Begin your research using the Library Catalog.
- If you are researching a specific playwright (dramatist), enter the name (last name first) e. g. Jonson Ben and click on SUBJECT begins with.
- If you are researching a specific country, enter Theater [name of country] e. g. Theater England, and click on SUBJECT begins with.
- If you are researching a theater theme or just browsing theatre history books, enter Theater History and click on SUBJECT begins with.
Books covering theater and stage generally are in PN2000-PN2999. Specifically, general histories of the theater similar to your textbook are in PN2100s. Books covering a particular playwright are usually in the call number for a particular country's literature; therefore, use the name of the playwright to find books by (AUTHOR) or about (SUBJECT) that particular person.
Currently Cambridge University Press is publishing a series of documentary histories of theatre in Europe. Each volume has a separate title and call number. To view the titles in the series, enter the following keyword search in the online catalog: theatre in Europe and Cambridge and sources and click on KEYWORD Anywhere.
Theatre Databases
Most Important Resources
International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance (IBTD) (1985 to present)
Sponsored by the American Society for Theatre Research and the International Association of Libraries and Museums of the Performing Arts in cooperation with the International Federation for Theatre Research, this database is the most comprehensive source for locating articles, books, chapters in books, dissertations, and miscellaneous other materials published in the field of the theatre research.
Academic OneFile (InfoTrac) (1980 to present)
Indexes and, for the most part, abstracts articles for a few thousand journals covering nearly all subject areas. The fulltext of many articles is available in the database; in addition, there is a link to Journal Finder in order to determine if the fulltext is available in another database. This database indexes thousands of articles on theatre topics, including reviews of play performances. More info
Academic Search Premier (1984 to present)
The fulltext of many scholarly articles is available in the database; in addition, there is a link to Journal Finder in order to determine if the fulltext is available in another database. This database indexes thousands of articles on theatre topics, including reviews of play performances. More info
ProQuest Direct (dates vary according to database)
The fulltext of many articles is available in these databases; in addition, there is a link to Journal Finder in order to determine if the fulltext is available in another database. These databases index thousands of articles on theatre topics, including reviews of play performances. More info
MLA International Bibliography (1963 to present)
The Modern Language Association's International Bibliography indexes books, essays, in books, articles from over 3000 journals, proceedings, dissertations as listed in Dissertation Abstracts International, and many other materials. Although it excludes book reviews and performance reviews, it includes many articles on theatrical production, stage history, performance, theory, and literary aspects of plays. More info
Periodicals Archive Online (PAO) (dates vary: from Volume 1 of journals to early 1990's or date journal ceased publication)
Provides the fulltext of over 300 journals in the humanities and social sciences, including articles on theater and drama. More info
Early English Books Online (EEBO) (1475-1700)
Reproduces in digitized format all known printed English language books (over 125,000) including novels and plays as well as books of history, religion, politics and other topics. In addition, some other materials such as pamphlets and broadsides are also included. (Remember spelling was not standardized in those days—no spell check existed—and even some individual letters of the alphabet were printed differently from the way they are printed today.)
Related Indexes & Abstracts
Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance
Indexes journal articles and books on various aspects of history, including theatre and drama covering the period 400-1700.
Humanities and Social Science Retrospective (1907-1984)
Covers hundreds of English-language journals in archaeology, classics, art, performing arts, philosophy, history, music, linguistics, literature, and religion. Indexes articles, book reviews, interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, original works of fiction (including dramas and poems), and reviews of plays and television and radio programs. More info
A type of union catalog for academic, public, and special libraries listing books, titles of journals and newspapers (not articles within journals or newspapers), manuscripts, musical scores, visual materials, computer files, internet resources, sound recordings, and maps. It indicates which libraries own a specific title. Indexed subject headings make searching for similar materials quite easy. More info
Biographical Sources for Theatre
There are three main types of biographical sources:
Begin your search for biographical information by doing a subject search in the online catalog or WorldCat, a type of union catalog of thousands of libraries, including the Library of Congress, to determine if there is a whole book about the person. If not, use an index described below.
