Compiled by Mikael D. Kriz, M.A., M.S.
Reference Librarian and Theatre Arts Liaison Librarian
Updated April 8, 2008

The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama.    Reference - PN1861 .C65 2007
   (Gabrielle H. Cody and Evert Sprinchorn, eds.  New York: Columbia University Press, 2007.)
Contains a little over 1400 articles by over 450 drama professionals. Covers a broad scope of subjects, includes cross-references.

International Dictionary of Theatre.     Reference - PN2035 .I49 1992
   (Mark Hawkins-Dady, ed.  Chicago: St. James Press, 1992.)
Three-volume encyclopedia, includes entries on individual actors, designers, directors, plays, and playwrights, from around the world.

Masterplots II: Drama Series.     Reference - PN6112.5 .M37 2004
   (Frank N. Magill, ed.   Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2004.)
Provides descriptive information, plot-summaries, themes, devices, and critical contexts to over 300 20th-century works of drama.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre & Performance.    Reference - PN2035 .O94 2003
   (Dennis Kennedy, ed.  New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.)
Includes over 4000 entries covering all time periods and various cultures. Longer entires provide bibliographies to further recommended sources.

The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre.    Reference - PN1861 .W67 1994
   (Don Rubin, ed.  New York: Routledge, 1994-2000.)
6-volume set covering all apsects of theatre in the late 20th-century. Final volume in the set provides extensive bibliography.

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American Theatre History: An Annotated Bibliography.    Reference - PN2221 .T3 1992
   (Thomas J. Taylor.  Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1992.)
Organized primarily by chronological period and author, this bibliography provides descriptions for each source listed. Books, articles, and general information on periodicals are listed.

Bibliography of Medieval Drama.    Reference - PN1751 .S8 1972
   (Carl Joseph Stratman.  New York: F. Ungar, 1972.)
Bibliography of scholarly and historical sources on Medieval plays and productions. Organized by liturgical and present-day national boundaries/cultures.

International Bibliography of Theatre.    Reference - PN1561 .I573
   (American Society for Theatre Research.  New York: Theatre Research Data Center, 1982-1999.)
Organized into two main sections (class and subject), this bibliography provides citations to articles, books, and authors, among a few added entries.

Modern Drama: Scholarship and Criticism, 1966-1980: An International Bibliography.    Ref - PN1851 .C37 1986 Modern Drama: Scholarship and Criticism, 1981-1990 : an International Bibliography.   Ref - PN1851 .C37 1997
   (Charles A. Carpenter.  Toronto: Toronto University Press, 1996, 1997.)
This 2-volume set provides citations to a selective list of publications produced from 1966-1990.

Shakespeare and the Renaissance Stage to 1616: Shakespearean Stage History 1616 to 1998 : An Annotated Bibliography of Shakespeare Studies, 1576-1998.    4th Floor North - PR3095 .S47 1999
   (Hugh Macrae Richmond, ed.  Asheville, NC: Pegasus Press, 1999.)
Bibliography of Shakepearean productions and their history from the 16th through the 20th century.

United States Theatre: A Bibliography from the Beginning to 1990.    Reference - PN2221 .S56 1993
   (Robert Silvester.  New York: G.K. Hall, 1993.)
The second volume in a series, it organized by culture and restricted to English-language productions and texts. Includes citations to productions, plays published, and critical analysis.

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American Playwrights Since 1945: A Guide to Scholarship, Criticism and Performance.   Ref - Z1231.D7 A53 1989
   (Philip C. Kolin.  New York: Greenwood Press, 1989.)
Biographical and historical information on U.S. born playwrights through the late 1980s.

Contemporary Dramatists.    Reference - PR737 .C57
   (Thomas Riggs, ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1971-1992.)
Biographies on English language dramatists who practiced during the 20th century.

Notable Playwrights.    Reference - PN1625 .N68 2005
   (Carl Rollyson.  Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2005.)
Biographical and bibliographical information on playwrights (American and international) throughout history.

Notable Women in the American Theatre: A Biographical Dictionary.    Reference - PN2285 .N65 1989
   (Alice M. Robinson, ed.  New York: Greenwood Press, 1989.)
Biographical dictionary of American born women who worked in theatre through the late 1980s.

Who's Who in Contemporary World Theatre.    Reference - PN2035 .W485 2000
   (Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe, ed.  New York: Routledge, 2000.)
Dictionary of brief biographies on contemporary (through 1999) figures in theatre.

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Careers in Focus: Performing Arts.    Reference - PN1580 .C36 2002
   (Chicago: Ferguson Publishing, 2002.)
Describes a variety of careers in the performing arts--music, theatre, dance, film, television. Includes descriptions of job type, working environment, education requirements, and outlook.

