Research Guides: THEA 289: Introduction to Scenic Design: Reference Sources

Global Theatre Reference

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre
Call Number: Online Access

This revised guide to the American stage from its beginnings to the present day contains over 3,000 entries on playwrights plays, actors, directors, producers, songwriters, famous playhouses, dramatic movements and more.
The Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre by Ananda Lal (Editor)
Call Number: Online Access and Sawyer PN2881 .O95 2004

Publication Date: 2004

Consists of 750 entries, encompassing forms and personalities across India geographically and historically, in twenty-two languages, according to their contribution to the tradition. This work includes around 270 black and white illustrations that complement the entries written by specialists and luminaries of the Indian theatre scene.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance by Dennis Kennedy (Editor)
Call Number: Online Access and Sawyer Reference PN2035 .O92 2003

Publication Date: 2003

Providing the most important information about theatre and performance from ancient Greece to the present day, this two volume encyclopedia has a thematic contents, a timeline, a general bibliography and an index of plays to complement the A-Z entries.

Digital Theatre+
Provides access to a variety of theatre resources. It includes written study guides, essays, research materials, performance studies, workshop programs, as well as interviews with academics & practitioners focused on everything from acting to directing, and lighting design to stage management.

Scenic Design Reference & Indexes

Theatrical Design in the Twentieth Century by Patrick Atkinson
Call Number: Sawyer Reference ; PN2091.S8 T47 1996

ISBN: 0313297010

Publication Date: 1996

This index of 7000 productions by more than 2000 scenic designers focuses on photographs of 20th-century sets, renderings, and models of theatre and opera productions appearing in 114 selected books and journals likely to be held by most research libraries.
ABC of Stage Technology by Francis Reid
Call Number: Sawyer ; PN2091.M3 R45 1995

ISBN: 0435086847

Publication Date: 1995

This illustrated reference work is an encyclopedia of stage technology terms. Each term is defined and described concislely, and where appropriate supported by an illustration.
World Scenography 1975-1990 by Eric Fielding (Editor); Peter McKinnon (Editor)
Call Number: Sawyer PN2091.S8 W668 2012

Publication Date: 2012

More resources available to browse under the subject heading Theaters -- Stage-setting and scenery

Historical Context

Chronology of World History
Call Number: SAWYER REFERENCE D11 .M39 1999

Lists important events in politics, government, and economics; science, technology and medicine; arts and ideas; and society from pre-history to 1998. Arranged by year and day.
Dictionary of American History
A standard reference work in United States history. Covers prehistory to 2002. Also available in print (SAWYER REFERENCE E174 .D52 2003).
Encyclopedia of American Social History
Call Number: SAWYER REFERENCE HN57 .E58 1993

Provides information on ethnic and racial subcultures; regionalism and regional subcultures; patterns of everyday life; work and labor; and popular culture and recreation. Few illustrations.
Encyclopedia of European Social History
Call Number: SAWYER REFERENCE HN373 .E63 2001

Contains information about social structure; culture and popular culture; recreation and leisure; and everyday life. Some illustrations.

For additional sources, browse the reference collection or stacks. To find the appropriate call number range to browse, consult the Library of Congress Classification Outline for history:

Architecture and Interior Design

SAH Archipedia
Provides encyclopedic information for all aspects of American architecture. Includes detailed pictures and drawings of American buildings and discussion of the infrastructure, landscape, and artworks contained within and around them.

Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World
Call Number: Sawyer Reference NA208 .E53 1997

Provides information, drawings, and photographs of 20th century owner-built or community-built dwellings and other buildings from various cultures throughout the world. Volume 1 comprises theories and principles of vernacular architecture and volumes 2 and 3 focus on examples from each culture by geographical region.
Encyclopedia of Architecture
Call Number: Sawyer Reference NA31 .E59 1988

A to Z arrangement of articles covering all aspects of architecture and engineering, from masterpieces of architecture to types of buildings (e.g. banks) and structures (e.g. bridges) and more. Heavily illustrated with photographs and drawings.
Encyclopedia of Interior Design
Call Number: Sawyer Reference NK1165 .E48 1997

Focuses on individuals and topics related to secular interiors. Includes articles on the history and function of common room types and furniture. Illustrated.

The Arts

Oxford Music Online
Includes biographies and reference articles on all genres of music, musicians, and musical instruments.
Oxford Art Online
Provides access to the Grove Dictionary of Art and the Benezit Dictionary of Artists, among other titles. Includes information on all aspects of art and an image collection.

Encyclopedia of World Art
Call Number: SAWYER REFERENCE N31 .E6

Contains articles on all types of art including paintings, architecture, furniture, and household objects. Use index volume to see full range of information for a particular country. Plates of illustrations are at the end of each volume.

Biographical Sources

American National Biography
Call Number: SAWYER REFERENCE & CHAPIN LIBRARY E176 .A447 1999

Contains biographical profiles of people who died prior to 1996. Includes people whose significant actions took place while living in what is today the United States or whose life/career had a direct influence on the course of American history.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Call Number: SAWYER REFERENCE DA28 .O95 2004 and Online

Contains biographies of people who have shaped all aspects of the British past, from the earliest times to the end of the year 2000.