International Association of Libraries and Museums of the Performing Arts

Société Internationale des Bibliothèques et des Musées des Arts du Spectacle

An Editor's Perspective on Theatre Research, the Research Facility, and Publication

Ron Engle (Grand Forks, North Dakota)

17. Internationaler SIBMAS-Kongreß / 17ème Congrès International de la SIBMAS / 17th International SIBMAS Congress, 1.-9. September 1988, Mannheim

Bericht / Actes / Documentation. Red.: Liselotte Homering. Mannheim : Städtisches Reiß-Museum, 1990. pp. 150-152

As editor of the international journal Theatre History Studies since its inception in 1980, I have had the opportunity to share the triumphs and agonies of scholars in pursuit of professional recognition through publication of their scholarly research. Essays and prospective articles submitted to the journal for publication consideration are juried by scholars in the relevant field of expertise and subsequently either accepted for publication, accepted under the condition of a revision, or rejected. In the process of this peer review, evaluation, and editorial consideration, a number of issues often arise which in many cases have a direct relationship to the research material utilized, the performing arts research facility, the research completed, and its suitability for publication. In the past eight years over six hundred research essays and documentations have been submitted to Theatre History Studies for publication consideration and approximately ninety have been accepted for publication. I would like to share with you a number of observations concerning some of the concerns, difficulties, problems, and also benefits that researchers have encountered in conducting their research in theatre libraries, archives and museums throughout the world.

By far the most important factor in any research is the accessibility of the material to be researched. One would like to think that this is not a problem provided that the material is in adequate physical condition. Normally a university professor or matriculated student has no problem in obtaining access to, for example, promptbooks or personal letters, etc. Yet on several occasions I have heard complaints that certain libraries "could not" permit access to these materials on grounds that were related to censorship restrictions of the material. Perhaps even more disturbing is a situation in which the professor was allowed access as a foreigner, but natives were denied access. But for the most part as an editor I have not encountered many complaints concerning the inaccessibility of material provided that one could at least travel to the depository facility. One exception is the strange story related to me concerning a provincial library in Europe, which denied having a certain document for fear that if the "official library" in the capital of that country knew that they possessed the document, it would be taken away from them and deposited elsewhere. Fortunately for the researcher a duplicate of the document was available in Amsterdam.

Duplication of material is by far the most discussed and complained about factor in conducting research. The most commonly voiced complaint is that researchers cannot make their own duplications but must submit a request for photo copying and then wait long periods of time for the order to be completed. Most facilities have duplication machines available but not all allow unrestricted access. In most cases it is a matter of minutes and in some cases it is a matter of hours, and even months. Of course the frail condition of a manuscript or promptbook merits special handling by a librarian or photographer. Obtaining illustrations which accompany an article to be published is, however, not without difficulty. In many instances the waiting time for obtaining photographs suitable for publication from certain archives can be somewhat exasperating. It is not uncommon to wait for four to six months in some countries. And then there exists the problem of obtaining permission to publish the photo. In some instances the archive does not control the permission to publish a photograph. It may be controlled by a trade union or professional organization. In Canada, for example, contemporary production photographs of professional actors in professional productions can be published without paying a fee to the actor or actors and without their written permission only if the publication is a not-for-profit publication, which is understandable, but also only if there are more than four actors in the photo. Therefore to publish, for example, five production photographs depicting three actors each, would require fifteen letters of permission from actors probably scattered throughout the provinces of Canada. A rather discouraging prospect for the researcher or publisher. In some cases production photographs are the exclusive right of the photographer, government agency or producing organization. This situation often requires permission from several different sources and further complicates the publication procedure

There are frequently restrictions placed on the use of materials in archives because of trade union arrangements or restrictions placed on materials by private donors. Access to the video tapes of recent New York productions stored in the archives of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is restricted. In some cases promptbooks of recent productions have restricted access for ten years in some performing arts archives in Canada. Some libraries in Great Britain require a letter of reference, but most qualified researchers are granted permission to use materials. For the most part, however, I have heard only minor complaints with regard to excessive restrictions.

