantifying performance attendances

Summary

Introduction

ONSTAGE is the online data repository for Amsterdam’s first and most promi nent public theatre venue: the Schouwburg. The Amsterdam Schouwburg has a unique place due to its rich body of extant account books, programs and administrative records of annual play lists, and registers of ex penses and revenues. These sources, as a most sensitive finger on the theatre’s pulse, can be used as analytical tools that provide access to the theatre’s artistic business from its foundation in 1638 until today. Ruitenbeek, 2002) already indicated what recent studies based on the ONSTAGE data system demonstrate for the Schouwburg’s entire early modern history: import drama plays from European theatre traditions domi nated Amsterdam’s play lists, the Schouwburg’s directors showing a keen eye for changing fashions. Efforts are well underway to disclose London theatre archives in The London Stage database project (Bur kert, 2017; available at http://www.eighteenthcenturydrama.amdigital.co.uk/ LondonStage/Database)

ONSTAGE Data

Various Data Natures

Enriched Data

Data Model and Data Access

Ambitions