Mapping the Real and Fictional Geographies of Avignon's Theatre Festivals

This paper explores the research potential of digital tools and AI methods in performing arts studies through a case study of Avignon’s two annual cutlural events, the IN and the OFF festivals. First, it outlines the process used to build a comprehensive dataset from the theatre programmes and playbills of both festivals, in combination with web scraping techniques. Second, it presents a mapping exercise that traces the evolution of the festivals’ real (production locations) and imagined geographies (narrative locations referenced within the fictional universe of each show). The resulting maps visualize the connections between narrative and production locations for each show, grouped by continent. Our study points to significant differences in the way the two Avignon festivals operate regarding their international aspirations.