THEATER: A Guide to Resources  Tags: theater theatre drama performing_arts  

World Theater  > > See below for American Theater

Acting : an International Encyclopedia, by Beth Osnes ; Sam Gill, consulting editor. Published: Santa Barbara, California ; Denver Colorado : ABC-CLIO, c2001.Uri Ref PN2035 .O84x 2001

 

Cambridge Guide to Theatre.Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992. Olin Ref PN2035 C17

Alphabetic listing of theatre culture and history, attempting to present "a comprehensive view of the history and present practice of theatre in all parts of the world, thus pointing to the dynamic interaction of performance traditions from all cultures in present day theatre."(Preface)

 

Columbia Enyclopedia of Modern Drama. Gabrielle Cody and Evert Sprinchorn, eds. 2 vols. New York: Columbia UP, 2007. Olin Ref PN1861 C65 2007+

Covers 1860 to the present. Entries emphasize the cultural context of dramatic works and their authors and their relationship to significant social, political, artistic, and philosophical movements. Includes articles on emerging authors and the conventional and experimental theater worldwide.

 

Companion to Theatre in Australia. Sydney: Currency Press in association with Cambridge Univ. Press, 1995. Olin Ref PN3011 C73 1995+

Covers theatre in Australia in all its forms since 1788. Some 1300 entries, alphabetically organised and ranging in length from 200 to 7000 words, cover Australian and visiting personalities who have influenced Australian cultural history; genres from melodrama and the classics to pantomime, musical theatre, circus and performance art. Longer entries include historical accounts of colonial theatre, industrial relations, touring conditions, acting style, management dramatic criticism, set design, theatre buildings, government subsidy, regional and amateur theatre, training and technology. Aboriginal theatre influence, immigrants, and the traditions of European, Asian and American theatre in Australia have also been examined. Some 200 writers have contributed to the work, ranging from academics to private researchers and theatre practitioners.

 

Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 1992.

"This concise version of the acclaimed Oxford Companion to the Theatre covers all aspects of theatre worldwide and throughout the ages. It contains entries on a vast range of theatrical styles, dramatists, performers, and directors, as well as information on theatres, festivals, and such technical topics as lighting, sound, and method acting. Entries on people and places include Athol Fugard, Anthony Hopkins, Glenda Jackson, Derek Jacobi, Harvey Fierstein, Helen Mirren, Trevor Nunn, Peter O'Toole, Willy Russell, and Stephen Sondheim, Barbican Theatre, The English Shakespeare Company, Michael Gambon, The Swan at Stratford, and the Shubert theatre in New York." (publisher)

 

Enciclopedia Dello Spettacolo. Roma: Casa Editrice Le Maschere, 1954-1962. 9 vols. Olin Ref PN2035 E563+ ; also Music Ref

Designed to cover the "grand spectacle" from antiquity to the present, including theater, opera, ballet, film, vaudville and the circus. Entries discuss performers, authors, composers, directors, designers, etc. Profusely illustrated. Contains bibliographies.

 

Encyclopedia of Latin American Theater, edited by Eladio Cortés and Mirta Barrea-Marlys. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2003. Olin Ref PQ7082 D7 E63x 2003 +

Traces the history of Latin American theater, including the Nuyorican and Chicano theaters of the United States, and surveys its history from the pre-Columbian period to the present. Sections cover individual Latin American countries. Each section features alphabetically arranged entries for playwrights, independent theaters, and cultural movements.

 

International Dictionary of Theatre. 3 vol. Chicago: St. James Press, 1992-1996. Uris Ref PN2035 I59 1995

In three volumes, Vol.1 Plays, Vol.2 Playwrights, and Vol.3 Actors, Directors and Designers. Entries for plays provide a synopsis of the play, date of first publication and prodution, and a selected list of critical material. Entries for playwrights provide a discussion of the playwright's work, a list of works, and a short list of general criticism. Entries for actors, directors and designers provide basic biographical information, a list of their roles, and a short list of other biographical sources.

 

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama: An International Reference Work in Five Volumes. 2nd ed. 5 vols. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984. Uris Ref PN 1625 M14+ 1984; also Olin Ref

"The purpose of the book is to present, in the clearest possible format, factual information and critical evaluations of numerous dramatists' work and stature." (Preface) Most entries contain a biographical sketch, a brief critique of the dramatist's work, a selection of synopses of his/her plays, a bibliography of editions and usually a list of critical and biographical works. Emphasis is on English and Western European playwrights. Includes some general essays on drama of the world as well as many photographs taken during actual productions.

