Theatre: Production History & Reviews
Production Histories
Image: PlaybillVault.com
- Playbill VaultComprehensive database of Broadway history from Playbill Inc.
- IBDB: Internet Broadway DatabaseBroadway production stats, including opening night credits, song lists, awards, and performance dates.
- Theatre WorldAnnual summary of Broadway, off-Broadway, touring, and regional productions since 1945. Each book includes production credits, plot summaries, awards, and production photos. Similar publications for British theatre include "Plays and Players" and "The Play-pictorial".
- Guide to the Actors' Equity Association: Theatrical Programs"The Actors' Equity Association Theatrical Programs collection is made up of programs collected by the organization, its employees, and friends from 1915 to 2001. The collection includes programs for productions in New York City, at regional theatres around the country, as well as touring productions and Equity Library Theatre."
Find Performance Reviews in Databases
Before the internet, reviews of play performances were primarily published in newspapers, popular magazines, and book anthologies (and continue to be). Knowing when the play was produced is crucial information for locating reviews. These databases provide citations and some full-text reviews from local and international newspapers and magazines.
- International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text This link opens in a new windowContains full-text and abstracts of reviews published in Theatre magazines, such as American Theatre.
- New York Times HistoricalFull-text coverage of The New York Times going back to the first issue: 1851-2019
- Times Digital Archive (London Times) 1785-2014 This link opens in a new windowFull-text coverage of The Times of London going back to the first issue, January 1, 1785.
- Los Angeles Times ArchiveCovers: 1881-1992. Full-text coverage of the Los Angeles Times going back to the first issues.
- San Francisco Chronicle ArchivesCovers: 1869-current. Full-text coverage of the San Francisco Chronicle going back to the first issues.
- Newspaper SourceCovers: 1995-present. Regional and national U.S. newspapers. Television news transcripts. International newspapers.
- ProQuest NewsstandCovers: approx. 1985-present. Regional and national U.S. newspapers, and international newspapers.
- Reader's Guide RetrospectiveIndexes: 1890-1982. This resource focuses on popular magazines, such as Time, Newsweek, Ladies' Home Journal, etc.
Find Performance Reviews in Books & Magazines
Find Reviews in Print Materials
Do a Subject search in Usearch, the library catalog, for:
Both searches will return hundreds of results. Use the facets in the left column to further refine.
Recommended Print Sources & Indexes
Marymount Manhattan College's Finding Guide to the Plays and Players Collection, which published reviews of productions primarily in the London area.
National Theatre Critics’ Reviews, aka NY Theatre Critics’ Reviews. (Location: ARC - PN1601.N4) Reviews of New York and regional productions in U.S. newspapers. Covers: 1940-1996.
A Guide to Critical Reviews. (Location: General Collection, Level 2 - PN2266Z .S16 1984 and ARC - Z5782.S34) An index to reviews of plays and musicals produced in New York.
How to Locate Reviews of Plays and Films: A Bibliography of Criticism from the Beginnings to the Present. (Location: General Collection - PN1707Z .S36 1976) A guide for locating theater and film criticism in print sources prior to 1976.
