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Theater as Data: Computational Journeys into Theater Research
In Theater as Data, Miguel Escobar Varela explores the use of computational methods and digital data in theater research. He considers the implications of these new approaches, and explains the roles that statistics and visualizations play. Reflecting on recent debates in the humanities, the author suggests that there are two ways of using data, both of which have a place in theater research. Data-driven methods are closer to the pursuit of verifiable results common in the sciences; and data-assisted methods are closer to the interpretive traditions of the humanities. The book surveys four major areas within theater scholarship: texts (not only playscripts but also theater reviews and program booklets); relationships (both the links between fictional characters and the collaborative networks of artists and producers); motion (the movement of performers and objects on stage); and locations (the coordinates of performance events, venues, and touring circuits). Theater as Data examines important contributions to theater studies from similar computational research, including in classical French drama, collaboration networks in Australian theater, contemporary Portuguese choreography, and global productions of Ibsen. This overview is complemented by short descriptions of the author’s own work in the computational analysis of theater practices in Singapore and Indonesia. The author ends by considering the future of computational theater research, underlining the importance of open data and digital sustainability practices, and encouraging readers to consider the benefits of learning to code. A web companion offers illustrative data, programming tutorials, and videos. 
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Theater as Data: Computational Journeys into Theater Research
In Theater as Data, Miguel Escobar Varela explores the use of computational methods and digital data in theater research. He considers the implications of these new approaches, and explains the roles that statistics and visualizations play. Reflecting on recent debates in the humanities, the author suggests that there are two ways of using data, both of which have a place in theater research. Data-driven methods are closer to the pursuit of verifiable results common in the sciences; and data-assisted methods are closer to the interpretive traditions of the humanities. The book surveys four major areas within theater scholarship: texts (not only playscripts but also theater reviews and program booklets); relationships (both the links between fictional characters and the collaborative networks of artists and producers); motion (the movement of performers and objects on stage); and locations (the coordinates of performance events, venues, and touring circuits). Theater as Data examines important contributions to theater studies from similar computational research, including in classical French drama, collaboration networks in Australian theater, contemporary Portuguese choreography, and global productions of Ibsen. This overview is complemented by short descriptions of the author’s own work in the computational analysis of theater practices in Singapore and Indonesia. The author ends by considering the future of computational theater research, underlining the importance of open data and digital sustainability practices, and encouraging readers to consider the benefits of learning to code. A web companion offers illustrative data, programming tutorials, and videos. 
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Theater as Data: Computational Journeys into Theater Research

Theater as Data: Computational Journeys into Theater Research

by Miguel Escobar Varela
Theater as Data: Computational Journeys into Theater Research
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Theater as Data: Computational Journeys into Theater Research

Theater as Data: Computational Journeys into Theater Research

by Miguel Escobar Varela

Overview

In Theater as Data, Miguel Escobar Varela explores the use of computational methods and digital data in theater research. He considers the implications of these new approaches, and explains the roles that statistics and visualizations play. Reflecting on recent debates in the humanities, the author suggests that there are two ways of using data, both of which have a place in theater research. Data-driven methods are closer to the pursuit of verifiable results common in the sciences; and data-assisted methods are closer to the interpretive traditions of the humanities. The book surveys four major areas within theater scholarship: texts (not only playscripts but also theater reviews and program booklets); relationships (both the links between fictional characters and the collaborative networks of artists and producers); motion (the movement of performers and objects on stage); and locations (the coordinates of performance events, venues, and touring circuits). Theater as Data examines important contributions to theater studies from similar computational research, including in classical French drama, collaboration networks in Australian theater, contemporary Portuguese choreography, and global productions of Ibsen. This overview is complemented by short descriptions of the author’s own work in the computational analysis of theater practices in Singapore and Indonesia. The author ends by considering the future of computational theater research, underlining the importance of open data and digital sustainability practices, and encouraging readers to consider the benefits of learning to code. A web companion offers illustrative data, programming tutorials, and videos. 

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780472054794
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Publication date: 08/02/2021
Pages: 230
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Miguel Escobar Varela is Assistant Professor of Theatre Studies at the National University of Singapore.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
 
Introduction: In Pursuit of Theater’s Digital Traces
 
Part 1: Pre-Departure Reflections
1 Towards a More Nuanced Conversation on Methodology
2 The Roles of Statistics
3 The Roles of Visualizations
 
Part 2: Guided Tours
4 Words as Data
5 Relationships as Data
6 Motion as Data
7 Locations as Data
 
Part 3: Ensuring the Journeys Continue
8 The Imperative of Open and Sustainable Data
9 The Roles of Software Programming
 
Appendix A: Data Biographies
Appendix B: Technical Glossary
 

What People are Saying About This

Jennifer Roberts-Smith

“A much-needed synthesis of existing data methods in Digital Humanities and Theatre Studies, featuring a well-theorized framework that can be used by other scholars. The book also provides an important analysis of Indonesian and Singaporean texts, choreographies, and other performance records.”

Derek Miller

“A major contribution to theater studies and to Digital Humanities more broadly, Theater as Data offers a compelling vision of how the two fields can—and, in the case studies, do—work together to produce new knowledge.”

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