Theatre: Secondary Sources: Articles
This guide provides links to basic theatre research: history, design, acting, production, scripts, videos, and careers.
Browse Theatre Publications
- American Theatre magazine: selected archiveDigital access to past issues of American Theatre Magazine (January 2009-current, as of January 2025). 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
The first database below explores theatre, dance, and the performing arts. The remaining databases will also provide access to scholarly articles about the historical periods, locations, and contexts in which plays are set. Even more databases with Theatre-adjacent sources can be found in the Theatre Databases page.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