 

Oxford Companion to Canadian Theatre, edited by Eugene Benson and L.W. Conolly. Toronto; New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Olin Ref PN2301 O98

Charts the expansion and development of Canadian theatre from the beginnings to the present. It contains some 680 entries including biographies of actors, playwrights, directors, designers and details of major plays, and such subjects as theatres and companies, collective theatre, ethnic theatre, musical theatre, and radio and television drama. Indexed.

 

Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 4th edition. New York: Oxford, l983. Uris Ref PN 2035 H33 1983; also Olin

This handbook provides information on every aspect of the theatre up to the end of l982. Coverage is international in scope. Some articles deal with contemporary theatre in foreign countries, dramatic criticism, musical comedy, scenery, opera, Shakespearean Festivals, and blacks in the American theatre. All articles are signed. Separate sections in the back include a select list of theatre books, and notes on the illustrations.

 

Oxford Dictionary of Plays by Michael Patterson. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, c2005. Olin Ref PN1625 P38 2005

"The Oxford Dictionary of Plays provides essential information on the 1000 best-known, best-loved, and most important plays in world theater. Each entry includes details of title, author, date of composition, date of first performance, genre, setting, and the composition of the cast, and more. A synopsis of the plot and a brief commentary, perhaps on the context of the play, or the reasons for its enduring popularity, follow. Around 80 of the most significant plays - from The Oresteia to Waiting for Godot - are dealt with in more detail. Genres covered include: burlesque, comedy, farce, historical drama, kabuki, masque, melodrama, morality play, mystery play, No, romantic comedy, tragicomedy, satire, and tragedy." --From the publisher's website

 

Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance, edited by Dennis Kennedy. 2 vols. Oxford Univ. Press, 2003. Also in print: Olin Ref PN2035 O92x 2003+

Provides information about theatre and performance internationally, through history and in the present. The 4300 entries are complemented by over 100 illustrations. Coverage ranges from ancient Greek theatre to 21st century developments in London, Paris, New York, and around the globe. Pays special attention to non-Western styles through articles on theatre and performance throughout Asia and Africa, often written by practitioners or critics from those areas. Dance, opera, performance art, radio, film, and television are covered at length. Also embraces para-theatrical, non-drammatic, and popular performance, including ritual, carnivals, parades, the circus, and public executions. Biographical entries cover the lives and work of major figures from the past and present: actors, playwrights, directors, designers, and critics. Entries on cities and regions place performance in its local social and political context.

 

Theaterlexikon.

German-language reference work based on the CD-ROM edition published in 1999 by Systhema Verlag and searchable in the Xipolis database.

 

Theatre: Stage to Screen to Television, by William Torbert Leonard. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1981. 2 vols. Olin Ref PN2189 L58

Documents the stage, television and screen histories of plays that were produced in other media.

 

20th Century Theatre. 2 vols. New York: Facts on File, 1983. Uris Ref PN2189 L84+

This work is designed to "offer an overview of theatre activity in North America and the British Isles since 1900, and to provide a "date-finder" for those who want information about a particular theatre event, production, personality or playhouse." (Preface) Arrangement is chronological, beginning with 1900 and ending with 1979. Within each year, arrangement is by month and covers theatre productions, American and British play premieres, revivals and repertoires, and births, deaths, and debuts. An author, title, subject index at the end of the volume helps to provide access to specific items. There is, in addition, an excellent bibliography of books about the theater, although its arrangement in chronological order by date of publication makes it awkward to use.

 

World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre, 6 vols.(projected). Routledge, 1994-2000

Beginning with 1945, surveys the "range of national theatrical activity on a country-by-country basis from a specifically national standpoint." (intro) Each article covers a nation's theatrical history, artistic trends, structure of its theatre community, artistic profile, dance theatre, youth theatre, puppet theatre, theatre space and architecture, theatrical training, theatre criticism, scholarship and publishing. Bibliographies included. The 5 available volumes are dispersed among several campus libraries:
v 1. Europe, v 2. Americas, v.4 The Arab World, v 6. Bibliography/Cumulative index, Olin Ref PN1861 W67w 1994+
v 3. Africa, Africana Ref PN1861 W67x 1994
v 5. Asia, Kroch Library Asia Ref PN1861 W67x 1994

American Theater

IBDB (Internet Broadway Database)

The official database for Broadway theatre information. IBDB provides records of productions from the beginnings of New York theatre until today. Details include pertinent people involved as well as interesting facts and production statistics. Get a list of every production of Hamlet on Broadway or a list of your favorite actor's credits. Find out what played at a particular theatre or what shows opened in a specified Broadway season.

