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.
- Concord TheatricalsOffers a brief synopsis and/or perusal scripts for: Tams-Witmark, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Samuel French, and Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals.
Finding Synopses of Broadway Productions
Theatre World Annual
Theatre World (Location: ARC - PN2277.N5 A17) Annual summary of Broadway, off-Broadway, touring, and regional productions since 1945. Each book includes production credits, plot summaries, awards, and production photos. (Each volume is stored in the Automated Retrieval Center (ARC) and requires you to log into your library account to request it.)
