Preserving the Ephemeral: Towards a Proposal for Archiving the Performing Arts

This paper offers a theoretical and methodological reflection on the state of performing arts archives in Italy, highlighting systemic challenges and innovative strategies. The first section focuses on the lack of a national archival system for performance in Italy, analyzing the territorial fragmentation and limited accessibility of archival sources, with a focus on the international debate on the ephemeral nature of performance, and repositions the archive as an active narrative and cultural mediation device, situated between memory and re-enactment. The second part introduces the ITArchives project, developed within the pnrr-changes program, in order to create an interoperable digital platform dedicated to the mapping, digitization, and valorization of Italian theatrical archival heritage. ITArchives is presented as a transdisciplinary research ecosystem, structured into thematic paths and immersive environments, promoting a shift from static to dynamic, participatory archival models. The contribution lays the groundwork for redefining the concept of performing arts archives in light of digital curation paradigms and computational humanities.