Theatre

Media Access Center

The Media Access Center, third floor Library, has a large collection of plays on film and video, including the complete BBC productions of Shakespeare's plays available on video. Consult the Media Access Center for further information.

Invistigator (Online Catalog)

Use InvestiGator, the library's online catalog, to locate all books and periodicals owned by the Library, as well as audio-visual and other non-print materials. InvestiGator will tell you if a book is checked out or in a special location such as the Reserve Book Room. Searches on InvestiGator may be done two ways - by browse (exact match of author, title, or subject) or by keyword. The keyword search is especially useful for finding individual plays in collections and anthologies. Information Guides explaining how to use InvestiGator, as well as floor plans and other aids, are available at the Reference Desk and the Information Desk, first floor.

Subject Headings: When performing a subject search in InvestiGator keep in mind that specific subject headings are needed to get the most accurate results. The Library uses subject headings created by the Library of Congress. These subject headings can be found in a multi-volume paper source called the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), which is located near the Reference Desk on the 1st floor. Examples of useful subject headings for theatre research are:
Drama
Dramatists
Playwriting
Theater
Theaters

Keep in mind that subject headings can be complicated and often incorporate various elements of geography and history (e.g. Theater -- United States -- History --19th Century). For the most accurate subject heading always consult the LCSH or ask reference librarian for assistance.

Guides to the Literature

American Playwrights Since 1945: a Guide to Scholarship, Criticism and Performance. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. (Ref Z1231 D7 A53)

Blazek, Ron. The Humanities: A Selective Guide to Information Sources. 4th ed. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1994. (Ref Z 6265 B53)

Simons, Linda Keir. The Performing Arts: A Guide to the Reference Literature. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1994. (Ref Z 6935 S56)

Contemporary Black American Playwrights and Their Plays. 3 vols. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988. (Ref PS 153 N5 P43)

Crown Guide to the World's Great Plays from Ancient Greece to Modern Times. New York: Crown Publishers, 1984. (Ref PN 6112.5 S45)

Shakespearean Criticism. . . 22 vols. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Co., 1984 (Ref PR 2965 S43)

Yearbooks

The Best Plays. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. (PN 6112 B45)

Willis, John, ed. Theatre World. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc. (PN 2277 N5 A17)

Dictionaries

Brownstein, Oscar Lee and Darlene M. Daubert. Analytical Sourcebook of Concepts in Dramatic Theory. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1981. (Ref Z 5781 A55)

Hodgson, Terry. The Batsford Dictionary of Drama. London: B.T. Batsford, 1988. (Ref PN 1625 H62)

Lounsbury, Warren C. Theatre Backstage from A to Z. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1972. (Ref PN 2035 L6)

Trapido, Joel, ed. An International Dictionary of Theatre Language. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985. (Ref PN 2035 I5)

Vaughan, Jack A. Drama A to Z. New York: Frederick Ungar Publ. Co., 1978. (Ref PN 1625 V3)

Encyclopedias & Handbooks

Anderson, Michael. Crowell's Handbook of Contemporary Drama. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1971. (PN 1861 C7)

Billington, Michael. The Guinness Book of Theatre Facts and Feats. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives, 1982. (Ref PN 2037 B54)

Cambridge Guide to Theater. Martin Banham, ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. (Ref PN 2035 O363)

The Encyclopedia of the New York Stage 1940-1950. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992. (Ref PN 2277 N5 L365)

Esslin, Martin. Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Theatre. London: Thames and Hudson, 1977. (Ref PN 2035 I35x)

Gassner, John and Edward Quinn. The Reader's Encyclopedia of World Drama. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1969. (Ref PN 1625 G3)

Matlaw, Myron. Modern World Drama: An Encyclopedia. New York: E.P. Dutton and Company, 1972. (Ref PN 1851 M36)

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama: an international reference work in 5 volumes. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984. (Ref PN 1625 M3)

The Oxford Companion to the Theatre. Phyllis Hartnoll, ed. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983. (Ref PN 2035 O93)

Stein, Rita and Friedhelm Rickert, comps. & eds. Major Modern Dramatists. 2 vols. New York: Ungar, 1984. (Ref PN 1861 M27)

Databases

For a complete list of recommended databases for Theatre go to the recommended list for Theatre Arts databases. Here is further information on databases that provide bibliographic (citation) information or full-text articles:

Academic Search Premier -(EBSCOhost)
This database provides abstracts and full-text articles in several different disciplines, including theatre. Includes full-text access to magazines such as "American Theater". A good resource to start your search with.

Academic Universe -- Lexis/Nexis
This source provides various full-text news publications, in addition to a variety of other information sources. Of particular interest in the News category is the Arts & Sports section that allows for the searching of arts related reviews.

Applied Science and Technology
Useful for finding articles related to the technical/production elements of theatre arts. Covers several technical disciplines outside of theatre.

