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Theatre

This guide is a starting point for research in the University Libraries. It provides a selective list of print and electronic resources available for all aspects of Theatre study-scholarly as well as performance, production and design.

Play Databases

New Play Exchange
New Play Exchange (NPX) is a script discovery database. Search, read and download scripts, view writer profiles, contact writers, read script recommendations from professionals throughout the field.

IMage of Digital Theatre logo Digital Theatre + 
Provides online access to streaming video of current theatre productions including behind-the-scenes documentaries as well as teaching and learning resources to facilitate understanding of the productions and texts for English Literature and Performing Arts.

Using the Library Catalog

If you are looking for an individual play, type the title and last name of the author (if known) into the search box at the main library page. 

For example:  Neil Simon and Odd Couple

Many plays are published in collections, so don't give up if you don't find it at first.  Try typing in the last name of the author followed by the phrase "collected plays" "complete plays" or "complete works" to see if the play may be in a collection of the author's works. 

A play can also be published in a collection of plays by many playwrights such as More scenes and monologues from the best new plays (PN2080 .M675 2007) and may not show up under the individual playwright's name in the catalog. 

If you don't need a specific play but just want to browse collections or anthologies, you can do a subject search in the library catalog for broad topics such as:

Drama -- collections

Drama -- indexes

American drama -- collections

Playscript

Children's plays

English drama

One act plays

Play Indexes and Collections

Index to plays in periodicals - Dean H. Keller
Call Number: PN 1625 .K45x
Provides citations to plays published in periodicals.    

guide to best plays / James M. Salem.
Call Number: PN1655.Z9 D78

Ottemiller’s index to plays in collections : an author and title index to plays appearing in collections published between 1900 and 1985.
Call Number:PN1655.Z9 O88

Call Number: PN1625 .P53x
Multi-volume work which indexes plays by author, title, and subject. It also includes a cast analysis index, which allows the user to locate plays by type of cast and number of players. Each volume covers a particular date range.

Finding Scripts

Film screenplays will be listed under the subject heading:

  •  Motion picture plays

or you can use the title of the film and the word "screenplay" to find the original screenplay of a movie. 

For Television and Radio use:

  •  Television scripts
  •  Radio scripts

Books from the Catalog

Index to twentieth-century Spanish playsin collections, anthologies, and periodicals / Tony A. Harvell.

Call # PQ6115 .H17 2000

Directs readers to plays written by authors from (or closely associated with) Spain in the twentieth century.
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