Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window Published by Oxford University Press, it is a fully-indexed, cross-searchable database containing dictionaries, language reference and subject reference works.
The Oxford Dictionary of Plays by
Provides essential information on the 1000 most important plays in world theatre. Each entry includes details of title, author, date of composition, date of first performance, genre, setting, and the composition of the cast. A synopsis of the plot and a brief commentary are provided. An index of playwrights, with dates, allows the reader to find all the plays included by a particular author.
Location: eBookPublication Date: 2005McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama by Ranging from the earliest drama to the theater of the 1980's this encyclopedia includes coverage of national drama and theater around the world, theater companies, and musical comedy. Arrangement of the 1,300 entries is alphabetically by name or subject with nearly 950 of these devoted to individual playwrights and their works.
Location: Mugar Reference X PN1625 .M3 1984 (5 vols)Publication Date: 1984
World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre by
Contents: v. 1. Europe -- v. 2. Americas -- v. 3. Africa -- v. 4. The Arab world -- v. 5. Asia/Pacific -- v. 6. Bibliography/Cumulative index.
Location: Mugar Reference X PN1861 .W67 1994 (vol. 3 at African Studies Library)Publication Date: 1995
The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama by
A wholly unique A to Z reference for modern drama, this authoritative encyclopedia differs from others in highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of drama by placing playwrights and plays within their social, cultural, and historical contexts. Over 450 leading scholars provide students, general readers, and scholars with clearly written and concise entries that steer clear of technical jargon while also offering advanced readers new perspectives on familiar figures, movements, trends, issues, and texts. The Encyclopedia concentrates on drama in the literary sense rather than as performance. The scope of this encyclopedia is truly global. The editors follow the development of modern theater in both Western Europe (England, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, Ireland, France, Spain) and Eastern Europe; in Russia, China, Japan, India, and all of Southeast Asia; in Australia and New Zealand; in the United States and Canada; in Latin America, Africa, and in the Yiddish language. Entries are at least 500 words, richly researched and innovatively written. In "Brecht" the playwright's central themes and theories on theater are contextualized within the story of his exile, which paints a larger portrait of the cultural and political state of Europe at the time. In "Spain" the stories of certain theaters and prominent playwrights, such as Federico Garcia Lorca, are woven within the history of the country itself. And a colorful look at "Off Broadway" emphasizes the importance of theater economics and reveals its influence in shaping the development of drama. The history of modern drama is quickly becoming a popular area of study. The Encyclopedia of Modern Drama is a comprehensive and original approach to understanding this history and a powerful tool in reinforcing the vital role of drama in the intellectual and artistic life of the last 150 years.
Location: Mugar Reference X PN1861 .C65 2007 and OnlinePublication Date: 2007
Guides & Handbooks
- Browse or search Cambridge Companions to Literature Cambridge Companions provide essays on major authors, periods and genres, written by experts and designed for student readers.
The Cambridge Companion to African American Theatre by
This new edition provides an expanded, comprehensive history of African American theatre, from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Including discussions of slave rebellions on the national stage, African Americans on Broadway, the Harlem Renaissance, African American women dramatists, and the New Negro and Black Arts movements, the Companion also features fresh chapters on significant contemporary developments, such as the influence of the Black Lives Matter movement, the mainstream successes of Black Queer Drama and the evolution of African American Dance Theatre. Leading scholars spotlight the producers, directors, playwrights, and actors who have fashioned a more accurate appearance of Black life on stage, revealing the impact of African American theatre both within the United States and around the world. Addressing recent theatre productions in the context of political and cultural change, it invites readers to reflect on where African American theatre is heading in the twenty-first century.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2023
The Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance by
Ranging from ancient Greek tragedies to the latest developments around the globe, The Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance provides an all-embracing approach that encompasses drama and musical, opera, dance, radio, and non-dramatic performances including circuses and parades. Based on the celebrated two-volume Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance, this compact, affordable Companion features more than 2,000 up-to-date entries, covering styles and movements, buildings, organizations, and traditions--with a particularly strong focus on biographies of actors, playwrights, directors, and designers. Editor Dennis Kennedy has significantly updated the timeline of historical and cultural events in the world of theatre and performance, and he has added an appendix of useful weblinks, which are supported and accessible through a companion website. Finally, the book includes many new entries that cover the people and companies who have come into prominence since the publication of the Encyclopedia.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2010The Language of Theatre by Theatre has provided many words and meanings which we use--ignorant of their origins--in everyday writing and speech. This is the first book to explore 2,000 theatre terms in depth, in some cases tracing their history over two and a half millenia, in others exploring expressions less than a decade old. Terms are defined, shown in use and cross-referenced in ways which will fascinate theatre- goers, and encourage those actively engaged in the theatre to examine the familiar from new angles.
