Theatre-specific databases and journals
Databases - Theatre-specific databases that UT Libraries subscribes to can be found here. These include:
- Drama Online Core Collection Contains hundreds of playtexts from the works of Aeschylus in 5th Century BC to the present day.
- Performing Arts Periodicals Database Indexing and abstracts of international performing arts periodicals with some full-text. Covers all aspects of the arts and entertainment industry. Coverage from 1864 to current.
- Theatre in Video From the most important productions of Shakespeare to rare in-depth footage focusing on the work of Samuel Beckett. More than 500 hours of online streaming video. Live television broadcasts of New York productions from the 50s, revivals of classic works and experimental performances from the 60s and 70s, as well as important contemporary performances. Original productions, captured and recorded while performed for a live theatre audience.
- Black Drama: Second Edition Contains the full-text of 1,200 plays written by more than 100 playwrights, together with information on related productions, theaters, production companies, and more.
- Theatre in Context Collection Comprehensive reference works related to historical theatre productions including playbills, set designs, periodicals, and more.
- Inter-Play Index of plays published in anthologies.
- New Play Exchange The New Play Exchange (NPX) is the world's largest digital library of scripts by living writers. The NPX, a National New Play Network program, is flipping the script on the ways in which new work is shared and discovered. National New Play Network (NNPN) is an alliance of professional theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays.
- American Theatre Play Index - a complete (and constantly updated) alphabetical list of plays that have graced the pages of American Theatre, organized by last name of the playwright.
Journals - The "e-Journals by Subject" tab on the Libraries homepage will allow you to search for numerous journals within a broad subject area.
Use the Libraries One Search to search for specific article titles, authors, or subjects within a journal.
Other databases for Theatre Research
- JSTOR
This link opens in a new window
Back issues of selected scholarly journals in ecology, economics, history, mathematics, music, political science, statistics, and other humanities and social sciences. - Project Muse
Full-text of scholarly journals and books in the humanities and social sciences.
- MLA International BibliographyIndex of research in literature, language, and folklore. Limited to 8 simultaneous users. Click "exit" to end your sessions.
- Literature OnlineA fully searchable library of more than 300,000 works of English and American poetry, drama and prose, plus biographies, bibliographies and key secondary sources. Limited to 4 simultaneous users.
- Humanities International CompleteThis database includes all data from Humanities International Index (over 2,000 titles and 2 million records) plus unique full text content, much of which is not found in other databases. The database includes full text for more than 770 journals.
- Academic Search CompleteThis multidisciplinary database provides full-text for over 3,900 scholarly publications.
- Music Periodicals DatabaseThis portal brings International Index to Music Periodicals Full Text (IIMP-FT) and International Index to the Performing Arts Full Text (IIPA-FT) together in one site, enabling users to search both resources simultaneously or separately. IIMP-FT draws its current content from nearly 400 international music periodicals from over 30 countries, and also indexes feature music articles and obituaries appearing in The New York Times and The Washington Post.
- Design & Applied Arts Index (DAAI)
Bibliographic access to design, craft and applied arts journals and newspapers, and data on designers and studios. Coverage from 1973 to current.
- Comprehensive Shakespeare DictionaryFacts about characters, plots, language, and quotations in the works of Shakespeare. Requires Internet Explorer browser.
- Internet Broadway DatabaseIBDB (Internet Broadway Database) archive is the official database for Broadway theatre information. IBDB provides records of productions from the beginnings of New York theatre until today.
Theater Research at the Library of Congress This guide navigates the Library's collections related to theater but focuses on those within the Music Division, including special collections, rare materials, reference materials, digitized resources, and databases.
HowlRound Theatre Commons HowlRound is a free and open platform for theatremakers worldwide that amplifies progressive, disruptive ideas about the art form and facilitates connection between diverse practitioners.
Backstage Backstage is an online career platform and marketplace, with a focus on editorial news, educational content, and interviews from industry experts. (This links to the website - full text is searchable through Performing Arts Periodicals database)
Search tips
The Library of Congress uses Theater as a subject heading for "works on drama as acted on the stage. Works on facilities used to stage drama are entered under Theaters. Works on drama as a literary form are entered under Drama."
Note that databases may use similar terminology to mean different things.
American English spelling is typically "Theater" but the use of the British spelling - "Theatre" - is widespread in the US.
Be aware of these differences when developing a search strategy.