Australian Live Performance Database (AusStage)

Inscription Number: 
#77
Year of Inscription: 
2021

This is an open access website with material about the performing arts in Australia and links to material about the performing arts in Australia in other places. It was developed in 1999 to bring together these disparate and ephemeral holdings in a national repository. The database contains information relating to live theatre and performance events in Australia from 1789 to the present. It links people with theatre and production companies, venues, resources and works.

The Australian performing arts sector comprises a wide range of organisations and venues, including professional, amateur, and community theatres, training schools and colleges, and youth theatres. Often undervalued, live performance is a fundamental element in Australian culture but its documentation has been sporadic and local. AusStage has become a key source of documentation demonstrating the reach and impact of the arts and the role of live performance in a readily accessible form. By collecting and recording distinct performance events, AusStage plays a vital role in maintaining the memory of live performance in Australia.

Its longevity as a digital resource demonstrates the considered approach its designers have taken to ensure sustainability and accessibility. There is nothing comparable in the world, even in the UK or USA, at a national level. AusStage is unique in its coverage of amateur and professional performance forms across regional and metropolitan Australia.