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Guides to Info. Resources > Research Guides by Subject Discipline > Theatre

Last revised: August 2008

Theatre

Scope: This is a guide to the important reference sources for research in the field of Theatre. For reviews of plays, please see the library guide, Play Reviews. For information on locating plays, please see the library guide, Play Locator. Email Leahkim Gannett, the subject area specialist at leahkim@umd.edu or call 301-405-9117 for more information.


UM Libraries Catalog

To locate materials held in the 8 libraries on campus and in the USMAI system, search the
UM Libraries Catalog of the University of Maryland.
To obtain materials not owned by The University System of Maryland, please request items via Interlibrary Loan.

  There are many ways to search the catalog. Click on the drop-down box:

  If you are looking for materials on a subject, you might start with a word/s anywhere search and then follow the Library of Congress Subject Headings for the proper terms to use or consult a reference librarian for assistance.

Once you know the subject headings, you can use them with the subject beginning with.... search or use some of the subjects in the subject word/s search.
The following are examples of the Library of Congress Subject Headings for theatre (notice that the official subject heading is theater not theatre).

theater history
theater history to 500
theater history medieval 500-1500
theater history 16th century
theater history 18th century
theater history 19th century
theater history 20th century
theater london history
black theater
ethnic theater
 experimental theater
feminist theater
musical theater
theater audiences
theater political aspects
theater production direction
amateur theater
theater management
theaters
theaters stage setting scenery

Other Library Catalogs

Use the following library catalogs and union catalogs to conduct comprehensive searches of materials held in local, national, and other country libraries.

  • LOCIS, the Library of Congress catalogs.

  • Aladin, the shared electronic library catalog of American University, The Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, The George Washington University, Marymount University, and the University of the District of Columbia.

  • George, the Georgetown University Lauinger Library catalog.

  • Johns Hopkins University Libraries Catalog

  • Libweb, Berkeley Digital Library SunSITE's meta-index to hundreds of library online catalogs and library web servers in the United States and overseas.

Union Catalogs

Use the following catalogs to identify materials held in hundreds of libraries in the United States and other countries. The materials located through these union catalogs can be requested through interlibrary loan.

  • Center for Research Libraries Catalog
    CRL is a consortium of North American academic and independent research libraries. The consortium acquires and preserves newspapers, journals, documents, archives, and other traditional and digital resources for research and teaching and makes them available to member institutions through ILL. CRL holds over four million newspapers, journals, dissertations, archives, government publications, and other traditional and digital resources for research and teaching. Holdings include such diverse materials as 800,000 doctoral dissertations

  • WORLDCAT
    OCLC catalog of books, serial publications, media, visual materials, musical scores, and archival materials in libraries worldwide.

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Guides to the Literature

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Bibliographies

The following is a sample of the kinds of specialized subject bibliographies available. Many other bibliographies may be located through the Catalog, and the other library and union catalogs.
Conduct a subject word/s search on the subject and add the word bibliography.
Example: theat* and bibliography = theat* = truncation and will retrieve all words with theat as the root = theater or theatre or theatrical or theatres...
TRY THE SEARCH IN THE SEARCH BOX BELOW!

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Databases

Research Port is the Libraries gateway to the databases and electronic journals and off campus access.
When using a database or E-journal, be sure to follow the link.
This will direct you to the available online fulltext, the available print copy listed in the catalog, or Interlibrary Loan if online fulltext is not available and if the Libraries do not subscribe to the journal or needed vol/issue/s.

Although the databases are listed alphabetically, please be sure to use the following:

International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance
MLA Bibliography
America. History and Life
Historical Abstracts
North American Theatre Online
Theatre in Video

There are many other databases to use depending on the specific topic within theatre. Please consult with the Theatre specialist.

  • America: History and Life
    This is the major abstracting source for journal articles dealing with the history of North America. Books, book reviews and dissertations are also included. For articles on history from the rest of the world, see the entry for Historical Abstracts.

  • ABELL Plus
    Annual bibliography of books, articles, essays, dissertations and book reviews pertaining to English, American and Common-wealth languages, literatures, and folklore.

  • ArchivesUSA
    This database includes the following major archival information resources: Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States, National Union Catalog of Manuscripts Collections, and National Inventory of Documentary Sources.

