AusStage

Full description

AusStage provides an accessible online resource for researching live performance in Australia. Development is led by a consortium of universities, government agencies, industry organisations and collecting institutions with funding from the Australian Research Council and other sources.

Australian companies stage some of the most ambitious and innovative live performances, projecting images of Australian culture to audiences here and overseas. AusStage records the significance of these artistic collaborations and stimulates new approaches to collaborative research.

AusStage is committed to collecting and sharing information about Australian live performance as an ongoing, open-access and collaborative endeavour. AusStage users come from across Australia and around the world.

What's in AusStage?

AusStage is a data set of live Events with dramatic and performance content covering all of Australia, plus many International links.

The AusStage database has seven major tables for recording information about the performing arts:

1. Event – a distinct happening defined by title, date/s and Venue; typically a performance or series of performances at a Venue.
2. Contributor – an individual, usually a person, who contributes in some capacity to the conception, production, or presentation of an Event.
3. Venue – a place where an Event happens.
4. Organisation – a group or company involved in the conception, production or presentation of an Event.
5. Work – the abstract conception of an Event, typically (though not always) expressed as a material Resource, such as a script or score.
6. Resource – any text, image, object, recording or the like which relates to any of the following; Event, Contributor, Organisation, Venue, Work, genre, content indicator, or other Resource.
7. Financial – monetary information collated in a financial format in relation to a Contributor or an Organisation.

The Event is fundamental to the design of the AusStage database. The Contributor, Venue, Organisation and Work tables receive data in relation to the Event. Resource records are usually created to describe material items or digital objects relating to records in the other tables. Records on Contributors, Venues, Organisations, Works and Resources may also be entered independently of the Event. Financial records present publicly available financial information relating to either Organisations or Contributors in collated datasets.

Who uses AusStage?

AusStage is used by a broad group including:

• Academic Researchers
• GLAMR sector
• Government
• Industry
• Practitioners
• Students
• Historians
• Theatre goers

By sharing knowledge through AusStage researchers and consumers can learn more about Australian performance than ever before.

Researchers use AusStage for different kinds of research, including:

• large-scale surveys by genre, region or theme
• projects focused on artists, companies, venues or works
• performance as research and creative development.

Researchers and students use AusStage to develop new knowledge about live performance in Australia and to assess the contribution that live events make to the nation's cultural vitality and international image. Companies, artists and reviewers use AusStage to find out who's doing what in the live performance industry. Librarians, archivists and museum staff use AusStage as a source of information on items in their collections and to assist the public with enquiries.

AusStage welcomes contributions from artists, spectators, producers, agents, students, teachers, researchers, librarians, archivists and the public.