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ESAT: The Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance

Originally conceived and founded by Temple Hauptfleisch, ESAT is a national research programme, involving a large number of voluntary writers, researcher, editors and technical supporters.

The Editorial Board

Founder and project director: Temple Hauptfleisch

Editor - South African Theatre and Performance: Temple Hauptfleisch

Editor - South African Film: Freddy Ogterop

Editor - South African Radio:

Editor - South African Television:

Editorial assistant and researcher: Miriam Terblanche

Technical support

Web publisher: University of Stellenbosch, South Africa and the Libopedia project of the University of Stellenbosch Library Services[1]

Editorial offices: University of Stellenbosch, Department of Drama

Introduction

ESAT: The Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance is an open access, internet based interactive resource for researchers interested in the evolution, history and forms of performance and media in South Africa. Deriving from the University of Stellenbosch's Libopedia[2] project, it uses the Wiki format and programmes and is published on the web with the assistance of the Drama Department (http://www.sun.ac.za/drama) and its former Centre for Theatre and Performance Studies, the J.S. Gericke Library and the division for Information Technology at the University of Stellenbosch (http://www.sun.ac.za/index.asp)

This work is based on research supported by the National Research Foundation. However, any opinion, finding and conclusion or recommendation expressed in this material is that of the authors and the NRF does not accept any liability in this regard.

Aims of ESAT

The key aim of the ESAT encyclopaedia[3] is to create a comprehensive database on the history and nature of South African performance, including theatre, drama, radio drama and TV drama, film, dance, puppetry, circus, oral performance and similar forms, and to make it available as a general reference work and resource for the use of researchers, students, artists, journalist and all other interested parties.

Guide to using ESAT

1. What is ESAT?
2. The Research Team and Contributors
3. Acknowledgements
4. Background, origins and history
5. Basic principles in editing and using ESAT
6. Updating ESAT
7. Guide to using ESAT

Two important notes for all readers

1 Time-frame and focus on pre-21st century people and events

Because so much information about contemporary arts is already available on the Internet, the aim of this first phase of the project is primarily to provide information about the earlier periods in our history, or what one might think of as pre-21st century theatre, film, media and performance; that is: material from older print publications and manuscripts, not always readily to be found on the Internet yet. For information on more recent, post-2000 events, readers are therefore urged to use the various search engines available, and consult the many South African and international Internet resources, such as LitNet[4], Artslink[5], ESAACH[6] and Wikipedia[7], as well as ESAT itself.

2 It is work in progress

In addition to the time-frame, this initial, experimental, stage of the project (2011-2014) is very much work in progress, a phase in which all the raw material in the database is simply being put onto the web; largely unedited. The main idea has been to make this information available to all users as soon as possible, therefore the material has been used much as it was received - incomplete as it may be at this stage - and therefore it may contain quite a bit of duplication of information, many lacunae, some uncertainties and even possible errors. (In many cases asterisks [*] are used in the text to signal our own awareness of gaps or possible errors .) There will definitely be numerous issues, people and institutions that our readers may know about, but we have not got to yet or are unaware of, and therefore have no entries as yet. Many entries are currently still only mere (unsorted) collations of information, and still require close editing. (The phrase "TO BE EDITED" is at times put in at the head of the entry, to indicate such cases.)

We would therefore like to invite all readers to help us in improving, editing and expanding this material. Should you wish to comment, alter or add to a particular entry, or to the encyclopaedia as a whole, please go to the next section Updating ESAT and let us have your input.

Updating ESAT

The ESAT database – and indeed the project as a whole - is intended to be, above anything else, a resource for the theatre scholar, researcher, practitioner, critic and/or theatre lover. Something to be dipped into and used as the need arises. We trust that in its present Wiki-based format it serves that purpose.

However, as any reader will no doubt quickly realize, a project such as this can hardly be complete or even fully correct, in all the details about the thousands of performances, people, organizations and places involved in South African theatre and performance over the course of the ages. Besides the sheer bulk of potential material to be fitted into our database , there are also problems with the availability and reliability of our sources and our information. To add to the confusion we have found that authors often contradict themselves and each other, at times taking speculation as fact, or turning to speculation themselves to fill in gaps. We have sought to indicate where such disparities or doubts occur. (See A Warning to Readers of ESAT)

Thus the ESAT database can only really provide a sample of the more prominent information available at a given time, nor can it ever really be completed as a project. There are no doubt many gaps and inaccuracies of our own in this first version of ESAT and for this reason we would like to stress that it is a first version, one to be updated and corrected on an ongoing basis. To help us in this process, we would like to invite readers to supply us with any information we might require to improve the Companion for later editions.

Submitting contributions to ESAT

All researchers, artists and other interested parties are invited to help us expand, improve, update and correct ESAT. Any information, contributions, relevant comments, material or information can be sent to the following address. If you wish to send whole entries, you may wish to do so using the ESAT Templates explained below.

The ESAT address

The Editor: ESAT, Department of Drama, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, MATIELAND 7602, South Africa.

E-mail address: satj@sun.ac.za

Fax number: (+ 27) 21 882 9141

The ESAT Templates

We have devised the following templates for the varous categories in the encylopaedia (see next section), and we invite you to use them when preparing material to submit to us. To find the appropriate ESAT Template for your purposes, click on the category below:

1. Film ESAT Template
2. Personalities ESAT Template
3. Radio Plays & series ESAT Template
4. Stage Plays ESAT Template
5. Themes and definitions ESAT Template
6. TV Drama & series ESAT Template
7. Venues, Companies, Institutions etc ESAT Template

Please use the headings outlined in the appropriate category to write up your entry/entries for inclusion in ESAT. Do so in a Word document, and then mail it back to us as an e-mail attachment satj@sun.ac.za, or in a letter to the address given above, and we will upload it onto the website.

The ESAT Entries

The entries for ESAT have been grouped in fifteen categories, managed and edited by one of the research editors. To access database material on the relevant category, click on the appropriate link below.

1. South African Theatre and Performance/Overview
2. South African Film/Overview
3. South African Media/Overview
4. The South African Context/General Terminology and Thematic Entries
5. South African Theatre/Terminology and Thematic Entries
6. South African Film /Terminology and Thematic Entries
7. South African Media/Terminology and Thematic Entries
8. South African Personalities
9. South African Venues, Companies, Societies, etc
10. South_African_Films
11. South African Stage Plays
12. South African Radio Plays and Serials
13. South African Television Plays and Series
14. A Chronology of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance
15. A Bibliography of South African South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance