Theatre Research Guide: Find Books
The Essential Theatre by
The Eighth Edition of THE ESSENTIAL THEATRE will help you get your students excited about theatre. The combined authorship of an authoritative theatre historian and his former student, an active theatre historian himself, make this the book perfect for your introductory theatre course. In the 35 years since it was first published, THE ESSENTIAL THEATRE has established a reputation as one of the most comprehensive, authoritative surveys of the theatre in academia. Now in a new full color format with many representations of current and classic performances, this text will encourage your students to become active theatergoers and fans. THE ESSENTIAL THEATRE works in tandem with its companion anthology, PLAYS FOR THEATRE. The scripts in PLAYS serve as a foundation for discussion of the various types of theatrical experience explored in the text.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance by
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance is an unparalleled resource, providing comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date information about theatre and performance internationally, through history and in the present in an accessible format. Available in print and as an e-referencetext from Oxford's Digital Reference Shelf, the 4,300 entries total well over a million words and are complemented by over 100 illustrations. Coverage ranges from ancient Greek theatre to the latest developments in London, Paris, New York, and around the globe. The Encyclopedia pays specialattention to non-Western styles through articles on theatre and performance throughout the many countries and traditions of Asia and Africa, often written by practitioners or critics from those areas. Dance, opera, performance art, radio, film, and television are covered at length. The Encyclopediaalso 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. Innovativeentries on cities and regions place performance in its local social and political context. A particular feature of the Encyclopedia is the series of entries on concepts, theories, and critical approaches to theatre and performance, from short definitions of terms to lengthy considerations of genres, and from detailed discussion of movements such as feminism and psychoanalytic criticism todiscussions of semiotics and post-colonial studies. While remaining thoroughly accessible in language and approach, the Encyclopedia takes advantage of the theoretical and historiographical developments in the field, using signed entries by the best scholars and writers available.
Technical Design Solutions for Theatre by
The Technical Brief is a collection of single-focus articles on technical production solutions, published three times a year by the prestigious Yale School of Drama. The primary objective of the publication is to share creative solutions to technical problems so that fellow theatre technicians can avoid having to reinvent the wheel with each new challenge. The range of topics includes scenery, props, painting, electrics, sound, and costumes. The articles each describe an approach, device, or technique that has been tested on stage or in a shop by students and professionals. Some articles included: Growing Flowers on Stage; Break-Away Glass; Photo-Murals for the Stage; Quiet Wire-Rope Curtain Track; Free Standing Curved Stairs; A Measured Approach to Kerfing; A Low-Voltage Remote Controller for Special Effects; Toggle-Clamp Locks; Comparing Four Plastics as Scenery Glides; Low Pressure Air Casters; A Simple Lift Jack; Using a Piano to Create a Reverberation Effect; Horn-Hat Mics for Sound Reinforcement
If you are doing theatre research, you are probably looking for plays or scripts, books on the technical aspects of theatre, or information on musical theatre. Our library has all of these, but they are all found in different parts of the library's collection. You can browse the collection or use CLICnet (link below or search box to the left) to do a specific search. Our library uses the Dewey Decimal system to catalog books.
Books can be found in both the Reference & Main collections. Reference books are located on the main level of the library. Circulating books are located on the lower level of the library.
