Research Guides: Theatre 246: Background Information

When researching performers, their websites and social media presence will likely provide lots of information, but may represent an idealized version of themselves. Wikipedia can be a good starting point for research on popular culture topics because it can provide up to the minute information and often has links to further information. Published reference sources, such as the ones below, may provide more historical and critical analyses of a person's life and contributions than the performer's website or Wikipedia. However, these resources often only include mainstream, big names, so may exclude some of the performers studied in this course.

Biographical Sources

Biography (Gale in Context) This link opens in a new window
Includes biographical profiles from reference sources, newspapers, magazines, and journals. Covers all time periods and areas of the world.

Encyclopedias

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance
Call Number: SAWYER REFERENCE PN2035 .O92 2003
Provides authoritative information about theatre and performance from ancient Greek theatre to the latest developments in London, Paris, New York, and around the globe. Also covers dance, opera, radio, film, television, and popular performance.
International Encyclopedia of Dance
Covers the full spectrum of dance—theatrical, ritual, dance-drama, folk, traditional, ethnic, and social dance. Cultural and national overviews are accompanied by entries on dance forms, music and costumes, performances, and biographies of dancers and choreographers.