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    Theatre - Subject Guide

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    Sections in this category: General Resources | Biographies | Career Help | Costume Resources | Criticism and Reviews | Dictionaries | Encyclopedias | Indexes to Plays | Plot Outlines and Characters

    General Resources

    Acting with an Accent
    By David Stern. Allen Library A/V [MX PE1712 S77] Check Status

    Cambridge Guide to Theatre
    Information on the history and present practice of theatre in all parts of the world. Also available in print: Mortensen Library Reference [PN2035 .C27 1995]

    The Cambridge History of American Theatre. Ed. by Don B. Wilmeth and Christopher Bigsby. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998-.
    Mortensen Library Shelves [PN2221 C37 1998] Check Status

    Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre
    Coverage includes individuals--performers, playwrights, directors, designers, choreographers, composers--theater companies, countries, trends and genres.

    Dictionary of Shakespeare
    A comprehensive dictionary that covers the plays, poems, characters and background to Shakespeare's works.

    Humanities Index. [New York:] H.W.Wilson Co., 1974-. v.1-.
    Mortensen Library Reference [Index/Absts.] AI3 .H8 (1974 - 2009) Check Status

    Regional Theatre Directory
    By Jill Charles. Allen Library Reference [REF PN2289 R44 2001] Check Status

    Shakespeare for Students
    Each entry includes an introduction; a plot synopsis; a character list; a discussion of the work's principal themes; information about the style and literary devices used; a conversation about the work's historical context; and a critical overview.

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    Biographies

    African American Women Playwrights: A Research Guide
    Mortensen Library Reference [PS153.N5 G29 1999] Check Status

    Ancient Writers: Greece and Rome. T. James Luce, editor-in-chief. 2 vols. New York: Scribners, 1982.
    Mortensen Library Reference [REF PA3002 A5 1982] Check Status

    Performing Arts Biography Master Index
    By Barbara McNeil and Miranda C. Herbert. Allen Library Reference [REF PN1583 M37 1981] Check Status

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    Career Help

    Career Opportunities in the Fashion Industry
    Career Services Shelves [TT507 .V63 2007] and Mortensen Library Reference [TT507 .V63 2002] Check Status

    Career Opportunities in the Film Industry
    Career Services Shelves [PN1995.9.P75 Y34 2009] Check Status

    Creative Careers in Fashion: 30 Ways to Make a Living in the World of Couture
    Career Services Shelves [TT507 .H243 2007] Check Status

    Great Jobs for Theater Majors
    Mortensen Library Reference [PN2074 .G66 2005] Check Status

    Resumes for Performing Arts Careers
    Career Services Shelves [PN1580 .R47 2004] Check Status

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    Costume Resources

    Contemporary Fashion, ed. Richard Martin. New York: St. James Press, 1995.
    Mortensen Library Reference [REF TT505 A1 C66 1995] Check Status

    Costume Design: Techniques of Modern Masters
    Mortensen Library Shelves [TT507 .P39 1999] Check Status

    Costume Index: a Subject Index to Plates and to Illustrated Text
    Allen Library Reference [Z5691 M75] Check Status

    Costumes for the Stage: a Complete Handbook for Every Kind of Play
    Mortensen Library Shelves [PN2067 .J28 2001] Check Status

    Handbook of Stage Costume
    Mortensen Library Shelves [PN2067 .B53 2006] Check Status

    A Pictorial History of Costume: a Survey of Costume of all Periods and Peoples from Antiquity to Modern Times Including National Costume in Europe and Non-European Countries
    Mortensen Library Reference [GT513 .B763 1973] Check Status

    The Visual History of Costume Accessories
    Mortensen Library Shelves [GT2050 .C86 1998] Check Status

    What People Wore: a Visual History of Dress from Ancient Times to Twentieth-century America
    Mortensen Library Oversized [GT513 .G6] Check Status

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    Criticism and Reviews

    Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research Co., c1988-.
    Now online in the Literature Resource Center. Also available in print: Mortensen Library Reference [REF PN610 C53 v.1-107] Check Status

    Contemporary Literature Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1973-.
    Now online in the Literature Criticism Online database. Also available in print: Mortensen Library Reference [REF PN771 R53 v.1-178] Check Status

