Theatre Arts: Dramaturgy
On Dramaturgy
Dramaturgy is the research that goes into understanding the world of the play.
- The author and the world in which she or he lived
- The world in which the play takes place
- The play's production history
- Critical analyses of the play
Ghost Light: An Introductory Handbook for Dramaturgy by Call Number: Online book
The Drama of Social Life: A Dramaturgical Handbook by Call Number: Online book
The World of the Author
Want to know what was happening during the time in which the author lived? Check out the appropriate Chronology of World History below!
- Hutchinson Chronology of World History, Volume 1Covers 3000 BC to 1491 AD
- Hutchinson Chronology of World History Volume 2Covers 1492 to 1775 AD
- Hutchinson Chronology of World History, Volume 3Covers 1776 to 1900 AD
- Hutchinson Chronology of World History, Volume 4Covers 1901 to 2005 AD
History of the Play
These sources will help you find reviews and other historical information about past productions of your play. You can also try to do a search for the title of your play as a subject in the advanced catalog search to see what books exist about your play.
- New York TimesWe have the New York Times in full-text in LexisNexis Academic from 1980 to present, so if your play was produced during that period on Broadway or off-Broadway, you may be able to find reviews.
- International Broadway DatabaseThe official database for Broadway theatre information. IBDB provides records of productions from the beginnings of New York theatre until today.
- Playbill Vault"The largest Broadway database on the Internet." Free, searchable historical record of performances.
- Newspaper Source This link opens in a new windowFull text for regional U.S. newspapers, international newspapers, news wires, newspaper columns as well as 24 TV and radio news transcripts. Also contains indexing and abstracts for national newspapers.
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowIncludes newspaper articles and journals such as American Theatre and Backstage, which might contain useful reviews.
Getting a book we don't have
If we don't have a book, chances are we can get it for you!
When you find an item with a "Find and request" message that means the book is not in our collection or is checked out.
You may be able to request the book from a library in our region using the blue "Get it" buttons to request a physical copy of the book or digital chapters from the book. Click on the book you want, and if you don't see "Get it" buttons to request a physical or digital copy of the book, you will need to log in with your MyPCC username and password after you click the blue "Sign in" button.
Physical Item Requests
Requested physical items can be delivered to any PCC Library at no cost for pick-up in the amount of time listed in the "Get it from other locations" section (usually 7 days). An email to your MyPCC account will notify you when your item is ready for pick up. Items must be picked up within seven calendar days after they are available. Return your borrowed items to any PCC library.
Digital Chapter Requests
Requested digital items (such as book chapters) should be delivered via email in the amount of time listed in the "Get it from other locations" section (often 24 hours). You will receive requested PDFs via email.
Learn more at our "Requesting Library Materials" page.
What Was Life Like Then?
To find books on the social history of a particular place and time, there are three possible ways to search the catalog. Each may pull up different books, so it's a good idea to try all three.
1. Search for your place and/or time with the term daily life
- Example: Middle Ages daily life
2. Search for your place and/or time with the term social life and customs
3. Search for your place and/or time with the term social conditions
Here are a few of other sources that may be useful to you in looking at daily life in America in different regions and time periods:
- The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional CulturesOnline books on culture, dress, food, and more in the Pacific, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, South, Rocky Mountain, New England, Great Plains, Southwest regions.
- American DecadesOnline book series that documents and analyzes periods of American social history.
What Did They Wear?
- Books available through the library on costume historyThis link will take you to all of the books we have on what people wore at different periods in history and in different places. They include the following three valuable books on fashion history:
- Textiles and Costumes at the Henry Art GalleryLook at costumes by such characteristics as age, gender, ethnicity, ceremony, etc.
- Europeana Fashion PortalAccess to hundreds of thousands of fashion items from Europe's richest collections.
- Costume Collection at the Museum of the Fashion Institute of AmericaThe Museum’s permanent collection now encompasses some 50,000 garments and accessories from the 18th century to the present.
- Kent State University's Gallery of CostumeDocuments various changes in silhouettes, accessories, lingerie, and hairstyles from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
- Harpers BazaarContains scans of all issues published between November 1867 – December 1900
- Vogue Paris 1920-1940From the National Library of France in .pdf format; searchable and browseable.
How Did They Talk?
- IDEA International Dialects of English ArchiveIDEA is a free, online archive of primary source dialect and accent recordings for the performing arts.
- The Speech Accent ArchivePresents a large set of speech samples from a variety of language backgrounds.
- BBC VoicesListen to 283 conversations about language recorded by BBC Nations and Regions as part of the nationwide BBC Voices survey of 2005. Voices arranged by county.
- Survey of English DialectsA collection of regional dialects in England.
Finding Criticism of Your Play
These three databases contain literary and drama criticism, and you may find criticism of your play in one of the following three databases and the eBook.
You can also try to do a search for the title of your play as a subject in the advanced catalog search to see what books exist about your play.
- Literature Criticism Online This link opens in a new windowSearches Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism (authors who lived during the 19th century) and Poetry Criticism (includes poets and their poems). Includes scholarly and popular commentary from broadsheets, pamphlets, encyclopedias, books and periodicals.
- Drama for StudentsThis 16 volume online book collection provides context and criticism of commonly-studied dramas. You can click on the Item Details tab for each one to see which plays are covered.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR has full text of over 1000 scholarly journals in the arts and sciences, as far back as 18xx up to 3-5 years ago. Note: It does not include current issues of the journals. All ARTstor image collections are now part of JSTOR, and can be searched using the "Images" tab then selecting "ARTstor collections".