An Innovative Form of Access to the Cultural Heritage of Musical Theatre: A Perspective from Bulgaria

Providing as an example the Virtual Museum of Bulgarian Musical Theatre, institutionalized as an independent and constantly evolving Internet platform at the Museum of the Bulgarian Musical Theater (MBMT), this study represents a new contribution to the application of digital technologies to management and cultural promotion. The research answers questions regarding the current development and applications of digital technologies for designing multimedia content aiming to represent cultural heritage. The results offer an original virtual museum constructing method for interactive access to archival samples of performances in the following genres: opera, ballet, operetta, and musical. Additionally, the museum offers access to a presentation of the achievements of music and stage art through permanent thematic collections of repertoire programs, up-to-date information about the creative process of artists, conductors, directors, scenographers, choreographers. Keywords: Digitization, Preservation, Cultural Heritage, Digital Collections, Musical Theatre, Opera, Ballet