    Rollyson, Carl, ed. Critical Survey of Drama. 2nd rev. ed. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, c2003.
    Mortensen Library Reference [REF PN 1625 C68 2003] Check Status

    Literary Criticism from 1400 to 1800. Detroit: Gale Research Co., c1984-.
    Now online in the Literature Criticism Online database. Also available in print: Mortensen Library Reference [REF PN86 L53 v.1-159] Check Status

    Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1978-.
    Now online in the Literature Criticism Online database. Also available in print: Mortensen Library Reference [REF PN771 G27 v.1-213] Check Status

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    Dictionaries

    The American Heritage Abbreviations Dictionary
    Definition for abbreviations across disciplines.

    Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients: Complete Information About the Harmful and Desirable Ingredients Found in Cosmetics and Cosmeceuticals
    Mortensen Library Reference [TP983.A55 W57 2005] Check Status

    Costume Language: a Dictionary of Dress Terms
    Mortensen Library Reference [GT507 .D38 1994] Check Status

    Fashion, Costume and Culture, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear Through the Ages
    Provides a broad overview of costume traditions of diverse cultures from prehistoric times to the present day.

    OED Online (Oxford English Dictionary)
    Search the definitive dictionary of the English language, complete and continuously updated. Provides definitions, etymology, and history of usage with examples over time. UofH users only. Full text. Click "Check Status" for access. Check Status

    Shakespeare's Theatre: A Dictionary of His Stage Context
    Coverage includes the practices of Elizabethan actors and script writers: methods of characterization; gesture, blocking and choreography, including music, dance and fighting; actors' rhetorical interaction with audiences; and use of costumes, stage props, and make-up.

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    Encyclopedias

    Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
    Information on plays, playwrights and theatre practitioners.

    Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion
    Design and style of fashion and clothing throughout history.

    Encyclopedia of Postmodernism
    Comprehensive and authoritative coverage of academic disciplines, critical terms and central figures relating to the vast field of postmodern studies.

    Briggs, Jody. Encyclopedia of Stage Lighting. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2003.
    Mortensen Library Reference [REF PN2091 E4 B66 2003] Check Status

    Yarwood, Doreen. The Encyclopedia of World Costume. New York: Scribner, 1978.
    Mortensen Library Reference [GT507 Y37] Check Status

    McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama. Stanley Hochman, ed. New York: McGraw Hill, c1984.
    Mortensen Library Reference [REF PN1625 M3 1984] Check Status

    Bordman, Gerald Martin. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
    Mortensen Library Shelves [PN2220 B6 1992] Check Status

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    Indexes to Plays

    Heniford, Lewis W. 1/2/3/4 for the Show: a guide to small-cast one-act plays. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1995-1999.
    Mortensen Library Shelves [Z5781 H46 1995] Check Status

    Ottemiller, John H. Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections. Rev. by Billie M. Connor and Helene G. Mochedlover. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, c1988.
    Mortensen Library Reference [REF Z5781 O8 1988] Check Status

    Play Index. New York: H. W. Wilson Co., 1949/52 2002.
    Mortensen Library Reference [REF Z5781 P72] Check Status

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    Plot Outlines and Characters

    Shank, Theodore, ed. A Digest of 500 Plays; plot outlines and production notes. New York: Collier Books [1966, c1963].
    Mortensen Library Reference [REF PN6112.5 S52 1966] Check Status

    Drury, Francis K. W. Drury's Guide to Best Plays. 3d ed. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1978.
    Mortensen Library Shelves [Z5781 D8 1978] Check Status

    Magill, Frank N. Masterplots. New York & Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1971.
    Mortensen Library Reference [REF PN44 M33 1971 v.1-18] Check Status

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    Sections in this category: General Resources | Specific Topics


    Below are call number ranges for areas within this topic. Use these call numbers to browse the library shelves when you have a general idea of what you want, but don't have a specific item in mind.

