ARCHILIVES was introduced to the public on 29 May during its info day in Castrovillari, held at Palazzo Cappelli. The event was organised within the framework of the 26th edition of Primavera dei Teatri and was titled “Technologies and Digitisation to Make Archives Villages of New Memories and Experiences”.
The meeting opened with a reflection on the value of memory in contemporary theatre, using the metaphor of the hourglass to highlight the importance of preserving what risks being lost over time. This concept lies at the core of ARCHILIVES, a project aimed at preserving and making accessible the human, artistic and documentary heritage developed by theatre institutions, festivals and communities.
The event featured contributions from Dario De Luca and Saverio La Ruina (artistic directors of Primavera dei Teatri), Rosy Parrotta (Project Coordinator and Curator), Francesco Gallicchio (Director Printag) and Fabio Iorfida (Project Manager), who presented the objectives of the initiative and explained the Festival’s role within it. Speakers highlighted the importance of preserving theatrical memory and making it accessible to wider audiences through digital tools, new narratives and innovative forms of cultural participation. This vision is closely connected to ARCHILIVES, which considers theatre archives not only as places of conservation, but also as dynamic cultural resources capable of engaging artists, communities and younger generations.
Through digitalisation, shared and interoperable platforms, immersive archives and interactive narratives, ARCHILIVES aims to transform theatre archives into tools for knowledge, participation and cultural dissemination. The project seeks to combine memory and future, preservation and accessibility, technology and cultural innovation.