Location: Mugar Reference X PN2035 .H297 1998Publication Date: 1998
The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre by
This new and updated encyclopedic guide, with over 2700 cross-referenced entries, covers all aspects of the American theatre from its earliest history to the present. Entries include people, venues and companies scattered through the USA, plays and musicals, and theatrical phenomena. Additionally, there are some 100 topical entries covering theatre in major US cities and such disparate subjects as Asian American theatre, Chicano theatre, censorship, Filipino American theatre, one-person performances, performance art, and puppetry. Major popular forms are represented in entries such as circus, burlesque, vaudeville, and tent shows. Highly illustrated, the Guide is supplemented with a thorough historical survey as introduction, a bibliography of major sources published since the compilation of the first edition, and a unique and valued biographical index covering over 3200 individuals mentioned in the text. This new edition includes hundreds of new and updated entries, making it the most up-to-date guide to American theatre available.
Location: Mugar Reference X PN2220 .C35 2007Publication Date: 2007
Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections by
The standard location tool for full-length plays published in collections and anthologies in England and the United States since the beginning of the 20th century, Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections has undergone seven previous editions, the latest in 1988, covering 1900 through 1985. In this new edition, Denise Montgomery has expanded the volume to include collections published in the entire English-speaking world through 2000 and beyond. This new volume lists more than 3,500 new plays and 2,000 new authors, as well as birth and/or death information for hundreds of authors. Representing the largest expansion between editions, this updated volume is a valuable resource for libraries worldwide.
Location: Mugar Reference X PN1655 .O88 2011 and OnlinePublication Date: 2011
Drama - Theory
Find books/ebooks on:
- Theory of the Modern Drama: a critical edition by Contents: Pt. 1: Introduction: historical aesthetics and genre-based poetics -- The drama -- The drama in crisis -- Ibsen -- Chekhov -- Strindberg -- Maeterlinck -- Hauptmann -- Pt. 2: Transition: a theory of stylistic change -- Rescue attempts -- Naturalism -- The conversation play -- The one-act play -- Constraint and existentialism -- Tenative solutions -- I dramaturgy: expressionism -- The political revue: Piscator -- Epic theater: Brecht -- Montage: Bruckner -- Enacting the impossibility of the drama: Pirandello -- Monologue intérieur: O'Neill -- The epic I as stage manager: Wilder -- The play of time: Wilder -- Memory: Miller.Location: Mugar Stacks PN1851 .S9513 1987Publication Date: 1987
Critical Theory and Performance by
Critical Theory and Performance presents a broad range of critical and theoretical methods and applies them to contemporary and historical performance genres-- from stage plays, dance-dramas, performance art, cabaret, stand-up comedy, and jazz to circus, street theater, and shamanistic ritual. As the first comprehensive introduction to critical theory' s rich and diverse contributions to the study of drama, theater, and performance, the book has been highly influential for more than a decade in providing fertile ground for academic investigations in the lively field of performance studies. This updated and expanded edition presents nineteen new essays by the field' s leading scholars and practitioners as well as new critical introductions by editors Janelle G. Reinelt and Joseph R. Roach. Reflecting recent trends in performance studies, this revised edition now includes discussions of critical race theory, postcolonial studies, gender and sexualities, and mediatized cultures. The resulting volume is a unique and indispensable tool for critics, teachers, and students that paves the way for future scholarship. Janelle G. Reinelt is Professor of Theatre and Performance at the University of Warwick. Reinelt and Roach Joseph R. Roach is Charles C. and Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of Theater and English at Yale University.
