Boolean Searching using AND, OR, and NOT
These web pages explain how to search online databases effectively and efficiently.
Academic OneFile (InfoTrac) 1980 to date.
This databases indexes and, for the most part, abstracts articles for a few thousand journals covering nearly all subject areas. The full text of many articles is available in the database; in addition, there is a link to Journal Finder in order to determine if the full text is available in another database. This database indexes thousands of articles on theatre topics, including reviews of play performances.
Ebsco Databases 1984 to date.
At the initial screen, choose Academic Search Premier and MasterFILE Premier to search simultaneously popular magazines and scholarly journals. The full text of many articles is available in the database; in addition, there is a link to Journal Finder in order to determine if the full text is available in another database. These databases index thousands of articles on theatre topics, including reviews of play performances.
ProQuest dates vary according to database.
ProQuest Research Library provides access to articles in popular magazines, scholarly journals, and newspaper. The full text of many articles is available in these databases; in addition, there is a link to Journal Finder in order to determine if the full text is available in another database. These databases index thousands of articles on theatre topics, including reviews of play performances.
LexisNexis Academic dates vary but earliest is 1970s and most beginning dates are later.
Lexis-Nexis is the main source for searching newspapers beyond the approximately half-dozen national newspapers and a few North Carolina newspapers. Choose News as the category and then choose from General News, Today's News, and Arts and Sports, with the last specifically containing performance reviews. These indexes cover interviews with theater personnel as well as reviews of performances.
Full text of scholarly journals covering the humanities and social sciences. More info on Project MUSE (ejournals)
Readers' Guide Retrospective 1890-1982.
Readers' Guide indexes popular magazines and high-circulation periodicals by author and subject, including reviews of plays and films and biographical information. The print volumes are located in the Indexes and Abstracts Area of the Reference Room. The print volumes also provide continuing coverage of this type of material to date. Reviews of play performances have been included since 1915, first under the subject "Dramas-Criticisms, plots, etc.-Single works" until 1947 when they began appearing (to date) under the playwright's name. In addition, there are many articles on the theater, drama, actors and actresses, and other related topics, with excellent cross references guiding the user to the correct subject.
Humanities and Social Sciences Retrospective 1907-1984.
This look-alike to Readers' Guide indexes several hundred scholarly and specialized journals (American Theatre, New Theatre Quarterly, TDR, Theatre Survey, etc.) including reviews of books, performances, and movies. Indexed are all aspects of theater-actors, actresses, directors, themes, censorship, and the relationship of theater to other topics such as politics and society, etc. In the print volumes located in the Indexes and Abstracts Area, reviews of play performances are listed under the playwright's name. The print volumes cover 1974 to date, though this index extends back to 1907 under the names International Index, International Index to Periodicals, and Social Sciences and Humanities Index.
Historical Index to the New York Times 1851-1999.
This database contains the full text of articles from the New York Times since it began in 1851! No subject headings or descriptors are used, thus searches are of the title and full text of the article. NYT has reviews of plays, articles on theatres, theatre ads, and interviews with theatre personnel. (More recent dates are available through other databases; enter New York Times in Journal Finder.)
The Times (of London) 1785-1985.
The full text of the newspaper for 201 years is here, including reviews of plays and other articles covering theatres and theatre personnel. [ For more recent years, enter Times in Journal Finder and click on Times in Journal Finder and click on Times (London, England, UK) and choose the Lexis-Nexis option. Not all articles from the Times 1985 to date are in Lexis-Nexis.]
International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance (IBTD)
Covering the early 1980s to date, the International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance indexes theatre and dance articles in magazines and journals, books, chapters in books, and dissertations. The citation is followed by a sentence or two—or perhaps only phrases—describing the content of the material. Many of the materials are not in English, though there is no way to limit to English only articles. More info.
International Index to the Performing Arts
Providing current indexing to approximately 200 popular magazines and scholarly journals in the performing arts, this index lists reviews of performances, critical and biographical information, interviews, and some proceedings of meetings. While the indexing of most titles is from around 1996 to date, the retrospective indexing includes a few theatre titles, e.g. Theatre Arts (1916-1964), Theatre Journal (1949 to date), and Theatre Magazine (1901-1931), Drama (1919 - 1989), Dramatics (1931-1991), Theatre Research (1958-1974), Players (1924-1977), TDR (1955-1990).
Education Full Text 1984 to date.
Another Readers' Guide look-alike, this database indexes hundreds of educational journals and, in some cases, provides the full text of the article. Theatre students who need information on theatre in K-12 or higher education--teaching, productions (including technical aspects), or use of drama to teach themes (AIDS, health education, etc.)--should use this online index or Education Index Retro, covering 1929-1983.
ERIC (Education) 1966 to 2004.
This database provides citations, abstracts, and, for more recent material, links to texts of journal articles, conference proceedings, and other non-journal literature such as curriculum guides (ERIC documents). It covers information on drama in educational settings K-12 and higher education.
MLA International Bibliography 1926 to date.
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. Older print volumes (1929-1962) are in the Indexes and Abstracts Area of the Reference Room.
Art Index 1929 to date
These two indexes cover art, design, and architecture journals, including articles on theatre production and design, lighting, architecture, costume design, and interviews with theatre personnel.
Arts and Humanities Search 1980 to date.
Indexing over 1300 journals in arts and humanities subject areas-- including performing arts, this index is primarily a keyword in title, citation (it indexes the sources cited in bibliographies at the end of articles), and author index. Many articles pertaining to various aspects of theatre are indexed, including reviews of performances ("theater review" is the label for a performance review of a play). In print format the title extends back to 1976 in the Book Stacks (AI3.A780).
Provides digitized pages of 1, 100 U.S. periodicals published between 1700 and 1900, covering all types of topics including theater.
Dissertation Abstracts International 1861 to date.
Indexing all doctoral dissertations accepted at colleges and universities in the United States along with some dissertations from other countries and a few masters theses, DAI contains indexing from 1861 and abstracts since 1980. Jackson Library owns very few dissertations not written at UNCG, though dissertations can usually be borrowed using interlibrary loan.
Indexes journals, books, and dissertations on modern history (1450 - present) from all regions of the world except North America.
The best source for finding journal articles on non-North American history.
Includes few book reviews. 1955 - present More info on Historical Abstracts Help using Historical Abstracts
ref PN 1655.C80
(Two large, red volumes located on the Dictionary Stand in the PN alcove of
the Reference Room)
Cumulated Dramatic Index, 1909-1949.
CDI is the major subject index for theatre covering more than 150 American and British theatre and general magazines from 1909-1949. Indexed are biographical, critical, and historical articles; portraits; reviews of performances; plot summaries. Many articles on design (set, lighting, costumes) are listed along with articles on other topics under the broad headings "Theatre" and "Theatre-Stage." Three appendices conclude this valuable index: Author List of Books about the Drama, Title List of Published Play Texts, and Author List of Published Play Texts.
ref PN 2091.S8T47 1996
Atkinson, W. Patrick, comp. Theatrical Design in the Twentieth Century: An Index to Photographic Reproductions of Scenic Designs. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1996.
If "a picture is worth a thousand words," then this volume presents a wealth of information. Indexing photographs in 114 books and journals, Theatrical Design contains three parts: the first is a list of the 114 sources with their abbreviations which are used in the main (second) section of the index; the second section lists titles of plays followed by the names of the set designers and the source of the photographs of the sets; and the third section lists the set designers alphabetically followed by a list of plays they designed that are indexed in this volume.
Page Author: Nancy Fogarty
Theatre Librarian
