The following guide focuses on resources available in the Fordham library system which pertain to the New York and London theatre plus some references for theatre in other countries. Included in addition are general reference materials on drama and stagecraft. Please note for books the code RH stands for Rose Hill and LC for Lincoln Center locations.
 
 

ELECTRONIC INDEXES AND ABSTRACTS

International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text                                                                                                                                          

IIPA (International Index to the Performing Arts)
Index to some 155 performing arts journals from 9 countries, including the New York Times and Washington Post. Coverage dates back to 1864. Abstracts available for records from 1998 -.

MLA International Bibliography  
Indexs over 3,000 scholarly journals. Coverage dates back to 1963. Database also indexes relevant books, bibliographies and working papers. Excellent source for criticism on a particular play or playwright.

ProQuest  Research Library  
Index to periodical articles with full text for most of the articles. Coverage includes many drama and theatre journals.

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BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND INDEXES

Carpenter, Charles A.  Modern Drama Scholarship and Criticism, 1981-1990: An International Bibliography.  Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997.  RH Ref PN1600.C372 1997.

Patterson, Michael.  German Theatre: A bibliography from the Beginning to 1995.  New York: G.K. Hall, 1996. LC RH Ref PN2641.A1 P37 1996.

Play Index. New York: H. W. Wilson Co. LC RH REF PN1600. P38

Sharp, Harold S. Index to Characters in the Performing Arts. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1966-73. RH REF PN1584. S43

Simons, Linda Keir. The Performing Arts: A Guide to the Reference Literature. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1994. LC RH REF PN2584. A1 S56 1994

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GENERAL REFERENCE WORKS

Bordman, Gerald Martin. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2^nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. LC RH REF PN2220. B6 1992

The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. LC RH REF PN2035. C35 1995

Cambridge Guide to American Theatre.  New York: Cambridge University Press. LC RH Ref PN2220.C35 1993.

A Companion to Theatre in Australia.  Sydney: Currency Press, 1995.   RH Ref PN3011.c66 1995.

Contemporary Dramatists.  London: St. James, 1993.  LC RH Ref PN1861.C63 1993

DuBoff, Leonard D. The Performing Arts Business Encyclopedia. New York: Allworth Press, 1996. (RH/LC) REF PN1582.U6 D83 1996

Enciclopedia dello spettacolo. 9 vols. Roma: Casa Editrice Le Maschere, 1954-62. (RH) REF PN2035. E6

Field, Shelly. Career Opportunities in Theatre and the Performing Arts.  2nd. ed.  New York: Facts on File, 1999.  LC RH Ref PN1580.F5 1999

International Dictionary of Theatre. 3 vols.  Chicago: St. James Press, 1992-96. (RH/LC) REF PN2035. I49 1992

Irish Theatre Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Professional Drama and Dance in Ireland, North and South.  Dublin: Theatre Shop, 1998.  RH Ref PN2600.I75 1998

Leiter, Samuel L.  The Great Stage Directors: 100 Distinguished Careers in the Theater.  New York: Facts on File, 1994.  LC RH Ref PN2205.L44 1994

Leiter, Samuel L. New Kabubki Encyclopedia: A Revised Adaptation of the Kabuki Jitin.  Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997.  RH Ref PN2924.5.K3 L44 1997

Leon, Ruth. Applause: New York's Guide to the Performing Arts. New York: Applause Books, 1991. RH LC REF PN2277. N5 L377 1991

Lounsbury, Warren C. Theatre Backstage from A to Z. 3^rd ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1989. RH LC REF PN2091. M3 L68 1989

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Drama: An International Reference Work in 5 Volumes. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984. RH LC REF PN1625. M3 1984

Music, Dance, and Theatre Scholarships: A Guide to Undergraduate Awards.  South Euclid, Ohio : Conway Greene Pub. Co., 1998. LC RH Ref LB2338.M87 1998.