  • British Humanities Index. quarterly. 1962-.
    LOCATION: MCKREF STACKS
    CALL NUMBER: AI3.B7
    Indexes and abstracts articles in journals and newspapers published in Great Britain.

  • Communication & Mass Media
    Covers communication and mass media research including theatre and performance.

  • Digital Dissertations Full Text 1851-
    Access to more than 90 percent of the doctoral dissertations accepted each year in North America. The database also covers thousands of dissertations and theses from around the world. Full text from 1997-.

  • ERIC 1966-
    Education database especially useful for materials on theatre education. The ERIC system is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and consists of two files: Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE) and Resources in Education (RIE). CIJE covers approximately 750 professional journals, while RIE indexes unpublished research reports, conference papers and other documents. All available RIE ERIC microfiche documents are located in the McKeldin Library Periodicals Room. Many ERIC documents are available full-text.

  • Education Research Complete 1983 -
    Educational database especially useful for journal articles on theatre education.

  • Essay and General Literature Index. 1900- .
    LOCATION: MCKREF STACKS
    CALL NUMBER: AI3.E752
    Indexes essays and articles in collections of essays and other works.

  • Historical Abstracts 1964 -
    Major abstracting source for journal articles dealing with the history of the world, excluding North America. Books, book reviews and dissertations are also included. For articles on the history of North America, see the entry for America: History & Life.

  • Humanities International Complete 1984 -
    Print version entitled Humanities Index: MCKREF STACKS (1974-1998)
    CALL NUMBER: AI3.R493
    Humanities International Complete is an essential collection for comprehensive coverage of the humanities with full text content.

  • Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance
    Indexes over 400 medieval and renaissance journals.

  • International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance
    Comprehensive source for theatre research. Covers journal articles, book chapters, books, newspapers and dissertations on all aspects of the theatre.

  • International Index to Periodicals. 1907-March 1965.
    LOCATION: MCKREF STACKS
    CALL NUMBER: AI3.R49
    This index provides access to periodicals not generally indexed in the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature

  • JStor.
    Electronic archive of core journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Includes complete runs of journals with full-text of all articles published prior to the most current five years.

  • LEXIS-NEXIS Academic
    Fulltext news service. Use for locating reviews of theatrical productions, interviews and other general newspaper articles.

  • Literature Resource Center
    This database provides biographical information on playwrights as well as bibliographies and critical analyses of the authors' works.

  • MLA Bibliography 1963 -
    Print version entitled MLA International Bibliography: MCKREF STACKS (1919-1962), MCK PER STACKS (1963 - )
    CALL NUMBER: Z7006.M64
    Articles, essays, books, book chapters, conference papers and dissertations on all aspects of theatre.

  • New York Times Historical (1851-2001)
    Offers full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue. Includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.

  • Nineteenth Century Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.
    LOCATION: MCKREF STACKS
    CALL NUMBER: AI3.R496
    Provides references to articles from 1890 to 1899, with supplementary coverage from 1900-1922. Approximately 51 periodicals are indexed.

  • North American Theatre Online
    Includes the full text of reference works (such as O'Dell's Annals of the New York Stage), full text and in-depth information for more than 10,000 plays, digitized playbills, posters, photographs and related theatrical ephemera and links to editorially selected web resources.

  • Periodicals Index Online
    Indexes over 4,000 periodicals in the humanities and social sciences from their first issues, some back to 1665.

  • Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature.
    LOCATION: MCKREF STACKS (1900 - )
    CALL NUMBER: AI3.R48
    Provides references to articles appearing in general interest and popular magazines.

  • Theatre in Video.
    Streaming video collection of plays and documentaries. Includes "world's most important plays", live television broadcasts of New York productions in the 50s, contemporary revivals of classic works and experimental performances from the 60s and 70s, and multiple productions of some plays.

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Encyclopedias and Handbooks

There are many theatre encyclopedias and handbooks available in PA LIB Reference. Browse the shelves starting with the PN call numbers. A sampling of available titles:

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Calendars, Day Books, Annuals of Productions.

These types of sources provide a detailed account of what went on in the theatre for a particular time and place. Other calendars, day books, annuals and chronologies may be located through the Catalog, and the other library and union catalogs, by conducting a search on the subject and adding the words calendar, calendars or day book.

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Last modified: August 20, 2008

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