Would you find looking at a performing arts archive collection interesting? If you are a performing arts professional or student would you find a resource like that useful?

Clearly some major institutions believe they are useful. The University of Minnesota already has one. It has a collection representing classical music, theater, dance theater, film, writings of artists about the works they created, and more.

I’d find it interesting, if I were researching something in that area. I am not a profession nor a student of the performing arts.

However, I do play one on TV! Just an obscure reference for those of my generation.

Depends what you mean. Like @daloon said, as a musician I use things ~like~ that all the time (libraries – especially academic and music libraries – YouTube and MANY other websites, CD stores…...). How would this be different? What would it have?

The idea of centralized, performing arts-specific database is very appealing. And it could direct people to the many other resources that already exist as well.

Yes, I paid US$120 just to access the library in our (only) Academy for Performing Arts here in HK for a year. I needed inspiration to make dances/theatre, and it was helpful to soak myself in other people’s work.