The New York Public Library Performing Arts Desk Reference.  New York: Macmillan, 1994.  LC RH Ref PN1584.N49 1994

Obituaries in the Performing Arts.  Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1996-  .  LC RH Ref PN1583.O25

Patterson, Michael.  Oxford Dictionary of Plays.  New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.  LC RH PN1625.P38 2005

Pavis, Patrice.  Dictionary of the Theatre: Terms, Concepts, and analysis.  Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998.  LC RH RefPN2035.P313 1998

Rigdon, Walter. The Biographical Encyclopedia & Who's Who of the American Theatre. New York: J. H. Heineman, 1966. RH LC REF PN2285. R5

Stage Directors Handbook: Opportunities for directors and Choreographers.  New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1998. LC RH Ref PN2053.S68 1998

Theatre World. NY: Crown Publishers. LC REF PN2277. N5 A17

Theatrical Directors: A Biographical Dictionary.  Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994.  LC RH Ref PN2205.T54 1994

The Variety Insider.  New York: Berkley, 1999.  LC RH Ref PN1579.V37 1999

The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre. 6 vol. London; New York: Routledge, 1994. (RH/LC) REF PN1861. W67 1994

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THEATRE HISTORY

Baker, Henry Barton. History of the London Stage and Its Famous Players, 1576-1903. New York: B. Blom, 1969. RH PN2596. L6 B3 1969

Bordman, Gerald Martin. American Theatre: a Chronicle of Comedy and Drama 1869-1969. 3 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. RH REF PN2256. B6 1994

Brown, Gene. Show Time: A Chronology of Broadway and the Theatre from Its Beginnings to the Present.  New York:  Macmillan, USA, 1997.  LC RH Ref PN2277.N5 B69 1997

Brown,T. Allston. A History of the New York Stage, from the First Performance in 1732 to 1901. New York: B. Blom, 1964. RH PN2277. N5 B7

The London Stage, 1660-1800: A Calendar of Plays, Entertainments & Afterpieces. Together with Casts, Box Receipts and Contemporary Comment. Compiled fron the Playbills, Newspapers and Theatrical Diaries of the period.  3 vols in 12. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1960- . RH PN2592.L6

Mann, David.  Women Playwrights in England, Ireland, and Scotland, 1660-1823.  Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996.  RH Ref PR635.W6 M36 1996

Odell, George Clinton Densmore. Annals of the New York Stage. 5 vols. New York: Columbia University Press, 1927-49. RH PN2277. N5 O4

The Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. RH LC REF PN2111. O95 1995

Schneider, Ben Ross. Index to the London Stage, 1660-1800. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1979. (RH/LC) PN2592. L63 S3

Trussler, Simon. The Cambridge Illustrated History of British Theatre.  New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.  LC RH Ref PN2581.T78 1994

Wearing J. P. The London Stage, 1890-1899: A Calendar of Plays and Players. 2 vols. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1976. RH PN2596.L6W4

Wearing, J. P. The London Stage, 1910-1919: A Calendar of Plays and Players. 2 vols. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1982. RH PN2596.L3W42 1982.

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PLAY COLLECTIONS

America's Lost Plays. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1940-41. 20 vols. RH PS623. AiA6

Best American Plays. New York: Crown,1939- . LC RH PS634.G28

The London Stage: A Collection of the Most Reputed Tragedies, Comedies, Operas, Melo-dramas, farces and interludes. Accurately Printed from Acting Copies, as Performed at the Theatre Royal, and Carefully Collated and Revised. London: Sherwood Jones and Co., 1824-27. 4 vols. RH PR1243.L7

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REVIEWS OF PLAYS

Critical Survey of Drama: English Language Series. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, 1985. RH REF PR625 C74 1985

Critical Survey of Drama: Foreign Language Series. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, 1986. RH REF PN1625. C74 1986

Douglas, Krystan V. Guide to British Drama Explication.  New York: G.K. Hall, 1996-  .  RH Ref PR625.D68 1996

National Theatre Critics' Reviews. Woodside, New York: Critics' Theatre Reviews, 1943- . LC Reserve PN1601.N4.

New York Times Theatre Reviews. New York: New York Times & Arno Press, 1920- . LC REF PN1581.N4.

