Theatre Arts Subject Guide
Electronic Databases | Free Internet Resources | Print Materials
The purpose of this guide is to help you find books, journal articles, databases, websites, and other useful information relevant to the University of Mississippi Theatre Arts programs.
Electronic Databases
Subject Specific Databases
International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance
Database of over 60,000 journal articles, many of which are full-text, on all aspects of theatre and performance.
International Index to the Performing Arts
Full-text articles and detailed abstracts covering film, theatre, and dance from 1864 to the present.
MLA Bibliography (Modern Language Association Bibliography)
The primary resource for scholarly journal articles on literature and language, many of which are full-text.
Literary Reference Center
A comprehensive literary reference database, which provides users with a broad spectrum of reference information from antiquity to the present day.
Literature Online
Full-text of more than 350,000 works of English and American poetry, drama, and prose up to 1900.
General Databases
JSTOR
Contains full-text journal articles in many fields from the 19th century up to about 3-5 years ago. This is an excellent resource for older articles.
Academic Search Premier
Includes full-text articles from scholarly journals across many fields of study as well as book reviews from popular magazines and newspapers.
Arts and Humanities Citation Index
Multidisciplinary database covering citations in journal literature from the arts and humanities. No full-text articles, but an excellent tool for bibliographic research.
Project Muse
Full-text articles from more than 200 scholarly journals in history, humanities, social sciences and science.
Humanities International Complete
Wide-ranging database with some full text covering all aspects of the humanities.
Free Internet Resources
Mississippi Writers Page
A page maintained by the English Department here at Ole Miss with an enormous amount of information on Mississippi literature and writers.
Project Gutenberg
The oldest digital library in existence, which includes the full texts of more than 25,000 public-domain works in electronic formats. The complete works of Shakespeare and many other public-domain playwrights are hosted here.
NINES: Nineteenth-century Scholarship Online
NINES is a scholarly organization devoted to forging links between the material archive of the nineteenth century and the digital research environment of the twenty-first, and offers a searchable database of articles, many of which are free.
Women and Gender Studies: Literature and Culture Web Sites
Links to full-text criticism, bibliographies, and electronic magazines, many of which concern the theater arts. Maintained by the Women's Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries.
Artslynx International Arts Resources: Dance
Provides links in areas ranging from research to notation to university dance departments. Optimized for teachers, but also useful for students.
SIBMAS International Directory of Performing Arts Collections and Institutions
Lists over 7000 international institutions with material relating to the performing arts, complete with detailed information. Useful for finding primary sources and rare or unusual materials.
Voice of the Shuttle: Drama
Voice of the Shuttle: Dance
Comprehensive lists of high-quality drama and dance web sites. Maintained by Alan Liu, an English professor at UC Santa Barbara.
Playbill On-line
A commercial site, but one that features useful (and current) news, features, and performance listings for Broadway, Off-Broadway, London and regional theatres.
History of Costume
Digital version of a public domain book that features over 500 costume designs from from antiquity to the end of the 19th century.
The Costume Gallery
Hosts over 35,000 web pages, 55,000 images, and two databases on the history of the fashion, costume, and textile industries.
Cross-Cultural Dance Resources
Non-profit organization dedicated to research about dance.
CyberDance: Ballet on the Net
A collection of over 3500 links to classical ballet and modern dance resources on the Internet.
Print Materials
Drama
Ole Miss Special Collections Literary Guide
Guide to finding and using original, primary source materials held by the university. Includes material from playwright Tennessee Williams, playwright Beth Henley, theater critic Stark Young, and many others.
Dramatists Sourcebook
PN2289 .D73
A useful guide to opportunities in professional drama and scriptwriting, including script submission procedures, prizes, publishers, and more.
The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre
PN2221 .C37 2007
Contains more than 2,300 listings for actors, writers, plays, and other drama topics. Also features over 100 topical features, covering subjects such as African American and Hispanic theatre.
The Oxford Dictionary of Plays
PN1625 .P38 2005
Presents 1000 of the most significant plays of world theatre in entries including details like date and place of first performance. Includes both classic and modern plays.
