THEA 24100: History of Theatre
Sarah Bernhardt (1888) Laurence Olivier (1948) David Tennant (2008)
(Click to run targeted Subject searches in the IC Library catalog)
Theater History:
Note: Most theater histories are specific to a particular country or region. The following take a broader approach:
Theater--History
Theater--History--To 500
Theater--History--Medieval, 500-1500
Theater--History--16th century
Theater--History--17th century
Theater--History--18th century
Theater--History--19th century
Theater--History--20th century
Classical Theater History:
Greek literature--History and criticism
Dionysus (Greek deity) [patron god of theater]
Dionysia
Panathenaia [festival with dramatic competitions]
Performing arts--Greece--History--To 1500
Theaters--Greece
Theaters--Stage-setting and scenery--Greece--History
Actors--Greece
Greek drama--History and criticism
Greek drama (Comedy)--History and criticism
Greek drama (Tragedy)--History and criticism
Catharsis
Greek drama (Satyr play)--History and criticism
Aeschylus--Criticism and interpretation
Sophocles--Criticism and interpretation
Euripides--Criticism and interpretation
Aristophanes--Criticism and interpretation
Latin literature--History and criticism [Latin = Roman]
Performing arts--Rome
Theater--Rome
Theaters--Italy--Rome
Actors--Rome
Latin drama--History and criticism
Latin drama (Comedy)--History and criticism
Latin drama (Tragedy)--History and criticism
Plautus, Titus Maccius--Criticism and interpretation
Terence--Criticism and interpretation
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, ca. 4 B.C.-65 A.D.--Criticism and interpretation
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, ca. 4 B.C.-65 A.D. Tragedies
Medieval Theater History:
Drama, Medieval
Latin drama, Medieval and modern
Liturgical drama
Passion-plays--History and criticism
Mysteries and miracle-plays--History and criticism
Theater--England--History--Medieval, 500-1500
English drama--To 1500--History and criticism
Christian drama, English (Middle)--History and criticism
Mysteries and miracle-plays, English--History and criticism
National and Regional Theater History:
Note: All national and regional Subject Headings for theater and drama may be further subdivided by century or period--as indicated under American, English, French, and Spanish drama below. "Drama" headings may also be subdivided by genre: comedy, tragedy.
Theater--United States--History
Theater--United States--History--19th century
Theater--United States--History--20th century
American drama--History and criticism
American drama--19th century--History and criticism
American drama--20th century--History and criticism
Theater--Europe--History
European drama--History and criticism
Theater--Great Britain--History
Theater--England--History
Theater and society--England--History
English drama--History and criticism
English drama--Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600--History and criticism
English drama--17th century--History and criticism
English drama--Restoration, 1660-1700--History and criticism
English drama--18th century--History and criticism
English drama--19th century--History and criticism
English drama--20th century--History and criticism
English drama--Irish authors--History and criticism
Theater--France--History
French drama--History and criticism
French drama--17th century--History and criticism
French drama--18th century--History and criticism
French drama--19th century--History and criticism
French drama--20th century--History and criticism
Theater--Spain--History
Spanish drama--History and criticism
Spanish drama--Classical period, 1500-1700--History and criticism
Theater--Italy--History
Italian drama--History and criticism
Theater--Germany--History
German drama--History and criticism
Theater--Scandinavia--History
Scandinavian drama--History and criticism
Theater--Russia--History
Russian drama--History and criticism
Theater--India--History
Indic drama
Theater--Japan--History
Japanese drama--History and criticism
Nō plays--History and criticism
Theater--China--History
Chinese drama--History and criticism
Theater--Africa--History
African drama--History and criticism
Theater--Latin America--History
Latin American drama--History and criticism
Technical Theater History:
Note: History as a subheading turns up in a small number of these headings.
Theater architecture--History
Theaters--Stage-setting and scenery--History
Scene painting--History
Stage lighting--History
Stage machinery--History
Costume--History
Stage props--England--History--16th century
Acting History:
Note: Acting styles, individual actors, acting companies, and particular theaters from the past may have their own Subject Headings.
Acting--History--To 1500
Acting--History--16th century
Acting--History--19th century
Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893
Bernhardt, Sarah, 1844-1923
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte--History and criticism
Chamberlain's Men (Theater company)
Globe Theatre (Southwark, London, England)
Comédie-Française
Playwrights with a Past:
Note: Biographies and critical studies of playwrights can be a good source of historical information. In addition there are certain author subheadings that, when available, focus on the intellectual history appropriate to the playwright.
