To be or not to be digital: Digitalization Needs and Clustering-based Profile Analysis of Theatre Artists for Scene 2.0 Pandemic Recovery Programme

Abstract

Due to the indefinite cancellation of the stage performances during the Covid-19 pandemic, socio-economically vulnerable artists urgently needed new sources of income. Digitization of the stage arts, especially theatre performances have been rapidly accelerated during this period. In a unique social intervention case on the civil initiatives towards the digitalization of arts through online platforms, this study aims to present a needs analysis and beneficiary profiling application by Ward’s method with Canberra Distance. The data were gathered from 172 respondents of different socio-cultural backgrounds amongst Theater Cooperative members,. The results indicate that although the magnitude of the needs varies amongst different profiles, the economic, technical, and technological constraints are the primary obstacles in the digitization process.