Great Jobs for Theater Majors.    Reference - PN2074 .G66 1998
   (Jan Goldberg.  Lincolnwood, IL: VGM Career Horizons, 1998.)
A guide to potential careers that involve a degree or background n Theatre.

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Contemporary Fashion.    Reference - TT505.A1 C66 2002
   (Taryn Benbow-Pfalzgraf.  Detroit: Gale Research, 2002.)
This volume provides information on and assessment of fashion designers active between 1945 and 2001.

Period Costume for Stage & Screen. Patterns for Women's Dress, Medieval-1500.    TT520 .H933 1996
Period Costume for Stage & Screen. Patterns for Women's Dress, 1500-1800.    TT520 .H93 1991
Period Costume for Stage & Screen. Patterns for Women's Dress, 1800-1909.    TT520 .H933 1991
   (Jean Hunnisett.  Studio City, CA: Players Press, 1996, 1991, 1991.)    All located 5th Floor East
Includes patterns and history of clothing for actresses through three historical periods.

Theatrical Costume: A Guide to Information Sources .    4th Floor West - PN2067 .K47 1979
   (Jackson Kesler.  Detroit: Gale Research, 1979.)
A bibliography on costume and costuming. Includes major sources published through the late 1970s.

Theatrical Costume, Masks, Make-up and Wigs: A Bibliography and Iconography.    Reference - PN2067 .J69 2000
   (Sidney Jowers and John Cavanagh.  New York: Routledge, 2000.)
Provides a bibliography and iconography of performance costume through 1996.

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Critical Survey of Drama.    Reference - PN1625 .C68 2003
   (Carl Rollyson, ed.  Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2003.)
Offers in-depth treatments of major dramatists. Organized by author. Each entry includes biographical, bibliographical, and anyalytical coverage.

Drama Criticism.    Reference - PN1601 .D59
   (Gale Research.  Detroit: Gale Research, 1991-present.)
Provides criticism (text) of the most significant or popular dramatic works from around the world. Organized by playwright/author and includes an index by nationality and title or work.

Guide to Critical Reviews.    Reference - PN2266 .S24 1984
   (James M. Salem, ed.  Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1966-1984.)
A bibliography of critical reviews of American plays and musicals produced between 1909 and 1982. Part 3 of the set includes some foreign productions and part 4 includes American screenplays.

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You can search for articles on or about plays through several sources. The following lists article databases in which you can search for and retieve citations. You will be able to access some of the articles online while others you will have to see if the library has a copy in print. To find articles in print, search the library catalog to see if we have the journal, magazine, or book the article appears in. To see if we have an electronic version of a specific journal, magazine, or newspaper, search the E-Journal Portal.

Academic Search Premier
This is an all-encompassing database. It covers all areas of research, but is a little limited in depth. You can search this database for research articles on plays and reviews.

Humanities Full Text
Humanities Full-Text offers the ability to search only humanities and humanities-related journals for citations to articles and access some of those articles online. Coverage is from around 1995 to present.

LexisNexis Academic
This is primarily a newspaper database, but includes some magazine content. You won't find any research or scholarly articles here, but it is the largest collection of newspapers available in the library (over 10,000 newspapers from around the world with content from the past 20 years). You will find lots of reviews of plays and short articles on actors, playwrites, etc.

MagillOnLiterature
In this database, you can search for analyses, biographies, critical essays, and plot summaries on plays and dramatists.

MLA International Bibliography
MLA International Bibliography is probably your best source for scholarly articles on all things literary. Here you will find thousands of in-depth research articles on all find of theatre and drama related topics.

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American Plays, Printed 1714-1830: A Bibliographical Record.    5th Floor East - Z1231.D7 H6
   (Frank Pierce Hill.  Redwood City, CA: Stanford University Press, 1934.)
Organized by author (and title for anonymous publications) and also offers a chronological list.

Plays in Periodicals; An Index to English Language Scripts in Twentieth-Century Journals.   
Reference - PN2037 .P3 1970
   (Charlotte A. Patterson.  Boston: G.K. Hall, 1970.)
Bibliography of plays appearing in magazines, newspapers, and journals from 1900-1969.

Later American Plays, 1831-1900: Being a Compilation of the Titles of Plays by American Authors Published and Performed in America since 1831.    4th Floor West - PN2016 .D7 1900
   (Robert F. Roden.  New York: Burt Franklin, 1900.)
List of plays published in English in the middle-to-late nineteenth century..

The Ivan R. Dee Guide to Plays and Playwrights.    Reference - PN2035 .G73 2004
   (Trevor R. Griffiths.  Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2004.)
Originally published as The Theatre Guide, this publication offers information on plays and their authors.

