Index in Performances in Alberta

[Ches Skinner]

In 1989 Judy Conine and I started compiling a calendar of performances in
Alberta from the time newspapers were first established to the present.
Although we initially called the project a calendar it is more of a
bibliographic guide or index to theatrical performances in Alberta from 1880 -
1990. We have recorded references to ALL performances including amateur and
professional and have entered the data onto a database,  using AskSam, under
the following headings:
        1. date of production
        2. town/community
        3. name of play
        4. playwright
        5. company
        6. amateur/professional
        7. director
        8. manager
        9. performers
        10. scenic designer
        11. costume designer
        12. lighting designer
        13. sponsor/producer
        14. venue
        15. type of program i.e concert, revue, reading etc.
        16. SOURCE of infomation
        17. keywords
 
Up until our first SSHRC grant ran out, and with help from summer projects such
as SEED and STEP we managed to collect and enter data from the following
sources:
        Lethbridge News         1885-1906
        Lethbridge Telegram/Herald 1906-1990
        Red Deer Advocate       1907-1990
 
Data from Calgary and Medicine have been collected but not yet entered onto the
database.
 
If anyone out there would like to test the database and perhaps find something
which might be of interest to their research please let us know either via this
network or by letter and we will do our best to get back to you.
 
(Lethbridge was started in 1880 as a coal mining town, touring theatre groups
were here from the beginning as were locally produced shows by the NWMP and
other community groups. Since that time the theatre picture in this praire town
has been very similar to the composition in  much of Canada: community theatre
with some attempts at professional, and lots of visiting companies.
THERE ARE CURRENTLY 16,600 RECORDS IN OUR DATABASE.)
 
We are presently working with assistance from a small grant from the University of
Lethbridge while we await word from SSHRC. When the project is complete we intend
to make the data available  in machine readable form such as a CD.
 
Ches Skinner,
Department of Dramatic arts,
University of Lethbridge,
Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 4G1  403-381-1920 (H) /  329-2671(W)
 
Judy Conine,
University Library,
University of Lethbridge,
Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 4G1