Theatre 2020:
An Inventory of the Collection at the Harry Ransom Center
| Creator: | Harry Ransom Center | |
| Title: | Theatre 2020 Collection | |
| Dates: | 2018-2023 (bulk 2020-2021) | |
| Extent: | 2574 electronic files (339 GB) | |
| Abstract: | The Theatre 2020 Collection consists of material collected from theatres around the world during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. The collection documents the range of creative output while theatres were closed, including virtual readings and performances. | |
| Call Number: | Performing Arts Collection PA-52165 | |
| Language: | English |
| Access: | Open for research. Researchers must create an online Research Account and agree to the Materials Use Policy before using archival materials. To request access to electronic files, please email Reference. | |
| Use Policies: | Ransom Center collections may contain material with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in the collections without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the Ransom Center and The University of Texas at Austin assume no responsibility. | |
| Restrictions on Use: | Certain restrictions apply to the use of electronic files. Researchers must agree to the Materials Use Policy for Electronic Files before accessing them. Original computer disks and forensic disk images are restricted. Copying electronic files, including screenshots and printouts, is not permitted. Authorization for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the owner of the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Ransom Center's Open Access and Use Policies. |
Administrative Information
| Preferred Citation: | Theatre 2020 Collection (Performing Arts Collection PA-52165). Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin. | |
| Acquisition: | Gift, 2021 (2021-03-001-G) | |
| Processed by: | Brenna Edwards, 2021-2023 |
| Repository: |
Biographical Sketch
| In October 2020, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin launched the Theatre 2020 project as a way of documenting the impact of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and related events on the performing arts profession. Through social media, the press, and direct invitations to artists and organizations around the world, participants registered for the project online. The Ransom Center provided a link to participants that they could use throughout the collecting period to upload digital files that reflected their experiences of the pandemic. Contributors represent individuals and theatres in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Individuals represent several guilds and unions, though a significant number do not belong to one. | ||
Scope and Contents
| In March 2020, the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 led to global shutdowns and stay-at-home orders. The closures lasted months, with some countries and localities reopening only to close again within weeks when new variants of the virus would begin to spread. The closures triggered a recession in the global economy. Countless lives were lost, and many continue to suffer the lasting health effects of COVID-19. | ||
| During this same period, the murder of George Floyd, a Black man killed by the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, led to international protests and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Right-wing extremism in several countries, including the United States, fueled violent racism against Asian and Pacific Islander communities. | ||
| In the performing arts profession, the pandemic had devastating and unprecedented impacts on the livelihoods of artists, organizations, and staff. Some theatres closed permanently. The pandemic triggered a cascade of changes in leadership, with many long-serving artistic and managing directors stepping aside. In the United States, a subset of the Black Lives Matter movement called We See You White American Theatre, or #WSYWAT, pushed for change that would address longstanding systemic racism within the industry. | ||
| Some individual artists changed careers while others tried to find alternative ways to create. Artists used social media and video communication tools like Zoom to create virtual readings and performances. Some theatre companies tapped into their archives of performance recordings to offer virtual audiences streaming content while their buildings remained closed. | ||
| That all of this was happening in the digital age reflected a new challenge of documentation and preservation for what is already an ephemeral art form. In October 2020, the Ransom Center launched the Theatre 2020 project as a way of documenting the impact of the pandemic and related events on the performing arts profession. Through social media, the press, and direct invitations to artists and organizations around the world, participants registered for the project online. The Ransom Center provided a link to participants that they could use throughout the collecting period to upload digital files that reflected their experiences of the pandemic. It should be noted that the majority of direct invitations went unanswered, or with a brief response to say that staff reductions at theatre companies meant there was nobody who could take the lead in participating in the project on behalf of the organization--reflecting the challenge of collecting in moments of crisis. | ||
| The collection includes emails, photographs, virtual performance recordings, publicity material, press releases, news articles, personal reflections, and other records of the time. Some participants expressed frustration that they wanted to participate but didn’t have digital documents that reflected their experience. Oral history interviews were recorded over Zoom to try to fill this gap. Some participants granted the Ransom Center permissions to make their files available through the digital collections portal. The remaining files are accessible in the Ransom Center’s onsite Reading and Viewing Room. | ||
| The collecting phase ended in November 2022. After two years, over 200 participants, primarily from the United Kingdom and United States, submitted over 3,000 digital files to the project. | ||
Related Material
| Theatre 2020 Collection, Digital Collections: https://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15878coll117 | ||
| Virtual program introducing the Theatre 2020 project from Ransom Center Performing Arts Curator Eric Colleary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKEg2Wewmmk | ||
Materials Described Separately
| Moving images include electronic files of recorded virtual performances, readings, and oral history interviews from and by participants. | ||
| Sound recordings include podcasts, musical numbers, and oral history interviews from and by participants. | ||
Index Terms
Subjects |
||
| COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- , in art. | ||
| COVID-19 (Disease) and the arts. | ||
Document Types |
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| Born digital. | ||
| Digital images. | ||
| Electronic documents. | ||
| Electronic spreadsheets. | ||