This search tool enables users to filter scripts from the collection of University of California, Irvine's Drama Library. Available categories include genre, topic, as well as options like playwright ethnicity and sexual orientation.
Publication Dates: 1949-Present
Identifies plays by themes and number of cast members. Lists where plays have been published in anthologies and collections.
Search Tips:
Find titles that meet your needs using index databases and then perform a known item search in the Williams Libraries catalog.
Publication Dates: 1998-Present; some coverage 1864-1998 Includes scholarly articles, reviews, essays and biographies covering dance, film, television, theater, and other topics in performing arts.
With more than two thousand entries, this illustrated guide offers a wealth of information on musicals, performers, composers, lyricists, producers, choreographers, and much more.
Encyclopedia of Musical Theater by Kurt Gänzl
Call Number: Sawyer Reference ; ML102.M88 G3 2001
Publication Date: 2001
From the dawn of operetta in the 18th century to the early 21st century, this set offers an unrivaled amount of information on the people, the songs and shows in America and around the world.
American Song by Ken Bloom
Call Number: Sawyer Reference ; ML128.M78 B6 1996
Publication Date: 2001
This carefully researched encyclopedia covers 125 composers with hundreds of entries on each. Entries include composer, lyricist and publisher information.
A Chronology of American Musical Theater by Richard C. Norton
With an introductory chapter discussing the Entries span more than 5,000 shows, including not only "book musicals" but also revivals, revues, burlesques, operettas, farce comedies, comic operas, ice skating shows, rock operas, and other musical spectacles that appeared on Broadway stages.
A Century of Musicals in Black and White by Bernard L. Peterson Jr.
This comprehensive reference book provides succinct information on almost thirteen hundred musical stage works written and produced from the 1870s to the 1990s involving contributions by black librettists, lyricists, composers, musicians, producers, or performers or containing thematic materials relevant to the black experience.
Provides records of Broadway productions from 1930 to the present. Information includes original and current casts, actor head shots, production credits, Playbill cover images, scanned Playbill Who's Who pages, production photos, and videos.
A comprehensive database of shows produced on Broadway, including all "title page" information about each production. IBDB also offers historical information about theatres and various statistics and fun facts related to Broadway.
The Internet Off-Broadway Database, also known as the IOBDB, provides a catalogue of all shows ever produced Off-Broadway. The database is a program of the Lucille Lortel Theatre.
Publication Dates: 1926-Present
Covers language, literature, linguistics, and related areas such as film and television. Includes references to journal articles, book chapters, and dissertations.
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Use the search fields such as "Primary Subject Author" and "Primary Subject Work" to make searches more specific.
Limit search results by Language if you only read English.
The Library of Congress has vast holdings of dramatic music of all kinds, including operas, musicals and musical revues, and film music. Sheet music excerpts from these works have been published for over 300 years. It's Showtime! is a database of over 18,000 shows and productions dating from the 1690s to the present, containing more than 67,000 songs. These pieces come from all over the world and cover every conceivable topic, portraying the culture and history of their time and place in unique and valuable ways.
Show Music on Record is an updated digital version of the definitive reference source by Jack Raymond, first published in 1982. The database provides a reference list for commercially-released show music recordings, starting with those captured on early cylinders in the late 19th century and continuing through compact disc productions of the early 21st century.
The Oxford Companion to the American Musical by 
Encyclopedia of Musical Theater by 
American Song by 
A Chronology of American Musical Theater by 
A Century of Musicals in Black and White by 