Theatre and the Internet

Internet...
McCoy's Brief Guide to InterNet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies
Evaluating Internet Sources (PDF) from Carl B. Ylvisaker Library, Concordia College, Moorhead, MN
PASS - An educator's tool for web evaluation
Ten C's For Evaluating Internet Sources

The Internet, a world wide network of computers, has become a major source of information for both the theatre professional (playwright, director, actor, designer) and the potential theatre audience.

1. What is the difference between the World Wide Web (WWW)...

The World Wide Web is a HyperText information retrieval system. Web Pages are published on servers (computers) which can be accessed by a browser (such as Netscape, FireFox or MicroSoft Internet Explorer) from anywhere in the world. In the entertainment industry, most Web Pages are published either by the advertising department of the producing organization (an official page) or by a fan who is in love with the show or with one of the stars (a fan page).

     Discussion Groups, and an...

Disscussion Groups, originally called Usenet News Groups, are organized around specific topics. Posting to these groups (also known as Forums) can be read with a NewsReader if your internet service provider (ISP) provides a news feed, or through groups.Google.com, a Web based service which can retrieve articles posted to more than 40,000 news groups. There are four theatre forums under the rec.arts.theatre classification.

1. rec.arts.theatre.plays - Dramaturgy and discussion of plays.
2. rec.arts.theatre.musicals - Musical theatre around the world.
3. rec.arts.theatre.stagecraft - Issues in stagecraft and production.
4. rec.arts.theatre.misc - Miscellaneous topics and issues in theatre.

Unlike the World Wide Web, Discussion Groups and E-mail lists are text only services. You can ask questions, make comments, but you can not post pictures or drawings.

     E-mail list?

An E-Mail list, often called a listserve, is similar to a discussion group. Unlike the rec.arts.theatre forums which can be read by anyone with access to the Internet, an article posted to an e-mail list can only be read by members of that list. After subscribing, comments and questions E-mailed to the list are forwarded to all of the list's members.

A list can either be moderated or unmoderated. In a moderated list, all posts must first be approved by the moderator (or owner) before they will be forwarded. In an unmoderated list, the forwarding is done automatically by the listserve software.

Each list has two E-mail addresses. One which handles the administrative functions such as "Subscribe" and "Sign Off" and a second which receives and forwards the members questions and comments. A directory of theatre related mailing lists is included in McCoy's Brief Guide to InterNet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies

I subscribe to two-- a general list (Theatre) and a technical list (StageCraft).

1. Members of the Theatre Mailing List, which was begun by Theodore Soldatos at the University of Crete, are primarily playwrights, actors and directors. Many (but probably not most) are either professors are students at educational institutions.
   • To join the Theatre list, send a blank email message to:
     
     TheatreDiscussionLst-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

     To post a message to THEATRE, send it to:
     

     TheatreDiscussionLst@yahoogroups.com

The StageCraft Mailing List is for the discussion of all aspects of theatrical production: scenery, costumes, lights, props, sound and special effects. The over 1400 subscribers include theatre professionals, vendors, teachers, and students. Go to http://www.theprices.net/lists/stagecraft/ for more information and a searchable archive.

• To join the StageCraft list, send a blank email message to:
  
  stagecraft-subscribe@theatrical.net

  To post a message to StageCraft, send it to:
  

  stagecraft@theatrical.net

During the academic year, both lists handle a large amount of traffic. It is not unusual to receive 50 messages a day from StageCraft. Material covered ranges from the profound to the dumb. Most of the material winds up in my computer's ReCycle Bin. Some of the posts I read in class and others appear (with credit) on the Intro Web Pages.

2. How do I discover what shows are playing in New York?

Two Web Pages, Playbill On-Line (www.playbill.com) and nytheatre.com (nytheatre.com) publish theatre listings for both Broadway and Off-Broadway houses. Playbill On-Line (www.playbill.com) also carries information on American regional theatres, national tours, and summer stock companies.

3. I want to find out more information about Henrik Ibsen, where do I start?

Start by going to the library. A quick "Keyword" search of Northern State University's Williams Library brought up a list of 55 titles. Next I would go to the Web and type "Henrik Ibsen" (in quotation marks) into the search box of one of the many search engines.

4. Which search engine should I use?

I would start with Google (www.google.com) and follow up with AltaVista (www.altavista.com). Using two different search engines will give a more complete list of sites. Since each engine has it's own ranking criteria and site index, the links, and their order, will not be the same. A Google search on "Henrik Ibsen," (Google Results: Henrik Ibsen) yielded 2,090,000 hits. An AltaVista search on "Henrik Ibsen," ( AltaVista Results: Henrik Ibsen) yielded 960,000 hits. The server compiled a link-list of 200 Web pages.

5. Why do I need to enclose the playwright's name in quotation marks?

Normally, when the KeyWord is a phrase such as the name of a playwright, actor or designer; or the title of a play, film, opera or ballet, that phrase is enclosed in quotation marks. Depending on the search engine, the use of quotation marks can create a more manageable, and accurate, list of links. For more information on search techniques, link to the Help Web Pages provided by each search engine.

6. Where can I research screen writers, film actors, and movie titles?

The Internet Movie Database (us.imdb.com) "Earth's biggest movie database." (TM) This site will answer...

1. Who wrote the screen play for Gone With the Wind?
2. In how many films was James (Jimmy) Stewart cast?
3. What was the first film Orson Welles directed?

A similar site, the Internet Broadway Database (www.ibdb.com), has been developed by the League of American Theatres and Producers, the offical voice of the New York Broadway Theatre. The database can be searched by...

1. Show title, (Hello, Dolly!),
2. Name of an actor -- producer, director, playwright, designer... (Carol Channing),
3. A specific Broadway theatre (St. James Theatre) or
4. A season (1963-1964)

7. What is an "official" site?

An official site is usually developed and published by the owner of the property. Many Broadway musicals as well as most films produced within the last five years have an official Web site. The URL is usually www.titleofshow.com.

     An unofficial "fan"site?

An unofficial fan site is a personal Web Page developed by a fan who has no official connection with the production. There is only one official Web site for James Cameron's 1997 Academy Award winning Titanic-- www.titanicmovie.com, there are countless unofficial Titanic Web Pages. For many older works-- films, radio and early television programs --there are no official sites and their only Web presence are fan pages.

8. How do I evaluate the information I locate on the Web?

Check the purpose of the site, the authority of the author, the scope of the material and the professionalism of the selected Web Page. For more information link to Evaluating Internet Sources (PDF) and/or PASS - An educator's tool for web evaluation at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.

1. What is the purpose of the Web site?
   1. Why was it developed?
   2. Look at the domain name. Is it a commercial (*.com), educational (*.edu), government (*.gov) or non-profit organizational (*.org) site?
   3. Is it an "official" or an unofficial "fan" page?
   4. Is there advertising? If so, what are they trying to sell?

2. What is the authority of the author?
   1. Who created the Web page?
   2. What are their credentials?
   3. What other articles have they published in magazines, journals, books, or other web sites.

3. What is the scope of the material?
   1. What information is covered?
   2. Who is the intended audience?
   3. Do links to other Web Pages expand the scope of the work?

4. Does the page look professional?
   1. How is the material presented?
   2. Is it appropriate for the intended audience?
   3. Can the information be verified from other sources?
   4. Do the links work?
   5. When was this page last updated?