Location: Mugar Stacks PN2039 .C75 2007 and OnlinePublication Date: 2007
The Language of Drama by
The Language of Drama is about the critical strategies that can be used to understand the dynamic processes of writing, reading, dramaturgy, rehearsal, production and reception of drama performance in both the classroom and the professional theatre. It draws upon many of the recent insights developed in discourse analysis, literary theory, social semiotics, popular culture studies and performance analysis, in order to present a detailed critical theory and practice of how the language of drama means as a process of drama praxis.
Location: Mugar Stacks PN1631 .B57 1991ISBN: 9780312052690Publication Date: 1991
Theatre/Theory/Theatre by
The major critical texts from Aristotle and Zeami to Syinka and Havel. The best available collection of theoretical writing on the theatre from both the Eastern and Western traditions.
Location: Mugar Stacks PN2039 .T56 2000Publication Date: 2000
Literary Biography
- Biography (Gale in Context) This link opens in a new window Biography In Context offers biographical information about historically significant figures as well as present-day newsmakers. It includes reference content alongside magazine and journal articles, primary sources, videos, audio podcasts, and images.
- Contemporary Authors This link opens in a new window A bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields.
- Literature Online (LION) This link opens in a new window LION includes texts, criticism, and reference material, including thousands of literary articles, essays, biographies and encyclopedia entries on over 350,000 works of poetry, prose, and drama from the 8th to the 21st century.
The Ivan R. Dee Guide to Plays and Playwrights by
With more than five hundred entries, from A to Z, providing information on the most important plays and playwrights (dead or alive) performed today, The Ivan R. Dee Guide to Plays and Playwrights is the most useful and comprehensive reference book for contemporary theatre now available. It is both biographically detailed and critically up to date, and offers an extensive cross-referencing system that allows for wider perspectives and new discoveries. For example: The entry on Carlo Goldoni provides his dates of birth and death; a complete listing of his plays with the dates they were written; approximately 300 words of biography and critical commentary on Goldoni's work; and references to other plays and playwrights that are similar in subject and treatment (in this case, for instance, "Beaumarchais's Marriage of Figaro for its treatment of servant and master relationships; Moli re, writing in a more formal style is more savage in exposing bourgeois and aristocratic hypocrisies;...") Stimulating, observant, and informative, The Ivan R. Dee Guide to Plays and Playwrights is an essential companion and reference tool for producers, directors, actors, teachers, and anyone with an active interest in drama. Illustrated with 34 black-and-white photographs.
Location: Mugar Reference X PN2035 .G73 2004Publication Date: 2004
The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama by
A wholly unique A to Z reference for modern drama, this authoritative encyclopedia differs from others in highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of drama by placing playwrights and plays within their social, cultural, and historical contexts. Over 450 leading scholars provide students, general readers, and scholars with clearly written and concise entries that steer clear of technical jargon while also offering advanced readers new perspectives on familiar figures, movements, trends, issues, and texts. The Encyclopedia concentrates on drama in the literary sense rather than as performance. The scope of this encyclopedia is truly global. The editors follow the development of modern theater in both Western Europe (England, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, Ireland, France, Spain) and Eastern Europe; in Russia, China, Japan, India, and all of Southeast Asia; in Australia and New Zealand; in the United States and Canada; in Latin America, Africa, and in the Yiddish language. Entries are at least 500 words, richly researched and innovatively written. In "Brecht" the playwright's central themes and theories on theater are contextualized within the story of his exile, which paints a larger portrait of the cultural and political state of Europe at the time. In "Spain" the stories of certain theaters and prominent playwrights, such as Federico Garcia Lorca, are woven within the history of the country itself. And a colorful look at "Off Broadway" emphasizes the importance of theater economics and reveals its influence in shaping the development of drama. The history of modern drama is quickly becoming a popular area of study. The Encyclopedia of Modern Drama is a comprehensive and original approach to understanding this history and a powerful tool in reinforcing the vital role of drama in the intellectual and artistic life of the last 150 years.
Location: Mugar Reference X PN1861 .C65 2007Publication Date: 2007
The Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre by Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2006-05-14
