Theatre: Find Scripts

Image: Latino Literature database

Most plays are published in one of four ways:

In an individual book, Part of an Author’s Collected Works, Part of an Anthology of Plays (which includes works by many different authors). 

• In any of these three instance, search the Usearch library catalog for the play title or the playwright's name.

• If that doesn’t work, try a Play Index (See Below) to find the title of a collected work or anthology. Then, look up that book’s title in the library catalog.

• If you don't have a specific title in mind, you can browse plays by doing an Advanced Search with the Subject containing "Drama" and limiting resource type to "Books".

And, In Magazines/Periodicals.

• Theatre publications may publish plays in part or in their entirety, for example American Theatre and Plays and Players. Use the database International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance to locate a citation.

• In some cases, magazine publishers may offer a list of plays published. For example, American Theatre’s published play index.

Find Plays Online
Plays that are in the “public domain” (no longer covered under copyright law) are published in various locations. Some options include:

To find anthologies, indexes, and thematic compilations of plays in the library catalog, do a Subject search for the word "drama" AND a distinctive adjective or concept, then limit Material Type to "Books". Eg. Feminist drama, South Asian drama, Nigerian drama, Gay drama, drama AND cancer, (conflict OR war) AND drama

Print Indexes

• Play Index- Published every 5 years (from 1949 to 2002), this set of books creates a comprehensive list of play anthologies and their contents, including play titles, authors, brief synopses, play length, casting analysis and set needs.
• Index to Plays, 1800-1926 (and the supplement)
• Index to Plays in Periodicals
• Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections
• Chicorel's Theater Index to Plays
• Chicorel's Theatre Index to Plays for Young People