Salem, James M. A Guide to Critical Reviews. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1966-84. LC RH REF PN1600. S26

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STAGECRAFT RESOURCES

Peacock, John. Men's Fashion: the Complete Sourcebook. London: Thames and Hudson, 1996. LC RH REF GT1710. P43 1996

Wilcox, R. Turner. The Dictionary of Costume. New York: Scribner, 1969. LC RH REF GT507 W5

Carpenter, Mark. Basic Stage Lighting. Kensington, AUS: New South Wales University Press, 1982. LC REF PN2091. E4 C27 1982

Watson, Lee. Lighting Design Handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1990. LC REF PN2091. E4 W35 1990

Cunningham, Glen. Stage Lighting Revealed: A Design and Execution Handbook. Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 1993. LC PN2091. E4 C8 1993

Swinfield, Rosemarie. Period Make-up for the Stage: Step by Step. Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 1997. LC PN2068. S88 1997

Swinfield, Rosemarie. Stage Makeup: Step by Step: The Complete Guide to Basic Makeup Planning and Designing. Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 1994. LC PN2068. S9 1994

Carnaby, Ann J. A Guidebook for Creating Three-Dimensional Theatre Art. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 1997. LC RH REF PN2091. S8 C29 1997

James, Thurston. The Theater Props Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Theater Properties, Materials and Construction. Cincinnati: Betterway Publications, 1987. LC PN2091. S8 J34 1987

James, Thurston. The What, Where, When of Theater Props: An Illustrated Chronology from Arrowheads to Video. Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 1992. LC PN2091. S8 J35 1992

Glerum, Jay O. Stage Rigging Handbook. 2^nd ed. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1997. RH LC PN2091. M3 G54 1997

Ionazzi, Daniel A. The Stagecraft Handbook. Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 1996. LC PN2091. S8 I65 1996

Russell, Douglas A. Period Style for the Theatre. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1980. LC RH PN2061. R8

Theatrical Design in the Twentieth Century: An Index to Photographic Reproductions of Scenic Designs. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1996. LC RH PN2091. S8 T47 1996

Effects for the Theatre. London: A & C Black, 1995. LC PN2091. S6 E43 1995

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INTERNET RESOURCES

General

American Variety Stage, Vaudville and  Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920
A multimedia anthology selected from the Library of Congress.

AWOL (Acting Workshop Online)
Comprehensive site with links to everything related to acting technique, training and employment.

Brief Guide to Internet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies
Links to Internet sites.

Internet Broadway Database
The official database for Broadway theatre information from the beginnings of New York theatre until today.  Sponsored by the League of American Theatres and Producers.

Inter-Play
An online index to plays in collections, anthologies and periodicals.

Medieval Drama Links
Links to sites with texts, commentary and illustrations.

Musicals101.com
Essays, links, photos, etc. about the musical theatre from the operetta to the present.

The New Deal Stage, 1935-1939
Selections from the Library of Congress' Federal Theatre Project Collection.

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
One of the premier libraries in the world for theater research. The Billy Rose Theater Collection is reknown for its holdings of original designs, playbills, posters, photographs, press clipping files and recordings. The library also has a large collection of circulating materials.

World Wide Web Virtual Library, Theatre and Drama
Links to academic, professional and recreational theatre sites.
 
 

Theatre News, Reviews, and Listings

American Theater Webb
Theatre and show information, news updated daily

Backstage
Web version of the weekly newspaper for actors

Broadway.com
Listings, reviews, gossip, etc.

Broadway Stars
Biographies, news, reviews, and gossip

Curtain Up
Internet theatre magazine of reviews, features, annotated listings

New York Theatre Experience
News about the New York theatre scene.

New York Theatre Wire
Listings, reviews and news about theatre in New York and elsewhere.

Off-Off-Broadway Review
Listings and reviews

Playbill On-Line
News, reviews, listings, features, and lots more on the New York Theatre

Show Business Weekly
Web version of the weekly newspaper.  Auditions and news for actors

Theatermania.com
Listings, reviews, news, and gossip

Theatre Reviews Limited
Reviews of Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway

Tony Awards
Every Broadway show has its own page with plot synopsis, schedule, cast list and photos
 
 

Costume

Costume Imagebase
Links to images of costumes in Columbia University Library's collection

The Costume Site
Especially strong in ethnic costume.

The History of Costume
Text and plates from History of Costume (Zur Geschichte der Kostume. Munich, 1871-1880).

International Costumers Guild
A comprehensive site with textual information, images and links to other sites.