No doubt the major cause of impatience in researchers stems from the universal problem of excessive bureaucracy. As already noted, in some cases one must wait for long period of time for photo copies, and in dealing with institutions in foreign countries the waiting period for responses can turn into months. Some delays are the result of poor postal service. For example, an air mail letter to Poland from the United States can take up to six or seven weeks. This means that a scientific dialogue or correspondence is limited to about three letters a year if you count the turnaround time for a reply. Lack of adequate staffing, which of course relates directly to matters of budget, is commonplace. I hear many complaints that even if the researcher conducts on site research, many archives cannot afford to remain open for more than a limited number of hours per day and days per week. Open stacks or open access to material for browsing, although a solution in many libraries, is obviously not possible in many cases due to concerns for security and the possible fragile nature of the material. Another complaint often reported concerns the lack of space available for the researcher to sit with adequate lighting and spread out materials.

In the area of data storage and retrieval, there are many concerns. On the one hand we have the advent of computer storage and retrieval exemplified by the outstanding documentation of the Deutsches Theatermuseum in Munich, and then we have the most common system, the card catalogue. Perhaps not surprising, much of the new research that results in publication involves material that is not indexed, but is stored somewhere in a box in the back room. Alas, if the little old men wearing "Kittel" in the gigantic Munich Staatsbibliothek ever pass away at the same time. They alone carry the secrets, and not the card catalogue, of what is stored in the back room. The nature of research is often discovery but indexing is essential. Certainly the successful evolution of the International Bibliography of Theatre demonstrates this clearly.

Another major concern involves the high cost of conducting research. Most expenses are incurred by the necessity of travel to a performing arts research facility. Performing arts materials do not normally lend themselves to an inter-library loan system and the cost of having a promptbook microfilmed is often prohibitive. In a country of the size of the United States this is a major concern. Travel is expensive. While most libraries do not charge a user fee, with few exceptions like Harvard University Library, all libraries do charge for duplication and copy machines. While the cost for copy machines is usually minimal, the cost for photo duplication necessary for publication quality is often beyond the budget of a university professor. For example, a recent article published in Theatre History Studies required eight illustrations for which the archive in England requested $30.00 per photo, a total of $240.00. Fortunately the person was able to obtain a small grant from the university to assist in payment. One would hope that such costs would go directly to a librarian's pension fund.

Setting aside complaints for a moment, allow me to praise one area in which I consistently hear good things, namely professional assistance and comradery. Most researchers have good things to say about how helpful, eager, generous, and friendly most librarians and curators are in assisting the sometimes confused and impatient researcher. They are especially accommodating to foreigners.

I would like to conclude my observations with one recommendation that I believe is vitally important for theatre collections, archives and museums. The relationship between the theatre dramaturg and the performing arts curator needs to be improved. The importance of dramaturgs and their relationship to the theatre archive cannot be stressed enough. Unfortunately, in my own country the professional dramaturg has only recently been accepted and is still considered to be a "frill expense" by many theatres. While the tradition of the dramaturg is common in Europe, American dramaturgs, exemplified by the fine work of, for example, Felicia Londr&eacut; of the Missouri Repertory Company, are only a rather recent development. The dramaturg's assistance in preserving and depositing important production documents, such as interviews, production photos, clippings, promptbooks, diaries, budget sheets, costume and design sketches, etc., is most essential. In the Federal Republic of Germany, for example, they are responsible for developing comprehensive theatre programmes, which often include complete play texts, interviews, designs, and historical essays. These documents provide valuable source material for scholars as well as relieving to some extent, I believe, the burden of the archivist in preserving material that might not otherwise be made available to or deposited in a performing arts archive. The dramaturg's assistance in the preservation of ephemeral elements in theatre production, which frequently disappear before they reach the curator, is invaluable. Perhaps this important relationship can be improved and nurtured even more to assist and codify the acquisition and accessibility of important documents and memorabilia related to the performing arts.

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