|
The Internet Theatre Database
Dateline: 06/27/99
When I first came acoss the first tentative steps of the new Internet
Theatre Database, I admit that I got quite excited. I'd written
a feature in February of last year suggesting that there was a great
need for such an animal, so to see it actually beginning to happen really
got me going. I immediately contacted the people behind it and, of course,
mentioned it last week, both on the site and in the Newsletter. As a
result offers of information have come flooding in to the Database from
British Theatre enthusiasts. As there was such interest, I spoke to
Keith Scollick about how it all got started.
Peter
Keith, what set you off on creating the ITDb
Keith
The beginnings of the Internet Theatre Database (ITDb) are not surprisingly tied to the highly successfully and useful Internet Movie Database. When I discovered their site nearly six years ago, I thought about how useful this would be for theatre.
Peter
I'm sure that's a thought that has occured to a lot of people. I know I've thought it.
Keith
I actually came across your article last year! It turned out the be one of the few results returned from Altavista when searching for theatre database.
Peter
But you did something about it!
Keith
Well, like many people, I waited and waited until the day some person or group would do the same thing for theatre. There were (and are) some attempts at providing theatre information, but none of them felt complete, or were not actively updated. With each passing year it started to look less and less likely that it would ever come about, and I had to seriously think about doing this for myself. Hence, ITDb began.
Peter
I suspect we all have our reasons for wanting a database like this. I know I get lots of emails asking about the first productions of plays or the performance histories of sometimes rather obscure actors. But I haven't been driven to start such a huge project. What is it that drove you?
Keith
First and foremost was curiosity. It all starts with trying to answer some simple questions. "What shows have played at a given theatre?"; "What shows has this performer been in?"; "What was playing on a given date?"; etc. The answers to these questions don't exist in book form. You would have to go through several books to find the answers, and not even then is there a guarantee you'd find it. And, as I've discovered, just finding access to the right books is a non-trivial matter. I'm lucky to work on the campus of a major university which has access to a lot of information, but to others, finding any information at all is next to impossible.
Another reason is my love of theatre. I've been involved in theatre for the past 17 years, and I've learned a lot along the way. But, my knowledge of theatre history was limited to cast albums of musicals and an occasional story I would read somewhere. Excluding the most famous, plays earlier than 15 years ago were a complete mystery. And, on a different personal level, a close friend of mine had been in Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway 25 years ago, but since he is not on the cast album, it's almost like his performance never existed.
In that regard, the preservation of history and making sure that everyone who has contributed to the theatrical experience should be remembered. We can all remember Ethel Merman and Annie Get Your Gun, but who else remembers the other people who made the show possible?
Peter
So, simple reasons but lofty goals! But where on earth do you start with a project as massive as this?
Keith
Given the resources at hand, Broadway was the first start. I wanted to make sure the idea was feasible before expanding too quickly. After getting a working model in place, I enlisted the aide of two co-workers to help me with the graphics and script writing. With everything in place, we were in a holding pattern until I felt that we had enough information to go public.
Peter
It's got to be a very long-term project though, hasn't it?
Keith
Well, to give an idea of the time scale, it has taken roughly six months to include all the information that is currently in the database. Adding a Broadway season takes about an hour, and adding cast and production information for a season takes about 8 hours. And, we've tried to put as many hours as we can (about 25 hours a week).
Peter
So where do you go from here?
Keith
Given the excellent response from people in England, adding British theatre has become a high priority. Other things in the works include providing more cast information (original, current, all, etc.) and show schedules for running shows. Also, we are trying to get permission to display cover art for shows as well as seating charts for theatres. Eventually, there are plans to include songs, scenes, voting, reviews, biographies, awards, and much more. All that as well as adding more information to the database. I can't say what the time scale will be, but of the things I've mentioned, I hope to have most of that completed by the end of this year - but no promises!
Peter
You are asking for help?
Keith
Oh yes. One of the most important aspects of all this is the contribution that anyone can
make. We have a submission guideline such that anyone who's seen or knows of a show can add information. We can't possibly find all there is to know, and any help we get makes the database that much more complete.
Beyond that, we are just waiting and hoping that everyone finds as much fun discovering theatre as we have in putting it together!
Peter
Thanks, Keith. And the very best of luck! I'm sure that you'll find a whole host of theatre fans who are keen to help!
Articles Indices:
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
|
