Report | 29. April 2026

Performing Arts Database Theatre & Dance (PAD Theatre & Dance) & Performing Arts Thesaurus (PAT) Workshop, 26 March 2026

By Dr. Melanie Gruß

The workshop, which took place on 26 March 2026 from 13:00 to 16:00, aimed to provide an initial insight into the current status of the Theatre and Dance Production and Performance Database (PAD) and the Performing Arts Thesaurus (PAT), both of which are under development. The PAD Theatre and Dance and PAT are new NFDI4Culture services that are being developed jointly by TIB Hannover, the Performing Arts Information Service, and the Institute for Theatre Studies at the University of Leipzig. To ensure the long-term interoperability and sustainability of these NFDI4Culture services, they must be developed in close coordination with existing structures and initiatives, including the GND, Performing Arts on Wikidata, and Musiconn.performance. The workshop therefore served as a platform to engage with stakeholders, identify needs and usage scenarios, and discuss ideas for designing the services. To this end, experts in archives and collections, theatre and dance research, and stakeholders with experience of similar database projects were invited to attend. The high level of response and active participation in the workshop demonstrated interest in the planned data services and highlighted their relevance to the community.

During the first session, the project's general concept was presented, along with an update on the current status of the data model using a WikiBase instance. A test dataset was presented and the planned integration with the GND was explained. Due to the need for a controlled subject vocabulary within the data model, the Performing Arts Thesaurus (PAT) was presented. This thesaurus is set to be an integral part of the database. 
This was followed by four discussion sessions, during which the participants assessed how productions and associated performances are recorded in other organisations and projects. They also considered which data sources exist and which data models and vocabularies are used. Finally, they discussed the expectations and use cases associated with a production and performance database. Throughout the workshop, participants demonstrated a keen interest in continuing the dialogue beyond this initial meeting. This will support the further development of PAD and PAT from a variety of professional perspectives and working contexts. In particular, the parties agreed on the shared objective of exchanging data and enabling performing arts productions and performances in Germany to be uniquely identified via an ID/URI.

The workshop was attended by representatives from the following institutions and projects: Digitales Archiv der Freien Darstellenden Künste, Theatermuseum Düsseldorf, Deutsches Theatermuseum München, Don Juan Archiv Wien, Deutsches Zentrum des Internationalen Theaterinstituts (ITI)/Mediathek für Tanz und Theater, Institut für Musikwissenschaft/Projekt Berliner Operngeschichte (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Fachinformationsdienst Musikwissenschaft/musiconn.performance (SLUB Dresden), Fachinformationsdienst Kunst-Fotografie-Design/adb.arthistoricum.net (SLUB Dresden), Institut für Kunst- und Musikwissenschaft/Projekt „Digital Edition of Gumpenhuber's Theatre Chronicle (1758–1763) - GuDiE“ (Universität Graz), Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Werkstatistik Deutscher Bühnenverein (Die deutsche Bühne), Trie Center for Digital Humanities (Universität Trier), WikiProject Performing Arts, Theapolis: Die Plattform für Theater-Profis, Schweizer Archiv der Darstellenden Künste (Stiftung SAPA).