LibGuides: TH 418/419 History of the Theatre: Article Databases

Periodicals in paper at the AU Library

American Theatre -- 1993-2008, 2012-current
Plays -- 2000-current [children's literature]
TDR: The Drama Review -- 1987-1995
Theatre Crafts -- 1975-1992

Inter-library Loan

Databases frequently provide full-text for many articles but in some cases the full text is not available.

In order to get an article that is not available online in full text you can request the article by submitting an Interlibrary Loan Article Request Form. A link to the form is frequently included beneath the citation in the list of article results. A link to the form can also be found on the library website under Quick Links.

Theatre Databases

See Search Tips Page for methods on building an efficient search strategy.

Drama Criticism (Gale)
Provides full-text or excerpted drama criticism from books, magazines, literary reviews, newspapers, and scholarly journals. For each play or playwright featured, presents a full range of critical opinion, along with a biographical sketch and a chronological list of the writer's major works.
Humanities International Complete (EBSCO)
Use to find information on dramatists, but also on the culture.
Example: performing arts and AIDS
International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance With Full Text (EBSCO)
Content includes over 60,000 journal articles, books, book chapters, and abstracts of dissertations on all aspects of theatre and performance in 126 countries. Boasts 490+ full-text titles, including more than 170 full-text journals, and more than 360 full-text books & monographs. Topics covered include ballet, cinema, comedy, dance, drama, film, mime, opera, puppetry, and theatre.
Literary Reference Center Plus (EBSCO)
Provides users with a broad spectrum of information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and eras. Combines information from major respected reference works, books, and literary journals as well as original content.
Literature Resource Center (Gale)
Provides information on 135,000 authors from all time periods and genres, including drama, fiction, poetry, history, journalism, and more.
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Contains full-text articles, essays, and reviews from journals and magazines; overviews of frequently studied works; and poems, stories, and plays. Much of the content was originally published in such Gale series as Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Twentieth Century Literary Criticism, Short Story Criticism, etc.
MLA International Bibliography
Can limit to article written in French or Spanish. MLA International Bibliography provides a classified listing and subject index for books and articles published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. In annually indexes more that 45,000 books and articles.
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Coverage includes works about literature that is transmitted orally, in print, or in audiovisual media and about human language, including both natural languages and invented languages (e.g., Esperanto). Inclusions must be of scholarly interest. No apprentice or simplified works are included.

Multi-Disciplinary Databases

Academic Search Complete (EBSCO)
Comprehensive multi-disciplinary database with full-text coverage of over 8,800 periodicals, including more than 7,700 peer-reviewed journals.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index
A component of the Web of Science database platform, covering a full range of disciplines within the arts and humanities. Includes complete indexing of over 2,300 journals.
Electronic Journal Center (OhioLINK)
OhioLINK's collection of more than 10,000 academic journals.
Humanities International Complete
Indexes and abstracts hundreds of journals, books and other published sources from around the world. Covers all fields of the humanities. Excellent for interdisciplinary topics. Can limit to articles written in English, French, or Spanish, etc.
JSTOR
JSTOR provides complete electronic backfiles of core journals in a variety of subjects. Full text coverage begins with the first issue of each journal and usually ends about five years before the present.
Nexis Uni
Theatre reviews from The New York Times and the London Times are among those included in this database.

Music Databases

These are the best databases to try for music research:

RILM Abstracts of Music Literature
An international bibliography of scholarly writings on music and related disciplines. Indexes some 2,000 music journals and relevant articles from 11,000 journals of other fields, published in 178 countries.
Naxos Music Library
Streaming access to more than 50,000 classical CDs (over half a million tracks). Additional resources include a "Study Area," pronunciation guide, glossary, and opera synopses and libretti.

Open Databases

Performance Database from APGRD (Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama)
Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies, University of Oxford

An external online resource provided by the University of Oxford. For best results, simply select your title from the ANCIENT WORKS list then execute the search.

IBDB: Internet Broadway Database
Broadway League

The official database for Broadway theatre information. Provides records of productions from the beginnings of New York theatre until today.

IMDb: Internet Movie Database
Amazon.com

Self-described as the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. A searchable database of more than 100 million data items, including more than 2 million movies, TV, and entertainment programs and more than 4 million cast and crew members.

Select Journals

These are just a few of the electronic journals available through the AU Library.

Use the databases to find articles in these and other journals.

Curtain Up
Reviews of plays, major playwright backgrounders, updated daily. (Open Access)
Live Design (formerly Entertainment Design)
Performing Arts Journal 1976-1997 (Vols. 1-19)
Scene 4 Magazine
Peer reviewed journal interested in publishing papers on all aspects of scenography. (Open Access)
TDR - The Drama Review
Theatre Forum
Theatre Journal
Theatre Research International
Theatre Topics

Open-access journals on the Web

Note: The Library databases' full-text coverage of Stage Directions goes back farther than the website's own archives.

Archer Library

TH 418/419 History of the Theatre: Article Databases