Using and incorporating media is an integral part of research and teaching in all disciplines at the Institute. Many performative and audiovisual works that are the objects of study in our field – e.g., historical theater, dance and concert performances; TV and radio recordings – can only be studied and researched because of media documentation, accessibility, presentation, and visibility.
To meet these needs, the Media Lab & Media Archive of the Institute for Theater Studies was established in the late 1990s.
The Media Archive contains approx. 16,500 items on theater, film, dance, and documentation. The earliest own recordings go back to the 1970s. The holdings currently consist of more than 9,500 videotapes, as well as approx. 2,500 DVDs and 1,500 digital copies on network drives for onsite use (streaming).
The archive is not open to the public. Access is granted only to staff and students of the Institute and related institutions in accordance with the archive’s visitor policy.