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Knowledge--History
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Knowledge--Law
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Knowledge--Natural history
Women with a Past:
Women in the theater--England--History--16th century
Women in the theater--England--History--17th century
Women in the theater--England--History--18th century
Women in the theater--Great Britain--History--18th century
Women in the theater--Great Britain--History--19th century
Women in the theater--France--History--18th century
Women in the theater--United States--History
Theater History:
Note: Most theater histories are specific to a particular country or region. The following take a broader approach:
Theater--History
Theater--History--To 500
Theater--History--Medieval, 500-1500
Theater--History--16th century
Theater--History--17th century
Theater--History--18th century
Theater--History--19th century
Theater--History--20th century
Classical Theater History:
Greek literature--History and criticism
Dionysus (Greek deity) [patron god of theater]
Dionysia
Panathenaia [festival with dramatic competitions]
Performing arts--Greece--History--To 1500
Theater--Greece
Theater--Greece--HistoryTheaters--Greece
Theaters--Stage-setting and scenery--Greece--History
Actors--Greece
Greek drama--History and criticism
Greek drama (Comedy)--History and criticism
Greek drama (Tragedy)--History and criticism
Catharsis
Greek drama (Satyr play)--History and criticism
Aeschylus--Criticism and interpretation
Sophocles--Criticism and interpretation
Euripides--Criticism and interpretation
Aristophanes--Criticism and interpretation
Latin literature--History and criticism [Latin = Roman]
Performing arts--Rome
Theater--Rome
Theaters--Italy--Rome
Actors--Rome
Latin drama--History and criticism
Latin drama (Comedy)--History and criticism
Latin drama (Tragedy)--History and criticism
Plautus, Titus Maccius--Criticism and interpretation
Terence--Criticism and interpretation
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, ca. 4 B.C.-65 A.D.--Criticism and interpretation
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, ca. 4 B.C.-65 A.D. Tragedies
Medieval Theater History:
Drama, Medieval
Latin drama, Medieval and modern
Liturgical drama
Passion-plays--History and criticism
Mysteries and miracle-plays--History and criticism
Theater--England--History--Medieval, 500-1500
English drama--To 1500--History and criticism
Christian drama, English (Middle)--History and criticism
Mysteries and miracle-plays, English--History and criticism
National and Regional Theater History:
Note: All national and regional Subject Headings for theater and drama may be further subdivided by century or period--as indicated under American, English, French, and Spanish drama below. "Drama" headings may also be subdivided by genre: comedy, tragedy.
Theater--United States--History
Theater--United States--History--19th century
Theater--United States--History--20th century
American drama--History and criticism
American drama--19th century--History and criticism
American drama--20th century--History and criticism
Theater--Europe--History
European drama--History and criticism
Theater--Great Britain--History
Theater--England--History
Theater and society--England--History
English drama--History and criticism
English drama--Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600--History and criticism
English drama--17th century--History and criticism
English drama--Restoration, 1660-1700--History and criticism
English drama--18th century--History and criticism
English drama--19th century--History and criticism
English drama--20th century--History and criticism
English drama--Irish authors--History and criticism
Theater--France--History
French drama--History and criticism
French drama--17th century--History and criticism
French drama--18th century--History and criticism
French drama--19th century--History and criticism
French drama--20th century--History and criticism
Theater--Spain--History
Spanish drama--History and criticism
Spanish drama--Classical period, 1500-1700--History and criticism
Theater--Italy--History
Italian drama--History and criticism
Theater--Germany--History
German drama--History and criticism
Theater--Scandinavia--History
Scandinavian drama--History and criticism
Theater--Russia--History
Russian drama--History and criticism
Theater--India--History
Indic drama
Theater--Japan--History
Japanese drama--History and criticism
Nō plays--History and criticism
Theater--China--History
Chinese drama--History and criticism
Theater--Africa--History
African drama--History and criticism
Theater--Latin America--History
Latin American drama--History and criticism
Technical Theater History:
Note: History as a subheading turns up in a small number of these headings.
Theater architecture--History
Theaters--Stage-setting and scenery--History
Scene painting--History
Stage lighting--History
Stage machinery--History
Costume--History
Stage props--England--History--16th century
Acting History:
Note: Acting styles, individual actors, acting companies, and particular theaters from the past may have their own Subject Headings.
