Encyclopedia Misc...

[Gaetan Charlebois]

Hello All

Despite the frenzied activity AROUND the site (the Canoe agreement), I have
still managed to pull off this week's updates and added some new profiles;
not to mention some terrific photos from the Cirque du Soleil press
conference. (There's nothing like good news to give you that burst of
energy you need; also reading a great play like "Inexpressible Island" can
keep you buzzing for a week.)

As to Canoe; the site is up (and accessible via canoe.ca/Jam/Theatre) and a
blink-of-an-eye system for processing updates should be in place early this
week. Also the transfer should also be complete very soon this week so that
when you type canadiantheatre.com into your browser window, it will go to
Canoe rather than the older Geocities site (which will close down except as
a forwarding/warehouse site as soon as the transfer is complete). So don't
worry, you'll find us.

Meanwhile, we passed February's traffic record on March 26 - that is, 2886
hits in 26 days. On the 28th we crossed the 3,000 in-a-month marker. This
is phenomenal and a little intimidating, I must say.

Which leads us to the following point: the value of the project.

I have received virtually nothing but encouragement from the world and even
when there is criticism it is usually very polite and helpful. But most of
the criticism boils down to this: vision and value. My vision of the site
includes that it remain free, accessible, visible and enjoyable to even the
newest of theatre enthusiasts (indeed, I think including theatre/fun - as
with this week's addition of Will & Grace star Eric McCormack to the
Encyclopedia - is the only way to keep theatre/challenging alive in this
country).

However, there is no doubt that the site could take on the added weight of
higher academic standards without becoming a densely foot-noted and
intimidating place to the neophyte. To this end, I'd like some of you - a
sort of Council of Elders - to just surf around in the site to tell me how
it might improved so that it is of more concrete use in this regard. I am
no academic; I am a very curious and energetic
generalist/journalist/theatre practitioner. But there is a proviso to any
changes that can be made: 1000 profiles were created before I released the
site to the public and these would change very slowly and gradually with
time. Any suggestions given about older profiles (like footnoting or adding
reading list to a profile) would have to be specific: this profile needs
this. General suggestions about what is needed as I add profiles will be
considered and acted upon as the profiles are created.

That is one thing. The other thing I need is thoughts on where people would
like the site to go and how, from what they know about the internet, they
think it can get there.

Guiding all help you might offer should be consideration of the fact that,
no matter how committed I am, I am alone, and will probably be alone for a
while yet (despite the Canoe deal).

Meanwhile, have a great week.

New Profiles:
McCormack, Eric (Actor)
Conseil quebecois du theatre (Organization)
Curzi, Pierre (Actor)
Gaucher, David (Designer)
"Inexpressible Island" (Play, David Young)


Updates:
Reviews; Thea-Tricks; Heavenly Voices; Cirque du Soleil (photos of the new
show and of the company's new complex); Feore, C.; Jones, A.; Taylor, D.H.;
Bushkowsky, A.; Hollingsworth, Michael; Spoken Word; Reineke, G.; Fringe
Movement; National Arts Centre; Plamondon, L.; "Starmania"; Springate, M.;
Dalpe, J.M.; PACT; Quebec; Prairie, L.; Theatre du Nouveau Monde;
Designing; Young, D.; Necessary Angel; Thomson, RH; Best, W.; Sources;
Bravos and Boos; Gascon, J.; Hebert, M; Hoffman, G.; Faucher, F.; Tager,
A.; Miller, J.; Maraden, M.; Soiree des Masques

Cheers.

Gaetan L. Charlebois (Editor, The Encyclopedia of Canadian Theatre on the
WWW) http://www.canadiantheatre.com
If you want to join the Encyclopedia's mailing list (and get information
before anyone else as well as the Monday Hint for the Thea-Tricks Doozey),
simply send an e-mail to mailinglist at canadiantheatre.com