‘Talking about music is like dancing about architecture’ may be one of the most common adages acknowledging the value of experiencing art for interpretation. For many, witnessing a performance is key to seeing how everything fits together. While reading a play is one level of understanding a work, this may not be enough to support mastery of the craft. But seeing a piece unfold can be instrumental in discovering its multiple layers and sometimes this requires viewing many different performances of the same work. Two of the Oviatt Library’s latest resources, which have been funded by the Campus Quality Fee, make experiencing Opera and Theatre performances much more accessible. Students, staff and faculty can now log in to Library resources through Databases A-Z to find them. While some performances may be found on YouTube, the quality of the videos in these databases is generally higher and includes permission to cite them as academic sources. In addition to viewing the performances directly from the databases, these videos can also be shared with classes through Moodle. So put your dancing shoes aside as the adage suggests and enjoy the convenience of Opera and Theatre performances directly from your computer.
Opera in Video – Collection of the most important opera performances, captured on video through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries. Selections represent the world’s best performers, conductors, and opera houses and are based on a work’s importance to the operatic canon.
Theatre in Video – Collection of more than 250 definitive performances of the world’s leading plays, together with more than 100 film documentaries, online in streaming video, representing hundreds of leading playwrights, actors and directors.
– Coleen Martin and Lindsay Hansen
