Shakespeare in Performance: About

The focus of this database

In its inital stages, the Internet Shakespeare Editions' database of Shakespeare in performance will focus on productions that are not extensively catalogued elsewhere: what might be considered "non-canonical" performances. Most of our contributors are in North America, though we have some from Australia, Great Britain, and Germany. We do not at this stage include productions from the Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK, because it already has a searchable database available from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Use of materials in the database

All materials in the database are the copyright of the company that provided them. They are available for educational uses only, unless permission is granted by the copyright holder. To contact a company, visit the Acknowledgements page and go to the website of the company.

Some statistics

The Shakespeare in Performance database contains information on:

2405 performances
21457 artifacts
19274 people
362 companies
364 theaters
47 plays
1302 characters
42 countries

Principles of inclusion

Both professional and student productions will be included in the database. Professional companies will be selected according to these priorities:

The database will include a wide range of countries and regions.
There will be a representative range of company size, from small to large.
Both indoor and outdoor performancew will be represented.
The Internet Shakespeare Editions reserves the right not to include a company.

Productions by some student and non-professional companies will also be included, according to these priorities:

The production must be of sufficient interest or originality.
The database will include a wide range of countries and regions.

Criteria for selection of materials

All materials must be of sufficient interest to actors, directors, or scholars.
The materials must be of good quality, sufficient to permit effective digitization.

Guidelines for submission of materials

A separate page lists the guidelines for the submission of materials to the ISE for inclusion or evaluation. These guidelines are also available in French.

Materials available for viewing by password only

Where materials cannot be made available to the general public, for reasons of copyright or restrictions required by Actors' Equity, provision for access can be arranged for approved scholars and members of the acting community. Email <iseadmin@uvic.ca> for further information.

Technical information about the database

Shakespeare in Performance uses a PostgreSQL database to store performance materials. All software used in the development and presentation of the database is open source. Metadata about performance artifacts (images, text, multimedia) is recorded using the Dublin Core metadata standard.

The creator and programmer of the database

Wendy Huot has designed the architecture of this database, and has been responsible for all programming. Overall page design was under the direction of Roberta Livingstone, in consultation with Krucible Solutions.

Contact information

For questions or comments about the technical design and contents of the database, or to enquire about submission of materials, send email to <iseadmin@uvic.ca>.

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