The Play Index.    Reference - PN1861 .P53
   (Fidell, Estelle A, ed.  New York: HW Wilson, 1949-2002.)
Source for locating plays published in various formats and sources, organized by year of publication.

Banned Plays: Censorship Histories of 125 Stage Dramas .    Reference - PN2042 .S68 2004
   (Dawn B. Sova.  New York: Facts on File, 2004.)
An annotated list of plays and their history of censorship.

Ottemiller's index to plays in collections : an author and title index to plays appearing in collections published between 1900 and 1985.    Reference - PN1655 .O82 1988
   (John H. Ottemiller.  Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1988.)
A revised and expanded edition to locate plays, organized by author and title.

Inter-Play.  Portland State University
     http://www.lib.pdx.edu/systems/interplay/
An online index to help locate plays in printed collections and periodicals (journals and magazines).

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Classical Monologues from Aeschylus to Bernard Shaw.    4th Floor West - PN2080 .C58 2002
   (Leon Katz, ed.  New York: Applause Theatre, 2002-2004.)
Four-volume set of classic monologues, divided by gender and age.

LAMDA Contemporary Monologues for Young Men and Women.    4th Floor West - PN4305.M6 C66 2004
   (Shaun McKenna, ed.  London : Oberon for LAMDA, 2004.)
A selection from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art

American Theatre Book of Monologues for Men.    4th Floor West - PN2080 .A478 2003
   (Stephanie Coen, ed.  New York : Theatre Communications Group, 2003.)
Audition monologues selected from plays first published in American Theatre Magazine since 1985.

American theatre book of monologues for women.    4th Floor West - PN2080 .A48 2003
   (Stephanie Coen, ed.  New York : Theatre Communications Group, 2003.)
Audition monologues selected from plays first published in American Theatre Magazine since 1985.

The Best Men's Stage Monologues of....    4th Floor West - PN2080 .B44
   (Newbury, VT: Smith and Kraus, 1990-present.)
Annual publication comprising recently published stage monologues.

The Best Women's Stage Monologues of....  4th Floor West - PN2080 .B46
   (Newbury, VT: Smith and Kraus, 1990-present.)
Annual publication comprising recently published stage monologues.

Shakespeare for One: Men: The Complete Monologues and Audition Pieces.    4th Floor West - PR2771 .N48 2002
   (Douglas Newell, ed.  Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann, 2002.)
Selection of monologues from Shakespeare's plays.

Shakespeare for One: Women: The Complete Monologues and Audition Pieces.    4th Floor West - PR2771 .N49 2002
   (Douglas Newell, ed.  Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann, 2002.)
Selection of monologues from Shakespeare's plays.

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Center of Contemporary Arts (COCA).    http://www.cocastl.org/
A multidisciplinary arts center that provides programs, performances, and exhibitions.

Conservatory of Theater Arts at Webster University.    http://www.webster.edu/depts/finearts/theater/
Webster University's Department of Theatre & Dance.

Edison Theatre at Washington University.    http://edisontheatre.wustl.edu/
Washington University's Theatre for music, theatre, and dance.

The Fabulous Fox-St. Louis.    http://www.fabulousfox.com/
St. Louis' home for big stage and Broadway productions.

Hawthorne Players.    http://www.hawthorneplayers.com/
St. Louis County's oldest theatre group, now located at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre.

The Muny.    http://www.muny.com/
A permanent outdoor theatre located in Forest Park with performances by the Municipal Theatre Association.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis.    http://www.opera-stl.org/
Productions sung in English and accompanied by the Saint Louis Symphony.

Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.    http://www.repstl.org/
The greater St. Louis area's premier live, professional theatre.

St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre.    http://www.theblackrep.org/site
The nation's largest, professional African American theatre company.

The University Theatre of Saint Louis University.    http://www.slu.edu/theatre/
Saint Louis University's own theatre, located on campus in Xavier Hall.

Hot City Theatre Company.    http://www.hotcitytheatre.org/
Established in 1937, it is one of the oldest theatre companies in St. Louis.

St. Louis Auditions.    http://www.stlauditions.com/
Not a theatre or company, but a blog announcing auditions for St. Louis metro-area actors and students.

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Complete Works of William Shakespeare.    http://www-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/works.html
This site offers all of Shakespeare's plays online.

English Server Drama Collection .    http://drama.eserver.org/
Offers a collection of plays, criticism, and links to other freely available online resources.

Playbill On-Line.    http://www.playbill.com/index.php/
The official website of Playbill.

Pulitzer Prizes.    http://www.pulitzer.org/
The Pulitzer Prizes website offers the ability to access current, recent, and historical winners of each categoy.

Olivier Awards.    http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/awards
From the Society of London Theatres, you can read about current nominees along with past winners.

Tony Awards.    http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/index.html
The official site of the American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards.

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