Theatre: Finding Articles
This guide provides links to basic theatre research: history, design, acting, production, scripts, videos, and careers.
Browse Theatre Publications
Current issues of these, and many more, can be browsed at the Dumke Fine Arts & Architecture Library.
Images (l to r): American Theatre, Dramatics
- American Theatre magazine: selected archiveDigital access to past issues of American Theatre Magazine (2013-current, as of January 2018). Access up to 5 free articles per month.
- Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive This link opens in a new windowAn archival research resource containing the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies through to 2000. The core US and UK trade magazines covering film, music, broadcasting and theater are included, together with film fan magazines and music press titles. Magazines have been scanned cover-to-cover in high-resolution color, with granular indexing of all articles, covers, ads and reviews.
Find Theatre-related Articles in Online Databases
These databases explore topics beyond theatre and the performing arts. They will provide access to literature analyses, biographies, production reviews, and articles about the historical periods and locations in which plays are set.
- International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance (IBTD)Journal, magazine, and reference book articles addressing the history of theater in societies around the world; theory of theater movements and genres; and analysis of productions, companies, and individuals.
- America: History and LifeHistorical coverage of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present; see Historical Abstracts for world history. Covers over 2000 journals plus book reviews and dissertations.
- Art Full TextIndexes and abstracts articles from periodicals published throughout the world in virtually all areas of art, architecture, and archaeology. Full-text coverage for selected periodicals is also included.
- Historical AbstractsFocuses on non-US/Canada history, from 1450 to the present. Some full-text articles; most are citations with abstracts. Searches can be limited to a specific time period.
- Iter BibliographyThe goal of Iter is to increase access to all published materials pertaining to the Middle Ages and Renaissance (400-1700), through the creation of online bibliographic databases.
- Annee PhilologiqueAn important bibliographic survey covering literature, culture, and history in the classical world. It lists articles and books in several languages, including English.
- Literature Resource Center (LRC)Provides access to biographies, bibliographies and critical analyses of more than 90,000 authors from every time period and literary discipline, including drama.
- MLA International BibliographyThis is the quintessential index for articles, books, bibliographies and conference proceedings pertaining to language and literature, including plays. Coverage: 1926-present.
- New York Times Historical NewspaperFully searchable text of The New York Times from 1851-2004, including play reviews. Articles can be displayed and read in their original page context.
- Project MuseFull text coverage of more than 150 journals published by university presses, with a collection specifically geared toward film, theater, and the performing arts. Coverage: 1993-present.
- Readers Guide RetrospectiveIndexes articles from 250 popular, English-language magazines. Although magazines are not scholarly, they're an excellent source for reviews and information about numerous aspects of popular culture. Coverage: 1890-1982.
Theatre Librarian
