Theater and Dance Research Guide 

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This page lists selected:

• Find Materials on Theater History, Theory & Criticism in Orbis
• Selected Theater History Reference Sources
• Selected Theater History Websites

If you're looking for sources of reviews and commentary on theater and drama in newspapers and magazines, the sources listed at Reviews and Popular Journalism page cover materials as far back as the late 17th century.

See the Subject Guides for History for guidance on general historical research.

Find Materials on Theater History, Criticism and Theory in Orbis

One can search Orbis for materials in several several ways, such as by location (country, region), period, genre and movement. Notice in the following examples the different ways a subject heading might be constructed.

Selected Theater History Reference Sources

The following represents only a portion of the many reference resources available at Yale. Search Orbis to find more.

To locate reviews and journalistic articles on theater from the 18th and 19th centuries, see the resources listed in the Reviews page.

American Variety Stage

The American Variety Stage is a multimedia anthology selected from various Library of Congress holdings. This collection illustrates the vibrant and diverse forms of popular entertainment, especially vaudeville, that thrived from 1870-1920. Included are 334 English- and Yiddish-language playscripts, 146 theater playbills and programs, 61 motion pictures, 10 sound recordings, and 143 photographs and 29 memorabilia items documenting the life and career of Harry Houdini. Groups of theater posters and additional sound recordings will be added to this anthology in the future.

The Cambridge companion to British theatre, 1730-1830. Ed. Jane Moody and Daniel O'Quinn. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

SML Reference, PN2593 C25 2007

The Cambridge Companion to English Restoration Theatre. Fisk, Deborah Payne, ed.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000

SML Reference and Arts Library, PR691 C35 2000

The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre. Ed. Don Wilmeth. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

SML Reference, PN2220 C35 2007

Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre.  Ed. Colin Chambers. London; New York: Continuum, 2002.

SML Reference and Arts Library Reference, PN2035 C65X 2002

English theatrical literature, 1559-1900: a bibliography; incorporating Robert W. Lowe's 'A bibliographical account of English theatrical literature' published in 1888. James Fullarton Arnott. London, Society for Theatre Research, 1970.

SML Reference, Z2014 D7 A75 (LC)

Historical dictionary of postmodernist literature and theater. Fran Mason. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2007.

SML Reference, PN771 .M36X 2007

Historical dictionary of Russian theater. Laurence Senelick. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2007.

SML Reference, PN2721 .S46X 2007

History of the Theater. 10th ed. Oscar C. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy. Boston: Pearson, 2008.

Bass Stacks, PN2101 .B68X 2008 (LC)

One of the standard textbooks.

Internet Broadway Database (IBDB)

IBDB provides information on Broadway productions, both historical and current.  You can search for titles, genres, people, theaters, characters, awards and more. The historical information is slowly reaching farther back.

The London stage, 1660-1800; a calendar of plays, entertainments & afterpieces, together with casts, box-receipts and contemporary comment. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1960-68.

SML & Bass Stacks, PN2592 L65

A crucial reference work for studying theater during the "long 18th century," compiled from playbills, newspapers and theatrical diaries of the period.

North American Theatre Online

A major information resource covering all aspects of American and Canadian theater, with much information on production history.  Searchable by play, production, company, theater, people and more.  NATO includes many images and also incorporates important reference works and histories of North American theater, such as American Theatre Companies, American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama and Annals of the New York Stage.  (Unfortunately there's nothing similar covering Europe or the rest of the world.)

Theatre histories: an introduction. Phillip B. Zarrilli et al. New York; London: Routledge, 2006.

Bass Stacks, PN2101 .T44X 2006

A less traditional textbook on theater history.

Theatre Profiles

A database created by the Theatre Communications Group through which one can find information about TCG member theatres and their productions, going back to 1995. A useful resource for production history.

Theatre research resources in New York City. Ed. Amy Hughes. New York: Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, 2004.

SML Reference, PN2289 .T545X 2004

Twentieth-century literary movements dictionary. Detroit, Mich.: Omnigraphics, Inc., 2000.

SML Reference, PN597 T94X 2000

United States theatre: a bibliography, from the beginning to 1990. Silvester, Robert. New York: G.K. Hall; Romsey, England: Motley Press, 1993.

SML Reference, Z5781 +S55X 1993 (LC)

Selected Specialized Web Resources for Theater History