Indexes and Online Databases
General
Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI)
Indexes more than 12 million biographical sketches in more than 3400 reference-type books, including persons from all walks of life.
Biography Index (BI)
Although all volumes of Biography Index are indexed in BGMI, BI provides the actual citation to biographical information in journal articles and chapters in books.
Provides the fulltext of biographical and critical materials from Contemporary Authors and Dictionary of Literary Biography and portions from Contemporary Literary Criticism and other Gale literary criticism sets covering the classical period to the present; also provides links to author web sites. For playwrights, the listing of plays often includes the date, city, and theatre of the first performance.
Volumes Containing Biographical Information
ref PN2035.I48
International Dictionary of Theatre. Washington: St. James , 1992-1996. Vol. 1, Plays; Vol. 2, Playwrights; Vol. 3, Actors, Directors and Designers. Also onlineVolumes two and three of this set provide biographical information. For playwrights there is brief biographical information, an extensive listing of their plays, and a bibliography listing books and articles of criticism. Most important, though, is the signed critical evaluation of the playwright's work written especially for this volume. For actors, actresses, directors, and designers, there is brief biographical information, a list of their productions, including film and television as well as theatre (listed chronologically) followed by a bibliography of critical materials. Again, the most important material is the signed critical evaluation of the person's work.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
ref PN 1625.M3 1984
Hochman, Stanley, ed. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama. 2d ed. 5 vols. New York: McGraw Hill, 1984.Covering performance (theatre) as well as literature (drama), this multi-volume set is a standard, important reference for theatre students. Included are survey articles, mainly of countries (American Drama, Chinese Theater, Comedie-Francaise, etc.); however, the majority of articles are names of playwrights with the following information for each: biography, critical analysis of creative achievement, brief plot summaries of major plays, lists of other plays, and a bibliography of primary (collected editions and anthologies) and secondary materials. Entries for types of plays such as comedy of manners and existentialism are under the names of authors who developed or used the type; therefore, except when looking for the names of a playwright, it is essential to use the index or Play Titles List. The last volume also contains an excellent glossary of theatre terms and throughout the volumes are excellent black and white photographs from productions.
ref PN 2035.C27 1995
Banham, Martin. The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1995.Covering world theatre, this volume includes entries for individual countries, names of theatre personnel, theatres, acting companies, genres of theatre such as feminist theatre and expressionism, and a wide range of other terms such as theatre design and boys companies. The entries are signed but there is no bibliography accompanying the entries. No entries for play titles are included.
ref PN 2035.O94 2003
Kennedy, Dennis, ed. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre & Performance. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2003.This two-volume work emphasizes theatre and performance internationally. Arranged alphabetically by the term discussed, the entries include biographies (about 45% of the text), concepts, theories, brief histories of theatre in some cities and in a few countries (mainly African and Asian), buildings, and material elements. A thematic table of contents precedes the entries, listing entries under one or more of these eight categories: Concepts and theories; Styles and movements; Other historical themes; Cities, regions, linguistic traditions; Organizations and institutions; Buildings and material elements; Media issues; and Biographies. Following the text of the entries are a timeline of events in theatre history, a selective bibliography of some of the most important books and journals relating to theatre history, and a list of dramatic titles mentioned in the entries. (No play is listed as an entry in the text.)
Book Stacks PN 1625.E54
Enciclopedia dello spettacolo. 9 vols. Roma: Casa Editrice le Maschere, 1954-1962.Although the articles are written in Italian, this monumental work includes names of theatre personnel, plays, musicals, etc. and dates that can be helpful even if one cannot read the language. In addition, many wonderful photographs are included. Its coverage is from antiquity to mid-twentieth century of topics in theatre, opera, ballet, motion pictures, vaudeville, the circus and related areas. Particularly strong is the coverage of theatre personnel, as well as other topics such as acting companies and theatres. Articles are signed, provide list credits, and are accompanied by a bibliography.
Contacts
If you need to make an appointment with a reference librarian to gain individual assistance with your research topic, please contact MARK SCHUMACHER at 334-3215 or Mark_Schumacher@uncg.edu
Page Author: Mark Schumacher
Theatre Librarian
