Fine Arts: Drama
Use this guide to help you with your Fine Arts Research.
Available in the Library
These books, plus many more, can all be found in the Reference section of our library. Search the Library Online Catalog to find additional resources.
The Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre by John Russell Brown
Call Number:
PN 2111 .O95 2001
The Longman Anthology of Drama and Theater: A Global Perspective by Michael L. Greenwald
Call Number:
PN 1655 .G74 2001
Reading Shakespeare's Dramatic Language: A Guide by Sylvia Adamson
Call Number:
PR 3072 .R43 2001
Stage Managing and Theatre Etiquette: A Basic Guide by Linda Apperson
Call Number:
PN 2085 .A66 1998
Thinking Like A Director: A Practical Handbook by Michael Bloom
Call Number:
PN 2053 .B58 2001
The Way of Acting: The Theatre Writings of Tadashi Suzuki by Tadashi Suzuki
Call Number:
PN 2924 .S9713 1986
Practical Help
These websites are useful in the production of stage shows:
- This website provides online costuming sources for historical, science fiction, and fantasy costumers. It is a directory of sources.
- This site uniformly presents a large set of speech samples from a variety of language backgrounds. You can use the examples you find here to help with a character’s accent.
- This website provides link to resources on historical clothing.
Online Drama Resources
Here are some resources for Theater research:
- Internet Broadway DatabaseThis archive is the official database for Broadway theatre information. IBDB provides records of productions from the beginnings of New York theatre until today.
- McCoy’s Guide to Theater and Performance StudiesAn extensive and scholarly annotated guide to electronic theatre resources.
- The Paris ReviewThe Paris Review has interviewed playwrights, novelists, poets and artists for the last sixty years, which are all available online.
- Theatre DictionaryThe Theatre Dictionary is a guide to theatre terms,using videos and articles to define the theatre’s unique words and phrases.
Drama History
Here are some websites on different periods in the history of Theater:
- Theater History on the WebThis website was created to provide easy access to useful research sites on the history of theater, from classical to today. Also at this site are links to lighting, costume, and set design resources.
- DidaskaliaDidaskalia is an electronic journal and resource dedicated to the study of ancient Greek and Roman drama in performance.
- Records of Early English DramaAn international scholarly project that is establishing the broad context from which the great drama of Shakespeare and his contemporaries grew.
- The Development of Scenic SpectacleThis site is dedicated to the study of Renaissance and Baroque theatrical spectacle, and the technology that created these illusions.
- Music, Theater, and Popular Entertainment in Victorian BritainRun by a professor at Brown University, this website is like an encyclopedia for Victorian culture. This is their section on entertainment.
- American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870 – 1920This website is a multimedia anthology selected from various Library of Congress holdings. This collection illustrates the vibrant and diverse forms of popular entertainment, especially vaudeville.
- Online Theater Histories ArchiveThis site is an online archive of theatre ephemera and documents ranging from 1827 to the present day and has been sourced from several other collections including Royal Holloway University, the V&A Theatre Collections, the UEL archive and professional theatre collections.
Shakespeare in the Original Voice
Area Theaters
This area has tons of options for live shows, plays, and musicals. Here are some:
- Forge TheaterPhoenixville, PA
Forge Theatre brings year-round live theatrical entertainment to the Phoenixville community in the form of six productions a year. - People’s Light & TheatreMalvern, PA
This non-profit, professional theatre produces 8-9 productions per season, as well as a holiday show each season. - Sight & Sound TheatreLancaster, PA
The largest Christian theatre in the United States brings the Bible to life with spectacular sets, a 300-foot wrap-around stage, live animals and outstanding performances. - Barley Sheaf PlayersLionville, PA
This theater offers year-round dramas, comedies, musicals, one-act festivals, and educational programs for all ages.
Online Operas
Metropolitan Opera – Free Live Audio Streams
All performances are subject to change. Please note broadcasts will begin 5 minutes ahead of curtain with additional broadcast commentary. All live stream start times shown are Eastern Time.
Watch a Play – For Free!
- Montana Shakespeare in the Schools performs Twelfth Night (What You Will) for middle and high school students. This resource includes the full play, with a talk-back after the show in which audience members ask the cast and crew questions about the production. The full transcript of the play is also included.
- Shakespeare – York College Theatre, May 2014 – recorded in MONO, please adjust your speakers.
- Emporia State University Theatre presents William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Recorded on April 25, 2019 at the Karl C. Bruder Theatre in King Hall on the campus of Emporia State University.