Ethnic Newswatch
This is a resource for news and information on cultures and ethnic groups around the world. Contains good coverage of different theatre traditions around the world.

Humanities Full-Text
Full-text or abstracts for over 400 publications related to the humanities. This is the electronic equivalent of the paper Humanities Index.

International Index to the Performing Arts
"IIPA covers nearly all aspects of the world of performing arts. Most IIPA records in the current file (1998 forward) contain an abstract. IIPA draws its current content from more than 130 international periodicals and also indexes articles and obituaries appearing in The New York Times and The Washington Post." Indexing goes back to the 19th Century.

MLA International Bibliography
Produced by the Modern Language Association this is the premier source of citations to articles in the scholarly study of literature and language. Coverage includes all aspects and time periods of theatre as literature.

Project Muse
This resource provides full-text access to journals online including important theatre journals such as TDR, Theatre Journal, and Theatre Topics. With this source you have the option to search or browse the source.

San Francisco Chronicle (available from ProQuest Newspapers database)
Provides full-text coverage of local newspaper from 1985-current.

Electronic Journals

These sources come from two different e-journal providers, JSTOR and Project Muse. Available dates vary according to publisher and provider. Please check the library catalog Investigator for a record of complete holdings (Access for SFSU users only).

• Shakespeare Quarterly
• American Literature
• MLN (Modern Language Notes)
• Asian Theatre Journal
• TDR (The Drama Review)
• Theatre
• Theatre Journal
• Theatre Topics
• PAJ (a journal of performance and art)

Theatre Libraries and Other Library Resources

• San Francisco Performing Arts Library & Museum (PALM)
• Yale School of Drama Library
• Folger Shakespeare Library
• New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture The New York Public Library
• Library of Congress
• Bibliotheque Nationale de France (in French and English)
• The British Library
• Project Gutenberg (Full-text resources including some pre-1923 plays.)
• MELVYL System (UC Library System Catalog)
• UC Berkeley Libraries
• San Francisco Public Library
• World Cat (Library catalogs worldwide; access for SFSU users only.)

Play Publishing and Performance Licensing Companies

• Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
• Samuel French, Inc.
• Dramatic Publishing

Institutes, Associations and Organizations

• Theatre Bay Area
• Association for Theatre in Higher Education
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes (IATSE)
• Entertainment Services and Technology Association
• Actors' Equity Association
• National Endowment for the Arts
• "Live Broadway"
• North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents
• International Society for the Performing Arts
• Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute
• Society of American Fight Directors
• Institute of Phonetic Sciences (IFA)

Theatre Companies and Festivals

• Magic Theatre
• Berkeley Repertory Theatre
• American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T)
• El Teatro Campesino
• foolsFURY theater
• Asian American Theater Company
• Theatre Rhinoceros
• EXIT Theatre (home of SF Fringe Festival)
• Impact Theatre
• Crowded Fire
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Public Theatre (New York City)
• The Wooster Group (New York City)
• Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Higher Education

• Yale School of Drama
• UC Berkeley Department of Dramatic Art
• USC School of Theatre
• UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television
• Carnegie Mellon School of Drama
• Actors Studio Drama School
• New York University - Tisch School of the Arts

Technical Information

• Backstage World
• The International Theatre Design Archive
• The Costume Page
• Glossary of Technical Theatre Terms
• the voice+speech source

Other Theatre Resources

• Inter-Play (play index from Portland State University)
• Librarian's Index to the Internet (including "performing arts topics")
• Infomine - Visual & Performing Arts
• Digital Librarian - Performing Arts
• The WWW Virtual Library - Theatre and Drama
• Theatrepedia from ELAC
• East Los Angeles College Theatre Arts Links (ELAC)
• Scott's Theatre-link.com
• Brief Guide to Internet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies (Professor Ken McCoy's list at Stenson University in Florida)
• LSU Libraries Webliography -Theatre
• The Dramaturgy Pages
• Federal Theatre Project Collection at the Library of Congress
• World Wide Art Resources (including a theatre category)
• Theatricopia (for musical theatre fans)
• Bay Area Art Source (listing of local events and organizations)
• CultureFinder (listings of events in major metropolitan areas)
• Theatre Central (from Playbill Online)
• Jack Wolcott's Theatre History on the Web
• Noh Plays
• Kabuki for Everyone
• The Puppetry Home Page

Paper Indexes and Abstracts

For a subject guide to articles in magazines or newspapers, refer to the indexes and abstracts on the first floor near the Reference Desk. The indexes are alphabetically arranged by title on numbered tables. Following is a selection of index titles which would be especially helpful in various aspects of the field of theater.

Applied Science and Technology Index, 1958-
Valuable to use for specialized articles on technical aspects of theater production: stage lighting, stage sound equipment, stage scenery and construction, and theater building construction from an architectural engineering standpoint.