DRAMA RESEARCH

 

 

 

THINK ABOUT THE PLAY OR ROLE

 

Is this play in our library?  Check the online catalog; keyword searches by author or title may indicate whether a play is listed in an anthology or collection of plays.  

 

What is the setting of the play? – location, time period, etc.

 

How would you describe this place, particularly to someone completely unfamiliar with it? – political situation, leaders, fashion, music, religion

 

What would life have been like for these people?  How do you find out?

 

DRAMA  RESOURCES

 

Print Indexes

 

Readers Guide to Periodical Literature- on the index table in the library; coverage back to 1905

 

New York Times Index-print and online versions available; excellent for arts research; library has coverage back to 1950

 

Play Index – coverage from 1949-1992

 

New York Times Theater Reviews – coverage back to 1870

 

Online Sources

Use the links here, links on the library’s database page or subject searches in the online catalog to access these databases.

 

General Reference Sources – online encyclopedias and other reference works; print versions of some are available in the library

 

General Journal Articles and General Newspaper Articles – excellent sources for reviews but only cover the past 20-30 years; use print indexes to locate older articles.  Contact the library for the off-campus NCLIVE password.

 

Older newspapers and magazines are good sources for historical research in that they show a snapshot of life in a particular time period.  These older issues are in the lower stacks of the library. 

 

Drama Databases – indexes to plays and productions

 

History Databases – American Memory Project and Documenting the American South for digitized primary source documents, first-hand accounts of daily life in particular periods and historical images

 

Art Databases – AP Photo Archives for pictorial research provided by AP news photographers; coverage begins in the 19th century