 

Broadway: its History, People, and Places: an Encyclopedia, Ken Bloom. New York: Routledge, 2003. 2nd ed. Olin Ref F128.65 T5 B56x 2003+

Arranged in an A-Z format, this encyclopedia covers producers, writers, composers, lyricists, set designers, theaters, performers, shows and landmarks. Illustrated, cross-referenced, indexed and with a full bibliography, this work provides a comprehensive history of Broadway extending from its beginnings to the new millennium, a full revision of entries from the first edition, and entries on the most noteworthy productions and shows. (abridged publisher description)

 

Dictionary of the Black Theatre: Broadway, off-Broadway, and Selected Harlem Theatre. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1983. Africana Ref PN2270 A35 W86; Olin Ref PN2270 A35 W86

Contains ocumentation for approximately three hundred shows, from A Trip to Coontown (1898) to 1981's Dreamgirls. The title of each show is followed by its theatre, opening date, number of performances, complete list of creative personnel, cast credits, and, where appropriate, a list of the show's songs. Each entry also contains a plot summary, a survey of critical comment, and, where significant, an analysis of the show's historical context. Also includes biographical entries for major performers, writers, and directors, and notes on those organizations which encouraged the growth and development of black theatre in New York City. The Dictionary concludes with a chronology of all shows included in the text, a discography of black shows, and a selected bibliography of studies related to black theatre history and criticism. (publisher description)

 

Encyclopedia of the New York stage, 1920-1930. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1985. 2 vols. Olin Ref PN2277 N5 L53

Encyclopedia of the New York stage, 1930-1940. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. Olin Ref PN2277 N5 L364x 1989

Encyclopedia of the New York stage, 1940-1950. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1992. Olin Ref PN2277 N5 L535 1992

These volumes provide factual data and anecdotal and analytical description of every legitimate play, musical, revue, or revival staged in the New York professional theatre and reviewed by the press during the decades covered. Appendices offer listings of plays chronologically and in categories as well as play sources, awards, information on theatres, institutional theatres, and foreign companies, reviewers, and various statistics. Selected bibliographies and indexes of names and titles included.

 

Ethnic Theatre in the United States,edited by Maxine Schwartz Seller. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1983. Olin Ref PN2226 E84

Contains an introductory overview to ethnic theatre followed by 19 original essays (e.g., Armenian-American Theatre, Yiddish Theatre in the United States) that cover particular ethnic theater traditions, as well as their social, educational, and political importance. Appendixes, bibliographies, and a general index.

 

Oxford Companion to American Theatre, Thomas S. Hischak & Gerald Bordman. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2004. 3rd ed. Olin Ref PN2220 B72 2004 also online

A guide to the American stage from its beginnings to the present, the volume includes playwrights, plays, actors, directors, producers, songwriters, famous playhouses, dramatic movements, etc. The book covers classic works (such as Death of a Salesman) as well as many commercially successful plays (such as Getting Gertie's Garter), plus entries on foreign figures that have influenced dramatic development in the US (from Shakespeare to Beckett and Pinter). New entries include recent plays such as Angels in America and Six Degrees of Separation, performers such as Eric Bogosian and Bill Irwin, playwrights like David Henry Hwang and Wendy Wasserstein, and relevant developments and issues including AIDS in American theatre, theatrical producing by Disney, and the rise in solo performance. (Publisher's description, abridged)

 

Show Time: a Chronology of Broadway and the Theatre from its Beginnings to the Present, by Gene Brown. New York : Macmillan, 1997. Uris Ref PN2277.N5 B69x 1997

Chronicles, by decade, year, and date, the history of theater on Broadway from 1826 through 1997. Provides information on award winners and number of productions by year. Indexed. Illustrated. Includes a bibliography.