In Medias Res
the performance media database
Target launch date: 1 Jan 2009
In Medias Res is a database of performance video recordings and sound recordings, as well as CD-ROMs and online resources on performance. Many types of performance are included, such as:
The database has three parts:
In Medias Res will be valuable to:
In Medias Res is a joint project of the Theatre Library Association (TLA), the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR), and the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE), and is produced with the support of the Yale University Library.
In Medias Res is produced and maintained by volunteers. If you are interested in joining the project, please get in contact with us. We are developing the database as quickly as possible, but we cannot keep track of all additions and deletions from distributors' catalogs, and we depend on database users for corrections and updates.
"Performance video recordings" document staged drama, dance, musical theater, opera, performance art, puppetry, circus, improvisation, comedy acts and related performance genres, performed either before a live audience or as if before a live audience. The term also includes workshops and other participant-oriented performance activities. The term does not include adaptations of drama for film, of the sort generally available through for-profit motion picture distributors, or most video recordings that normally would be considered works of art in and of themselves (i.e., video art).
"Performance sound recordings" document drama, musical theater, comedy acts and improvisational performances, either recorded before a live audience or produced specifically for a sound-only medium such as radio or sound CD. The term does not include sound recordings of opera.
The inclusion or exclusion of any item shall be at the discretion of the editors. For example, a work of video art by someone with notable theater activities could be added to the database even though it is not a performance video recording.
In Medias Res accepts two types of reviews:
Performance media resources do not have to be reviewed to be listed in the database.
Reviews may rank the item as "Highly recommended," "Recommended for undergraduate study," "Recommended for advanced research," "Moderately useful," or "Not recommended." All reviews must be signed.
The Review Editors must be members in good standing of TLA, ASTR or ATHE, but reviewers do not need to be members of any organization. Anyone may add an unadjudicated review or request permission to write an adjudicated review, and items may have multiple reviews of either type.
Opinions expressed by reviewers are solely their own. In Medias Res and the organizations that sponsor it are not responsible for the opinions expressed by reviewers.
Legal Stuff
Visitors may post reviews and submit information, suggestions, ideas, comments, and questions, so long as the content is not illegal, obscene, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, infringing on intellectual property rights, or otherwise injurious to third parties and does not consist of or contain software viruses, HTML code, commercial solicitation, political campaigning, or any form of "spam." You may not use a false e-mail address, impersonate any person or entity, or otherwise mislead as to the origin of any content. In Medias Res reserves the right (but not the obligation) to remove or edit such content, but does not regularly review posted content.
If you do post content or submit material, you grant In Medias Res a nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual and irrevocable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such content throughout the world in any medium. You grant In Medias Res the right to use the name that you submit in connection with such content. You represent and warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the content that you post; that the content is accurate; that use of the content you supply does not violate this policy and will not cause injury to any person or entity; and that you will indemnify In Medias Res or its sponsoring organizations for all claims resulting from content you supply. In Medias Res has the right but not the obligation to monitor and edit or remove any activity or content. In Medias Res and its sponsoring organizations take no responsibility and assume no liability for any content or opinions posted by you or any third party.
Currently In Medias Res's administrative and technical administration is being reorganized. During this period Tobin Nellhaus has sole project management. Once the database is up and running, the goal is to place it under the supervision of an Editorial Committee consisting of six members, two from each of the three sponsoring organizations, under the following organizational structure:
Representatives will serve for staggered and renewable terms of two years. The Editorial Committee will be responsible for determining details of the database's structure and contents. The committee will be divided into two standing subcommittees: the Resource and Vendor Information Subcommittee, and the Reviews Subcommittee. The subcommittees will be composed of one person from each sponsoring organization. The sponsoring organizations may either let their representatives choose which subcommittee to join, or appoint them to specific subcommittees. The subcommittees will arrange for people to contribute to the database, write adjudicated reviews, and read reviews, and they determine the procedures and standards that these activities should maintain.
The Editorial Committee will elect one of its members to serve as convenor, for a non-renewable term of one year. Convenorship will alternate between the two subcommittees.
Contact Us: info [at] performancemedia.org