    General Resources

    PA
    Classical Languages and Literatures

    PJ
    Oriental Philology

    PN
    General Literature

    PQ
    Romance Literatures

    PR, PS
    English and American Literature

    PT
    Germanic Literatures

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    Specific Topics

    PN2091 .E4
    Stage Lighting

    PN2091 .M3
    Stage Rigging

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    Sections in this category: General Resources | Film Resources | Literature Resources | Music Resources | Newspapers

    General Resources

    Academic Search Premier
    Indexing and abstracts for over 8,000 journals in all subject areas, with full text of articles from nearly 4,600. Includes some popular magazines as well as scholarly journals.

    Gale Virtual Reference Library
    Search the tables of contents or full text of selected reference books in business, education, the environment, medicine biology, and the social sciences.

    Humanities Abstracts
    Strong resource index for all aspects of the Humanities including: Archaeology, Area Studies, Art, Classical Studies, Communications, Dance, Film, Folklore, Gender Studies, History, Journalism, Linguistics, Literary & Social Criticism Literature, Music, Performing Arts, Philosophy, Religion and Theology

    JSTOR Arts and Sciences
    Searchable full text of articles from selected scholarly journals in fields including area studies, anthropology, ecology, economics, education, history, language and literature, mathematics, philosophy, political sciences, sociology and statistics. No current issues available. Historical coverage varies, but database includes some titles from before 1950.

    OED Online (Oxford English Dictionary)
    Search the definitive dictionary of the English language, complete and continuously updated. Provides definitions, etymology, and history of usage with examples over time. UofH users only. Full text.

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    Film Resources

    FedFlix (US Government produced Film Database)
    Featuring the best movies of the United States Government, from training films to history, from our national parks to the U.S. Fire Academy and the Postal Inspectors, all of these fine films are available for reuse without any restrictions whatsoever.

    Film & Television Literature Index
    Bibliographic database covering all aspects of film and television theory, preservation, writing, production, technical aspects, and reviews. Abstracts with selected full text.

    Film Literature Index
    Years Covered: 1976-2001
    Annually indexes 150 film and television periodicals from 30 countries cover-to-cover and 200 other periodicals selectively for articles on film and television (coverage from 1976-2001).

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    Literature Resources

    Dictionary of Literary Biography
    Lengthy, full text biographical and critical essays on world literary figures from all eras and genres. Limited number of simultaneous users. Be sure to close when finished searching.

    Essay & General Literature Index with Retrospective
    Years Covered: 1900-
    Essay & General Literature offers access to tens of thousands of essays that are otherwise all but inaccessible. This resource also unlocks a wealth of information in thousands of collections and anthologies, making your library more valuable to researchers in a wide array of fields.

    Literature Criticism Online
    Extensive compilation of literary commentary available.

    Literature Resource Center
    Biographies, bibliographies and critical analysis of more than 90,000 authors, poets, journalists and other writers. Search by name, title, genre, literary movement or literary theme. Provides access to essays in the literary themes. Made available by iCONN.org, the Connecticut Digital Library. Selected full text available.

    MLA Bibliography
    International index of books and journals. Covers modern languages, literature, linguistics, and folklore. For information about the periodicals included, consult the MLA Directory of Periodicals.

    World Shakespeare Bibliography
    Annotated bibliography of scholarly and popular materials on Shakespeare.

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    Music Resources

    Classical Music Library
    Listen online in this audio database that contains over 4,000 albums of classical music from medieval to contemporary music. UH access only.

    DRAM
    Listen online in this audio database that contains over 2,000 albums by American composers and artists, from folk to opera, Native American to jazz, nineteenth-century classical to early rock, music theater, and contemporary music. It includes the complete catalog of New World Records; repertoire from CRI , Albany Records, Innova Recordings; and liner notes and essays from these labels. UH access only.

    Music Index Online
    Years Covered: 1973-Present
    Identifies articles in over 700 music journals. Covers classical, jazz, popular, folk, and world music, including musicology, ethnomusicology, theory, applied and professional topics, music education, music industry, and reviews. Allen Library also has printed volumes: 1949-1998, [Ref] ML113 M9. UH access only.

    RILM
    Years Covered: 1967-Present
    RILM (Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale) describes scholarly writings on music and related disciplines, including dance. Includes citations and abstracts for journal articles, essays, Festschriften, dissertations, books, scholarly reviews, etc. International coverage, including non-English languages. The Allen Library also has printed volumes from 1967-1994.