Acting--History--To 1500
Acting--History--16th century
Acting--History--19th century
Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893
Bernhardt, Sarah, 1844-1923
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte--History and criticism
Chamberlain's Men (Theater company)
Globe Theatre (Southwark, London, England)
Comédie-Française
Playwrights with a Past:
Note: Biographies and critical studies of playwrights can be a good source of historical information. In addition there are certain author subheadings that, when available, focus on the intellectual history appropriate to the playwright.
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Knowledge--History
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Knowledge--Law
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Knowledge--Natural history
Women with a Past:
Women in the theater--England--History--16th century
Women in the theater--England--History--17th century
Women in the theater--England--History--18th century
Women in the theater--Great Britain--History--18th century
Women in the theater--Great Britain--History--19th century
Women in the theater--France--History--18th century
Women in the theater--United States--History
International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance with Full Text : A specialized resource for dramatic literature, playwrights, and the theater. Play titles may be searched as "Subject Terms" here--and you should take advantage of this. Searching a play title as a Subject guarantees that the articles retrieved will be substantially about the the play. For example,a Keyword search on Hamlet retrieves about 2200 articles, whereas a Subject search retrieves about 700. The Subject search eliminates 1500 articles that mention but are not primarily about Hamlet.
ProQuest Research Library & Academic Search Premier : Both of these comprehensive databases cover the performing arts--much of it full text. Among the Subject headings available in Academic Search Premier are THEATER -- History -- To 500, THEATER -- History -- Medieval, 500-1500, THEATER -- History -- 16th century, THEATER -- History -- 18th century, THEATER -- History -- 19th century, THEATER -- History -- 20th century. ProQuest has a single Subject Heading--History of Theater--which may be combined with a Location (LOC) search--Athens, France, London--or Keywords. In both databases, use the special People or Person search field for dramatists and actors, entering the last name first.
General OneFile : Another comprehensive database with considerable literary criticism, but with a default Subject search. Whatever Subject Heading you search, you will be offered links to "Subdivisions" and "Related Subjects." Take a look at the dozens of "Related Subjects" offered for an initial search on "Theater" or "Dance."
Once you've discovered the Subject that best matches your interest, look at the "Subdivisions" for it, including "History." If the retrievals for these categories are still too broad, use the the "Search within these Results" slot at the upper left to enter some Keywords.
Note: Whenever you open your first page of retrievals in General OneFile, you are viewing ONLY the articles from magazines. If you wish to see your retrievals from more scholarly sources you must click on the "Academic Journals" tab at the top.
MLA International Bibliography provides the most complete and fully indexed coverage of articles and books on modern literatures, linguistics, folklore, rhetoric, and composition from 1925 to the present. There is ample full text provided by ProQuest, as well as links to full-text articles in JSTOR and Project Muse. Full text from other IC databases is also readily available via the "GetIt" links below article citations.
Because books, book chapters/essays, and dissertations will usually not be available full text, you may wish to limit your search to "Journal article" under "Source type."
"Author's Work" and "Author as Subject" will be especially helpful search fields at finding literary criticism. And for additional search field options either click on "Show more fields," or, for the complete list, open the drop-down menus to the right of the "Anywhere" default for the top three rows of search slots. This list includes both "Literary Influence"--who influenced a particular author you have entered--and "Literary Source"--who was influenced by that particular author.
If you set up a free "My Research" account with Proquest (top right), you can save all the articles you check, all the searches you want to remember, and set up e-mail or RSS notification for any new articles that match your search terms.
New York Times (1851-2009) : This database can retrieve articles about theater, dance, and performers back to the 19th century. It provides the full text of the New York Times 1851-2006 and allows you to retrieve, for example, an article on "Ibsen's Method" from 1889 or a review of an Isadora Duncan performance from 1898. Begin by switching the search field from the default "Citation and document text" to "Citation and Abstract," since this helps ensure your search terms will be the main topic of the articles. And take advantage of the date range limits below the search slots if you want to focus on a particular event or time period.
Literary Reference Center : The emphasis here is on articles from a wide range of reference resources, including Magill's Survey of American Literature, Cyclopedia of World Literature, Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature, Masterplots, etc. There is also access to the Critical Insights book series published by Salem Press, each volume dedicated to a single author or a single work. Both the reference works and the Critical Insights series provide very basic biography and interpretation, but these are supplemented by selected scholarly articles.
The simplest approach may be to enter a single author or a particular work in the "Most Studied Authors" or "Most Studied Works" sections of the "Browse" box. An Author or Work record will offer you "Related Information" categories such as "Literary Criticism," "Reference Books," "Biography," and "Plot Summaries."
