From Documentation to Generation: Digital Archives and a Shift in Theatre Memory

Abstract

The article examines the digital-technology-driven transformation of the archive and the process of reshaping theatre historiography and the cultural memory of this art form. Drawing on the insights of Wolfgang Ernst, Gabriella Giannachi, and Sarah Bay-Cheng and through the analysis of scholarly literature, the article discusses the operational, experiential, and interactive functions of digital archives. It argues that the paradigm of archiving is shifting from documentation to generation: in the digital environment, an archive is no longer a passive repository of documents but an active, performative system that not only preserves but also produces theatrical memory. The research methodology integrates approaches from theatre studies, archival science, and cultural theory, while the article presents a case study analysing the creation of the ‘imagined’ opera Jūratė (2025) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. This study illustrates how the archive, artists, and artificial intelligence tools generate new forms of theatrical memory and historiographical production. The findings reveal that by combining machine-based data processing with user participation, digital archives transcend the boundaries of traditional documentation by reactivating the ephemeral traces of theatre in the present and enabling new forms of memory, historiography, and participation.