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    Newspapers

    Historical New York Times
    Full images of the complete New York Times from 1851 to 2002. Search by keyword, by date, etc. Images of specific articles or full pages available..

    ProQuest Newspapers
    Search the text of major newspapers including the Boston Globe (1980- ), Christian Science Monitor (1990- ), Hartford Courant (1992- ), Los Angeles Times (1985- ), New York Times (1999- ), including the Book Review and Magazine), Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition (1984- ), and Washington Post (1987- ). Full text available.

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    Search below titles here to find complete library holdings.
    Journal Title:
    Format:         

    Aisle Say

    American Drama
    Online (2002-2007)

    American Theatre
    Online (1992-present); Mortensen Library Periodicals PN2000 .A437 (1985-1996)

    Applied Theatre Researcher

    Back Stage

    Canadian Theatre Review

    Comparative Drama

    CurtainUp

    Drama

    Dramatics

    International Journal of Arts Management online | print format

    Modern Drama

    Modern International Drama

    New Theatre Quarterly

    New York Times Theater Reviews

    Performing Arts Journal print format

    Performing Arts Review print format

    Playbill Online

    Renaissance Drama

    Shakespeare Quarterly

    TDR: The Drama Review

    Theatre (Yale School of Drama)

    Theatre History Studies

    Theatre Journal

    Theatre Research International

    Theatre Topics

    Variety online | print format

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    Use these subject headings to search by general topic in our Library catalog. Copy the subject heading into the search box and use the drop down menu to search by "Subject". There are many more possible subjects than what we have listed here, but these should get you started.

    Sections in this category: General Resources | Career Guides | Comprehensive Sites | Encyclopedias | Funding | Medicine & Health | Monologues | News | Plays & Scripts | Specialized Sites | Theatrical Design

    General Resources

    Arts Management & Technology Laboratory (AMT Lab @ CMU)
    Information on the use of technology in arts management. Formerly called Technology in the Arts.

    American Memory Project (Library of Congress)
    Superb collection of American historical links, plus prints, photographic images, and other excellent graphics.

    Broadway.com (formerly Broadway Theater Online)
    Lists current productions on and off Broadway as well as a history of Broadway.

    Costume Page
    A comprehensive index of costume and costuming-related links. There are well over 2,000 unique links listed on these pages.

    Fashion-Era
    Contains 750 content rich, illustrated pages of Fashion History, Costume History, Clothing, Fashions and Social History.

    Internet Broadway Database
    This site provides information about past and current Broadway shows, including cast listings for multiple productions of the same show. Based primarily on theater programs as well as media reports and interviews.

    Labyrinth (Georgetown University)
    Indispensable guide to the Medieval world online, with extensive links to texts, images, and archival databases. A truly extraordinary resource.

    Literary Resources on the Net (Rutgers University)
    All periods and genres of English and American literature; links to texts, bibliographies, scholarly articles and more.

    Music Theatre International
    Website of a major licensing company which provides information and links to many theatrical resources: licensing and production information, study guides, scores, musicals database, etc.

    The Online Communicator
    Annotated collections of links to practical information on film, video, audio, multimedia, writing for the media,etc.

    WWW Virtual Library for Theatre and Drama
    From the World Wide Web Virtual Library, this site includes links to theatre companies and festivals, image collections, studies, and archival texts.

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    Career Guides

    Career Guides
    This lengthy list of web sites includes those with information about searching for a job and sites listing available jobs in all fields. Maintained by Mortensen Library.

    Current Jobs for Graduates
    National employment bulletin. Updated monthly. UH access only.

    Current Jobs in Performing Arts
    National employment bulletin for the performing arts professions. Updated monthly. UH access only.

    NYFA Interactive
    This New York Foundation for the Arts site lists Jobs in the Arts and Opportunities for Artists.

    WESTAF ArtJob
    A fee-for-service of the Western States Arts Federation, ArtJob lists full- and part-time employment, internships, grants, public art projects, residencies which can be searched by region, art discipline, type of organization, etc.

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    Comprehensive Sites

    Alliance of Artists Community
    Service organization for the field of artists' communities. Lists residences in the performing and media arts and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration; offers workshops, research, financial resources, and advocacy.

