This is the first overview of Performing Arts Collections in the Nordic Countries published in English from Nordisk Center for Teaterdokumentation. It is a register of archives, libraries, museums, theatres and institutions that hold performing arts records in their collections as well as a description of what the collections contain. Furthermore the main educational institutions are mentioned.

As a foreigner to Nordic languages, it can be difficult to access Nordic performing arts archives and get an overview over the field. The ambition with this publication is to make the archives accessible to a larger group of scholars all over the world.

For the first time in more than 40 years of publishing an overview over Performing Arts Collections in the Nordic countries (until now in Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish) and Iceland, we have included Greenland and The Faroe Islands. The performing arts tradition in these two countries still lack broader research. It is my hope, as editor in chief, that this inclusion will strengthen scholarly awareness of the performing arts history of both Greenland and The Faroe Islands in a broader context.

We live in a digital era, with access to a great deal of digital or digitized records. Unfortunately, web links die out quickly. Thus, the editorial choice has been to link to the main web page of each institution. Not all institutions have an English web site, but with the descriptions in this publication, it is our hope that it will be easier to access the collections listed in it.

The editorial team from Nordisk Center for Teaterdokumentation consists of Marjaana Launonen (Finland) Sigríður Jónsdóttir (Iceland), Benedikte Berntzen (Norway), Magnus Blomkvist and Rikard Larsson (Sweden), Birgit Kleist Pedersen (Greenland), and Anna Lawaetz (Denmark and The Faroe Islands).