In addition to literary criticism and reference, there is a wide range of full-text literary works supplied (mostly) by Project Gutenberg.
ProQuest Research Library & Academic Search Premier : Both of these comprehensive databases cover the performing arts--much of it full text. Among the Subject headings available in Academic Search Premier are THEATER -- History -- To 500, THEATER -- History -- Medieval, 500-1500, THEATER -- History -- 16th century, THEATER -- History -- 18th century, THEATER -- History -- 19th century, THEATER -- History -- 20th century. ProQuest has a single Subject Heading--History of Theater--which may be combined with a Location (LOC) search--Athens, France, London--or Keywords. In both databases, use the special People or Person search field for dramatists and actors, entering the last name first.
General OneFile : Another comprehensive database with considerable literary criticism, but with a default Subject search. Whatever Subject Heading you search, you will be offered links to "Subdivisions" and "Related Subjects." Take a look at the dozens of "Related Subjects" offered for an initial search on "Theater" or "Dance."
Once you've discovered the Subject that best matches your interest, look at the "Subdivisions" for it, including "History." If the retrievals for these categories are still too broad, use the the "Search within these Results" slot at the upper left to enter some Keywords.
Note: Whenever you open your first page of retrievals in General OneFile, you are viewing ONLY the articles from magazines. If you wish to see your retrievals from more scholarly sources you must click on the "Academic Journals" tab at the top.
JSTOR : This database has good full-text coverage of theater studies and drama criticism. There is no Subject searching, so remember to put titles and authors' names in quotation marks to search them as Keyword phrases--and leave authors' names in the normal first-name last-name order. Set "Limit" to "Article."
JSTOR access to journal articles begins 2-4 years prior to the present--so don't look for any criticism from the last couple of years--but coverage always extends back to the first issue of each journal--in some cases into the 19th century and beyond. This allows you, for instance, to retrieve articles responding to the early works of Eugene O'Neill in the 1920s and 30s. Set the date range "Limit" below the search slots to target an era. MLA International Bibliography provides the most complete and fully indexed coverage of articles and books on modern literatures, linguistics, folklore, rhetoric, and composition from 1925 to the present. There is ample full text provided by ProQuest, as well as links to full-text articles in JSTOR and Project Muse. Full text from other IC databases is also readily available via the "GetIt" links below article citations.
Because books, book chapters/essays, and dissertations will usually not be available full text, you may wish to limit your search to "Journal article" under "Source type."
"Author's Work" and "Author as Subject" will be especially helpful search fields at finding literary criticism. And for additional search field options either click on "Show more fields," or, for the complete list, open the drop-down menus to the right of the "Anywhere" default for the top three rows of search slots. This list includes both "Literary Influence"--who influenced a particular author you have entered--and "Literary Source"--who was influenced by that particular author.
If you set up a free "My Research" account with Proquest (top right), you can save all the articles you check, all the searches you want to remember, and set up e-mail or RSS notification for any new articles that match your search terms.
New York Times (1851-2009) : This database can retrieve articles about theater, dance, and performers back to the 19th century. It provides the full text of the New York Times 1851-2006 and allows you to retrieve, for example, an article on "Ibsen's Method" from 1889 or a review of an Isadora Duncan performance from 1898. Begin by switching the search field from the default "Citation and document text" to "Citation and Abstract," since this helps ensure your search terms will be the main topic of the articles. And take advantage of the date range limits below the search slots if you want to focus on a particular event or time period.
Literary Reference Center : The emphasis here is on articles from a wide range of reference resources, including Magill's Survey of American Literature, Cyclopedia of World Literature, Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature, Masterplots, etc. There is also access to the Critical Insights book series published by Salem Press, each volume dedicated to a single author or a single work. Both the reference works and the Critical Insights series provide very basic biography and interpretation, but these are supplemented by selected scholarly articles.
The simplest approach may be to enter a single author or a particular work in the "Most Studied Authors" or "Most Studied Works" sections of the "Browse" box. An Author or Work record will offer you "Related Information" categories such as "Literary Criticism," "Reference Books," "Biography," and "Plot Summaries."
In addition to literary criticism and reference, there is a wide range of full-text literary works supplied (mostly) by Project Gutenberg.
Few databases offer 100% full text. Most retrieve a mix of full text articles and article "citations"--article title, author(s), publication info, and usually an "abstract" or one-prargraph summary of the content. When a citation makes you want the full text, look below it for this icon:
Clicking "GETIT" checks (almost all) the IC Library's other databases to see if any offers the full text of the article--or if the Library has a print subscription to the journal in which the article appeared.