Key Concepts in Drama and Performance
PN1579 .P53 2005
Intended for undergraduates, this text provides an informative and accessible guide to concepts in drama, theatre, and the performing arts.
The Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre
PN2035 .C65 2002
Contains over 2500 entries, written by contributors from 20 countries, offering overviews of major concepts, topics and issues.
American Theatre
PN2277.N5 H57 2000
Discusses every nonmusical play produced in the years 1969 to 2000, from Broadway to Off Off Broadway, with seasons grouped by topical issues.
Women Playwrights of Diversity: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook
PS338.W6 P48 1997
A catalog of black, Latina, Asian, and lesbian playwrights. Each writer is introduced with a detailed information and a guide to critical responses.
The African American theatre directory, 1816-1960
PN2270.A35 P48 1997
A comprehensive guide to early African-American drama organizations, companies, theatres, and performing groups.
Who's Who in Contemporary World Theatre
PN2035 .W485 2000
Offers information on major figures in international theatre. Information on many of these people is difficult to find elsewhere.
The Language of Theatre
PN2035 .H297 1998
Explores 2,000 theatre terms in depth, in some cases treacing their history over two and a half millenia, in others exploring expressions less than a decade old.
Dictionary of the Theatre: Terms, Concepts, and Analysis
PN2035 .P2913 1998
A work (originally in French) that includes definitions of theoretical, technical, and semiotic terms and concepts.
New York Times Theater Reviews
PN1581 .N4
A printed compilation of theater reviews inThe New York Times from 1920-1970.
Dance
The Oxford Dictionary of Dance
GV1585 .C735 2000
Offers brief entries on major individuals, institutions, and works.
International Encyclopedia of Dance
GV1585 .I586 2004
Strives to cover all manner of dance in all countries in all time periods with short, descriptive articles.
The Body Eclectic: Evolving Practices in Dance Training
GV1589 .B635 2008
A collection of essays and interviews explores modern-dance technique training from the last fifty years, with a focus on the culture of dance.
Black Dance: An Annotated Bibliography
GV1595 .A33 1989
Alphabetical listing of works, with brief annotations, on Afrocentric issues in dance from the 19th Century to 1989.
The Dance Handbook
GV1601 .R63 1990
Features over 200 entries on choreographers, dancers, and ballets with a focus on Western ballet and modern dance.
Biographical Dictionary of Dance
GV1785.A1 C58 1982
Information on a broad variety of dancers, choreographers, and other major figures in dance prior to 1980.
African-American Concert Dance: The Harlem Renaissance and Beyond
GV1785.A1 P47 2001
Profiles eight major African American dancers/choreographers: Helmsley Winfield, Edna Guy, Randolph Sawyer, Ollie Burgoyne, Charles Williams, Asadata Dafora, Katherine Dunham, and Pearl Primus.
Ballet Guide
GV1790.A1 T47
Alphabetically arranged listing of more than 500 major pre-1980 ballets.
Stagecraft
The Dictionary of Costume
GT507 .W5
Contains more than 3,200 entries on all aspects of pre-1970 costume, accompanied by more than 2,000 drawings.
Theater Design
NA6821 .I94
A comprehensive resource on all aspects of theater planning and construction and an authoritative history of theater design from ancient times to the mid 1990's.
Theater Technology
NA6821 .I947 1988
A reference work on theater structure and engineering with detailed information on architecture, lighting, acoustical structures, electro-mechanical-hydraulic systems, and stage controls.
The Staging Handbook
PN2085 .R44 1995
Contains photographs, illustrations, and charts on the subject of pre-1995 staging techniques and technology.
Stage Rigging Handbook
PN2091.M3 G54 2007
Covers the design, operation, and maintenance of stage-rigging equipment in great depth/
Theatre Backstage From A to Z
PN2091.M3 L68 1999
A manual, in dictionary form, of the technical aspect of theatrical production.
Designing and Making Stage Costumes
TT507 .M73
Covers several aspects of a costume designer's work, from preliminary sketches to cutting and fitting.
