Theater Research Guide: Open Access Theatre Resources

FSL is the the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world.

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.

Early printed Shakespeare: Quartos of plays, as well as First, Second, Third, Fourth Folios, archives, reference images, and more.

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.

"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."

"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."

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."

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.

"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."

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!

"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."

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!

Annette Bening and Tom Moore discuss the actor-director relationship, and the differences between working in film and theater (c.1:30 hrs). 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.

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.

"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.

"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 !"

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.

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."

A collection of modules dedicated to aspects and notable figures of theater, performance/cultural heritage sites from around the world from antiquity to today.

Historical Periods. Museums, Centers, Libraries, Projects. Resources for scenic & lightning designers, costumers, design materials, and more.

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...

Search by keywords or AI enhanced natural language queries.

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.

A vast array of books, eBooks, articles, media and open access sources on theater.