Digitization of the archive of the Τhessalian Theatre

DataScouting has taken on the digitization of the valuable and historical archive of the Τhessalian Theatre. The contract was signed by the President of the Board of Directors of the Τhessalian Theatre, Agoritsa Aprili, and the representative of contracting company DataScouting, Anastasios Avramis, in the presence of the Mayor of Larissa, Apostolos Kalogiannis, the Deputy Mayor of Larissa, Georgios Soultis, and the Artistic Director of the Thessalian Theatre, Kyriaki Spanou.

The project includes:

The installation and configuration of an integrated information system;
Installation and configuration of the Integrated Digital Repository System of the Thessalian Theatre;
Digitalization and enrichment of the Digital Repository of the Thessalian Theatre;
Augmented Reality System – Virtual Tour;
Digital interactive touch screen;
Training on the Integrated Information System of Thessalian Theatre.

Specifically, the project will develop a digital repository structured according to the international standard for the description of digital content, Dublin Core, and will include the basic interoperability specifications of the National Documentation and Electronic Content Centre for the inclusion of the digital collection in the National Digital Cultural Resources Repository and the European Digital Platform Europeana. It will also provide digitization, documentation services for the entire collections of the Theatre Archive, which will enrich the digital repository. The project also includes the installation of a virtual tour of the Theatre’s physical spaces, and the creation of a smart mobile application for guided tours and metadata display at points of interest. Starting from specific points, the visitor will be guided to successive stops with the aim to engage in a complete and pleasant tour experience.

In concrete terms, the material to digitize and document in the framework of the project includes the entire existing physical archive of the Thessalian Theatre, and includes:

209 theater performances to be recorded in a digital format for the archive, together with the sound recordings of each performance (digital video and audio files, 400 hours);
20.000 still images;
200 theatre programmes;
200 posters of performances;
20 digitally printed models and floor maps;
50 set designs for digital display;
150 theatrical texts of performances uploaded with a total of 15,000 pages;
2 scrapbooks with a total of 1,000 pages;
500 pieces of wardrobe for 360o (degrees) photography;
50 pieces of scenery for digital imaging.

The digitization of the archives of the Thessalian Theatre is an investment in its future, in the promotion and exploitation of its important activities in Greece and abroad, in order to

Increase the promotion and dissemination of the historical, artistic and cultural wealth that has been stored for decades in the collections of the Thessalian Theatre.
To highlight the priceless historical and cultural heritage, while promoting and enhancing the artistic and cultural prestige of the Theatre.
To collect in a central location and contribute to the long-term preservation and conservation of all its historical, artistic and cultural wealth.
Provide a basis for the provision of value-added services, such as the creation of online artistic and research profiles, etc.

The project “The Thessalian Theatre in the Digital Age” falls under the Action “RESEARCH – CREATE – INNOVATE”, which is co-financed by National (Operational Programme Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation 2014-2020-EPAnEK, National Strategic Reference Framework-NSRF) and EU Funds (European Union, European Regional Development Fund).

Since 2015, DataScouting has a dedicated department for Libraries, Archives and Museums. Following the very latest technologies and implementing innovative solutions DataScouting provides Libraries and Information Centers, Archives and Museums and other cultural heritage organizations with tools to empower both staff and users.

Our solutions and services help organizations and institutions to make their collections accessible to the world and preserve the cultural heritage through interoperability with cultural content aggregators, such as Europeana and SearchCulture. The tools we develop, enrich information and digital content, using optical character recognition, AR & VR technologies, unified search capabilities and enhanced viewing software.

You can check similar projects that our team has delivered in Greece and abroad here.