Digital Humanities and Theatrical Heritage: New Research on the Teatro Metastasio in Prato

On april the 30th, Matilde Innocenti (University of Florence) will host a presentation titled “The Archive of the Teatro Metastasio in Prato between Preservation and Contemporaneity: A Proposal for New Digital Accessibility”.

The project aims to reinterpret the theatre’s historical heritage through the lens of Digital Humanities, transforming traditional archival sources into innovative models for dissemination. The research focuses on the theatre’s formative years, from its foundation in 1827 to the Unification of Italy. By analyzing a vast array of materials from the State Archive of Prato - including administrative records, correspondance, architectural plans, and stage machinery specifications - the study reconstructs the organizational, economic and cultural mechanisms of 19th-century theatrical life in Tuscany.

A key outcome of the project is the development of an interactive digital model, designed in collaboration with the Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur les humanités numériques (CRIHN) in Montréal. This digital environment integrates heterogeneous sources into a unified system, offering new possibilities for both scholarly research and public engagement. By connecting historical investigation with digital tools, the project ensures that the "theatre workshop" of the past remains dynamic and accessible for a contemporary audience.