#wikiturgy

Where Wikipedia writing falls in the value chain of academic scholarship in the digital age is a hotly contested topic. Its value as a venue for public dramaturgy is less debatable. Such was my pitch to fellow dramaturgs Catherine María Rodríguez (Center Stage and the Dramaturgy Open Office Hours Project) and Russell M. Dembin (UT Austin). Working together, we soon realized that the best way we might harness Wikipedia’s power to reinforce and extend other digital interventions was with a conscious eye towards the feminist notion of intersectionality—that is, working across many communities of difference at the same time. To that end, we are using this post to rally dramaturgically inclined theatre artists to join us for an all-day Wikiturgy Edit-a-Thon on Tuesday, February 17, 2015. Some of you might recognize this date as the one-year anniversary of #TheSummit which catalyzed a particular strain of feminist activism; however, we consider this Edit-a-Thon an opportunity to expand the table of contents of this public encyclopedia to include the myriad under-/unsung theatre artists whose bodies of work contribute to the diverse landscape of theatre. Instead of our crafting a list, which invariably will leave off names that others feel should be included, an Edit-a-Thon empowers anyone to jump in as an editor. It allows all of us to fulfill a New Year’s resolution to make greater strides towards diversity and parity in American Theatre in 2015. It is one way to support an artist whose work you know, admire, and feel should have a more publicly visible space online.

All NCA Members are encouraged to participate by adding new entries and enhancing existing ones with more complete and accurate information with references. This is an especially exciting initiative for teachers and students who can make updating or creating Wikipedia entries part of coursework. Learn how one professor incorporated NCA's Wikipedia Initiative into her class. Use Wikipedia for writing assignments in your classroom. Your students will ensure communication discipline entries are accurate and complete. Such work can teach students: that even the simplest ideas are hard to communicate to general audiences; the importance of logic, strength of argument, flow and clarity of writing, and citations of the appropriate literature; and the significance of accuracy in scholarly writing.