Clicking "GETIT" checks (almost all) the IC Library's other databases to see if any offers the full text of the article--or if the Library has a print subscription to the journal in which the article appeared.
- "GETIT" will usually find the full text in another database and open it in a new window.
- If none of our databases can access the full text but we have a print subsciption to the journal, "GETIT" will retrieve the Library catalog record for the journal so that you can see if the date of the article falls within the date range we have on hand.
- If full text is not available from any database or from a print subsciption, "GETIT" will provide a link to the IC Library's Interlibrary Loan. Log in (same as your IC e-mail)--and set up your account if you've never used it before. "GETIT" will have populated the article request form with all the necessary information and you simply submit the request elecrtonically. Most articles are supplied as digital files and will be sent to you via e-mail when they arrive.
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- Interlibrary Loan
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- Greek Theatre and Festivals : Documentary Studies
- Theatricality of Greek Tragedy : Playing Space and Chorus
- Theater of the People : Spectators and Society in Ancient Athens
- Roman Tragedy : Theatre to Theatricality
- Sacred Players : The Politics of Response in the Middle English Religious Drama
- Drama and Resistance : Bodies, Goods and Theatricality in Late Medieval England
- History of European Drama & Theatre
- Writing and Rewriting National Theatre Histories
- Theatrical Convention and Audience Response in Early Modern Drama
- Theater of a City : The Places of London Comedy, 1598-1642
- Rehearsal from Shakespeare to Sheridan
- Theatre and Culture in Early Modern England, 1650-1737 : From Leviathan to Licensing Act
- Performing Libertinism in Charles II's Court : Politics, Drama, Sexuality
- Shakespeare in the Spanish Theatre : 1772 to the Present
- Politics and Theater : The Crisis of Legitimacy in Restoration France, 1815-1830
- Popular Theatres of Nineteenth Century France
- Reflecting the Audience : London Theatregoing, 1840-1880
- Popular Theater and Society in Tsarist Russia
- Enchanted Years of the Stage : Kansas City at the Crossroads of American Theater, 1870-1930
- Theatre in the Third Reich, the Pre-War Years : Essays on Theatre in Nazi Germany
- African American Performance and Theater History : A Critical Reader
- Musical Theatre : A History
- History of Theatre in Africa
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- Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance
- Oxford Art Online: Theatre
General:
- Theater History on the Web: A comprehensive gateway to Web resources, covering theatre of all periods from classical to contemporary, as well as costume, lighting, design, and stagecraft.
- Theatre History: Brief overviews from Scott Robinson of the Theatre Department at Central Washington University.
- Theatre Design: Illustrated article from the Britannica online. Scroll down for a historical overview, period by period.
- Brief Guide to Internet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies: This not-so-brief guide is quite comprehensive--just be sure to scroll down to the actual contents
- English Literature by Genre: Theatre, Drama, Performing Arts: Links from Voice of the Shuttle.
By Period:
- Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Greece: Scroll down these links to both topical articles and online images. See especially Literature: Theatre.
- Didaskalia: Ancient Theatre Today: from King's College. Browse the articles in the current and back issues of this scholarly Journal--or try a keyword search.
- Medieval Drama
- Voice of the Shuttle: Anglo-Saxon & Medieval: See especially Medieval Drama.
- Luminarium: An outstanding site, it covers Medieval, Renaissance, 17th Century, and the Restoration. Be sure to check the Medieval English Plays page, the English Renaissance Drama page, and individual authors--Aphra Behn, William Congreve--on the English Literature: Restoration and 18th Century page.
- Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet: Best single Shakespeare site.
- Eighteenth-Century Resources: See especially the Literature section and scroll down to "Theater and Drama."
- British Women Playwrights around 1800: As this site acknowledges, there were so few that it allows for a comprehensive treatment here.
- 19th Century Melodrama: A sketchy but useful overview from Dr. Eric Trumbull. Also check out his page on 19th century Realism.
- Theatres in Victorian London: The late lamented Victorian Web, of which this is a remnant, is in ruins, but this link survives.
- Literary Resources: Twentieth Century British, Irish, and Commonwealth: Links by author, a few of them playwrights: Beckett, Pinter, Stoppard.
MLA is the citation style used by most disciplines in the Humanities. The guides below use the latest 2008/9 standards.
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