LibGuides: Theater Research Guide: Open Access Theatre Resources

Open Access

What is Open Access? - Open access is a broad international movement that seeks to grant free and open online access to academic information, coupled with the rights to use and redistribute it freely in the digital environment.

SPARC: Open Access - More information on the Open Access movement, Open Education, Open Data, and Impact Stories. SPARC is known by its acronym, which stands for the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition.

Open Textbooks (OER): Theatre, Film & Storytelling

LibreTexts: Theatre, Film, and Storytelling
Free textbooks with interactive components in: Theatre Appreciation; Technical Theatre; Acting and the Art of Performance; Playwriting; Directing, and more.
Theatre Appreciation
Edited by Kiara Pipino (2022). "A textbook for introductory level lecture classes such as Theatre Appreciation and Introduction to Theatre. It provides insight about the art and craft of theatre, a brief exploration of theatre history, and discussion about the styles and forms of theatre along with an overview of professions in the field."
Theatre History (2022)
This course examines the development of theatre and performance from the early seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century, Western theatre history, as well as instances of global performance history.

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The "Resource Collection" of this project is created collaboratively by students in the class.

Shakespeare in the Open

Folger Shakespeare Library (FSL)
FSL is the the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world.
All Shakespeare's Works (multimedia resources)
Pick a play or poem and discover all the world’s largest Shakespeare collection has to offer. Each play is accompanied by a synopsis and critical essays.
FSL - Digital Collections - Shakespeare
Early printed Shakespeare: Quartos of plays, as well as First, Second, Third, Fourth Folios, archives, reference images, and more.

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NOTE - As of 12 August 2014, pictures in the Folgers Digital Image Collection are licensed CC BY-SA. That is, they can be used under a Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike 4.0 International License, one of the two Creative Commons licenses approved for free cultural works.
Explore Shakespeare & the Globe Theatre
Built in 1599 in London (UK), it was the home for many of Shakespeare's plays and is renowned for its open-air design. The American actor Sam Wanamaker recreated the current Globe Theatre (1997), an international education and research centre, a permanent exhibition, and an indoor theatre too.
First Folio - 400th Anniversary
"Published in 1623, seven years after the death of its author, it was the first printed edition of Shakespeare’s collected plays. Without this achievement, we would have lost half of his dramatic work."
Shakespeare in China (videos)
"The seminar ‘Shakespeare in China – A conversation with Lin Zhaohua’ has been shared as a series of videos on Vimeo under a Creative Commons licence. The event was held by the Confucius Institute for Scotland as part of the Edinburgh International Festival in 2013 alongside Lin Zhaohua’s production of The Tragedy of Coriolanus."

Library of Congress (LC) - Theater Research (multimedia)

Theater Research - Introduction
"A vast array of performance genres are reflected in the Library's theater collections. The scope of these materials includes books, periodicals, playbills, manuscripts, letters, promptbooks, production photographs, costume designs, lighting designs, scenic designs, and much more. Use the navigation menu to the left for more specific information."
Musicals of Stage and Screen
Resources on the repertoire, history, and creative process of musical theater on stage and screen. Use the navigation menu to the left to access music scores, librettos, digital collections & exhibitions, sound recordings, moving image collections, and more!
The Guide to Musical Theatre (external resource)
"This guide has been designed for those who enjoy musicals, especially for those who participate in productions of Broadway, West End and shows written with the amateur in mind."
Dance Research
This guide helps users navigate the wide variety of resources related to dance at the Library, including reference materials, online exhibitions, digital collections, special collections and more!
PODCAST Series: Masters of the Stage (external resource)
Annette Bening and Tom Moore discuss the actor-director relationship, and the differences between working in film and theater (c.1:30 hrs).

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More podcasts can be found under Public Porgramming category (https://sdcfoundation.org/masters-of-the-stage-podcast-new/). These free, downloadable podcast recordings feature master directors and choreographers, along with other industry professionals, discussing the craft and business.

OER in Theatre: Supplemental and Interactive Resources

Introduction to Theater - Learning Resources (Interactive Exercises)
Interactive learning content (videos, quizzes) to test your knowledge over Theater history and production, with reference to Theatrical Worlds OER, edited by Charles Mitchell, as well as Playhouse Square theaters and productions, and other theater content.
Theatrical Worlds (open textbook)
"From the University of Florida College of Fine Arts, Charlie Mitchell and distinguished colleagues from across America present an introductory text for theatre and theoretical production. This book seeks to give insight into the people and processes that create theater." This textbook has 31 reviews.
Improvisation Recipe Book
"The following recipes, or games, are intended to be used as reference and study for the college course: Improvisation. This format has been set up to help with ease of quick learning and immediate application. Bon Appétit !"
Actors and the Art of Performance
This open access book addresses the philosophy of performance, an emerging interdisciplinary field (performance-as-philosophy and philosophy-as-performance). It provides philosophical reflection and analysis on actors, acting, the world of the stage, and more.
An Introduction to Technical Theatre
This resource "draws on the author’s experience in both the theatre and the classroom over the last 30 years. Intended as a resource for both secondary and post-secondary theatre courses, this text provides a comprehensive overview of technical theatre, including terminology and general practices."
Theater in SmartHistory (multimedia)
A collection of modules dedicated to aspects and notable figures of theater, performance/cultural heritage sites from around the world from antiquity to today.

More OA Theatre Resources

Theatre History on the Web
Historical Periods. Museums, Centers, Libraries, Projects. Resources for scenic & lightning designers, costumers, design materials, and more.
V&A: Theatre & Performance
Victoria & Albert Museum (UK) document current practice and the history of all areas of performing arts in the UK: drama, dance, opera, circus, puppetry, comedy, musical theatre, costume, design set, pantomime and more...
British Library Theatrical Playbills Collection
Search by keywords or AI enhanced natural language queries.
Storytelling on Screen: An Online Playback Theatre Archive and Guidebook
Playback Theatre is a form of community-centered storytelling theater where the audience tells stories, which are then reflected by a company of actors and musicians. This OER comprises a collection of full-length recordings of online Playback Theatre performances, and a 55-page explanatory guidebook.
COM Library - Theatre
A vast array of books, eBooks, articles, media and open access sources on theater.