Theatre: Play & Musical Synopses
This guide provides links to basic theatre research: history, design, acting, production, scripts, videos, and careers.
Find Synopses in Books
A synopsis will summarizes the plot, main characters, locations, and text of a play.
In Usearch, the library catalog, do a Subject search for the terms: (Drama OR Musicals) AND "Stories, plots" . Or, replace "(Drama OR Musicals) with the name of a playwright. Or, use one from the list below:
Masterplots II, Drama Series by Marriott Library, Level 2, General Collection: PN6112.5.M37 1990
Musical Theater Synopses, An Index by Marriott Library, Level 2, General Collection: ML128.O4 D76
100 Great Plays for Women by Marriott Library, Level 2, General Collection: PN6112.5.K47 2013
Little Musicals for Little Theatres by Marriott Library, Level 2, General Collection: MT955 .F55 2006
Find Musical Synopses on Publisher Websites
The publishers of musicals and plays sometimes offer brief synopses on their website.
- Musical Theatre InternationalScene-by-scene synopses for 350 musicals.
- Dramatists Play ServiceOffers short play & musical summaries. Not scene-by-scenes synopses.
- Rodgers & Hammerstein OrganizationOffers full synopses for a (very) few musicals.
- Tams-Witmark Musical LibraryOffers a brief synopsis of all their musicals.