    A Brief Guide to Internet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies
    This is an extensive site of general and theater resources.

    Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
    Comprehensive site that includes information about resident companies, festivals, broadcasts, programs, box office, etc.

    New York Public Library: CATNYP
    Search the Research Libraries Online Catalog.

    Theatre History on the Web
    This site contains directories of scholarly sites, categorized by era and type.

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    Encyclopedias

    Performing Arts Encyclopedia
    Guide to musical, theatrical, and dance collections available at the Library of Congress. Includes collections, databases, online presentations, exhibits, and finding aids.

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    Funding

    Alliance of Artists Community
    Lists residences in the performing and media arts.

    National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

    National Endowment for the Arts

    New England Foundation for the Arts
    News and information on grants, job opportunities, and the arts in New England.

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    Medicine & Health

    Alexander Technique
    Includes a full description of the technique, recommended publications, and links to societies.

    Performing Arts Medicine Association
    Official website of PAMA. Follow the link under the Education tab for a good list of related websites.

    Performing Arts Medicine at Ithaca College
    Developed by Ithaca College's School of Health Science and Human Performance and the School of Music, this site has links to various topics of interest.

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    Monologues

    Actorama
    A searchable database of over 500 monologues.

    Colin's Movie Monologue Page

    Monologue Archives
    Monologues from classic plays.

    Monologue Directory
    From Actorpoint.

    Shakespeare's Monologues

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    News

    Aisle Say
    "The Internet Magazine of Stage Reviews and Opinion."

    Curtain Up
    Internet theatre magazine.

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    Plays & Scripts

    Complete Works of William Shakespeare
    The web's first edition of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, including internet resources, a discussion area, quotations, and a glossary.

    Drama Book Shop
    Searchable database of scripts in stock at The Drama Book Shop.

    Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
    This site is handy for identifying and purchasing specific plays. Users can apply for licenses online. Search by cast size, gender, length, keyword, author, title. Includes links to relevant theatre sites.

    Internet Classics Archive
    This site is an award-winning, searchable collection of over 400 classical Greek and Latin texts (in English translation) with user-provided commentary and trivia sections.

    Inter-play
    An on-line index to plays in collections, anthologies and periodicals.

    Samuel French, Inc.
    Published scripts, ranging from Broadway and England's West End to unsolicited scripts submitted by unpublished authors. Sales catalogue includes all genres of drama as well as theatre educational materials.

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    Specialized Sites

    Awards
    Playbill.com is no longer making Theatre Central available, as of March 2016. Available via Theatre Central on the Playbill Online site, this page includes links to the Connecticut Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Obie, Outer Critics, Olivier, Pulitzer, Tony, and other awards.

    BBC Voices
    Contains recordings of accents and dialects in both English and Scots from over 303 locations across the UK, Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man.

    CastingAudition.com
    Free online database.

    Didaskalia: ancient theater today
    Contains information about the roots and the modern uses of ancient drama and theatre, providing links to ancient production techniques; digitalized reconstructions of ancient theaters; schedules, articles, and reviews of modern productions of classic texts; and conferences.

    Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet
    This site is down as of 16-Jan-2017. A comprehensive site that provides links to scholarly resources as well as new Shakespeare materials such as a genealogy, a time line, information about the Shakespeare canon, and a biography quiz.

    New Deal Stage: Selections from the Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939
    This online presentation includes over 3,000 images of items such as stage and costume designs, still photographs, posters, and scripts for productions of Macbeth and The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus as staged by Orson Welles. Additional documents from the collection will be added.

    Stage Agent
    This site offers national coverage for show synopses and castings, current production listings, audition and callback announcements, classified ads, and a bulletin board.

    UK Theatre Web
    The UK Theatre Web has current and comprehensive coverage of theatre in Britain. Includes links to ticketing, competitions, festivals, agents, jobs, gossip, consultants, supplies, etc.

    vasta.org
    Website of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, Inc. includes information about conferences, vocal coaches, and publications.

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    Theatrical Design

    New York Public Library Picture Collection Online
    A collection of 30,000 digitized images from books, magazines, and newspapers as well as original photographs, prints, and postcards, mostly created before 1923.

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