Resources - IB Theatre - Director's Notebook (last assessment 2023)

Background Reading in Theatre

As you start work on your Director's Notebook, it can be helpful to do some background research in the play(s) or topic(s) you're interested in using for your project.

West Sound Academy Resources

Drama for Students provides critical overviews of the most-studied plays of all time periods, nations, and cultures. Includes discussions of themes, characters, critical reception, dramatic devices and traditions as well as cultural and historical context. Remote access requires Library ID password.

Plays are in alphabetical order by title, with leading articles 'a', 'for', and 'the' ignored.

Click on the links to see Drama for Students titles starting with:

0-9 A B C D E F G H I

J K L M N O P Q R S

T U V W X Y Z

Other WSA Databases

Artstor (sub-collection related to theatre and dance)

Digital Theatre Plus

Drama Online

Fine Arts (Gale OneFile) (supports research in the performing arts, including theatre)

Gale Literature

Regional Library Resources

Databases at Regional Libraries

Reviews of live performances, theatre news

New York Times Theater Reviews
West End London Theatre Reviews & News

Topic-specific websites

General Stagecraft
Lighting
Costumes

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with Numbers

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'A'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'B'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'C'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'D'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'E'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'F'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'G'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'H'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'I'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'J'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'K'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'L'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'M'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'N'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'O'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'P'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'R'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'S'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'T'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'U'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'V'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'W'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'Y'

Drama for Students - Titles Starting with 'Z'

Digital Theatre Plus

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- Why search here?
  Digital Theatre Plus gives you access to films of leading theatre productions – drama, comedies, and musicals.
- What's included?
  Filmed theatre productions and symphony orchestra, opera, and ballet performances, along with interviews of directors, actors, and other creative team members and detailed analysis of play texts.
- How do I cite it?
  This database doesn't supply citations. In NoodleTools, choose Database, then determine what you are looking at and do your best when filling out the form. Examples” Reference Source; Film or Video Recording.

Drama Online

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- Why search here?
  Drama Online gives you access to play texts and a selection of filmed performances of the Royal National Theatre in London.
- What's included?
  It contains the Core and Critical Studies Collection (with full text of over 1,700 plays and over 400 related academic ebooks from Methuen Drama and Arden Shakespeare) and the National Theatre Collection of filmed performances.
- How do I cite it?
  This database doesn't supply citations. In NoodleTools, choose Database, then determine what you are looking at and do your best when filling out the form. A play text would be cited like a Book. Other examples: Reference Source; Film or Video Recording.

Artstor

Artstor
Use the guide below to find content related to theatre and dance in Artstor. Their collections comprise contributions from outstanding international museums, photographers, libraries, scholars, photo archives, and artists and artists’ estates. When using Artstor on the WSA campus, register for a free user account. Your account allows you to access the Digital Library while off-campus. You can download images, create and share image groups, and more.

Theater and Dance in Artstor
This page highlights Artstor content related to theater and dance, including images of costumes, venues, and staged performances from around the world, as well as portraits and performance shots of notable playwrights, theater directors, choreographers, set and costume designers, actors, and dancers.

Fine Arts (Gale OneFile)

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- Why search here?
  Fine Arts (Gale OneFile) supports research in topics in architecture, art, dance, film, music, and theatre, covering a broad range of styles, periods and movements.
- What's included?
  It includes more than 13 million articles from over 400 full-text journals and magazines.
- How do I cite it?
  Look for the Export button on the right. Choose Direct Export to NoodleTools, and import the citation directly to your open NoodleTools project. If you choose to copy and paste it instead, be sure to grab the "Permalink" as well, and put that in the URL box underneath the quick cite box in NoodleTools.

Gale Literature

Gale Literature This link opens in a new window
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- Why search here?
  Gale Literature is a cross-search platform for WSA's Gale literature resources in Gale Literature Criticism and Gale Literature: Litfinder.
- What's included?
  It can be used to search for literary works, journal articles, literature criticism, reviews, biographical information and overviews, and to research authors and their works, literary movements and genres. It does not search literature resources in Gale eBooks.
- How do I cite it?
  Look for the Export button on the right. Choose Direct Export to NoodleTools, and import the citation directly to your open NoodleTools project. If you choose to copy and paste it instead, be sure to grab the "Permalink" as well, and put that in the URL box underneath the quick cite box in NoodleTools.

Databases at Regional Libraries

Literature Resource Center
Updated biographical information, library criticism and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from ancient times to the present. Available through both Kitsap Regional Library and Seattle Public Library.

Kitsap Regional Library Biography & Literature Databases
Links to Gale Biography in Context, Gale Literature Resource Center, and NovelList Plus, accessible with a Kitsap Regional Library card.
Seattle Public Library Databases A-Z
Subscription databases, accessible with a Seattle Public Library card.

New York Times Theater Reviews

West End London Theatre Reviews & News

General Stagecraft

American Association of Community Theatre (AACT)
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AACT provides expertise, assistance and support to community theaters; the 'Making Theatre' section has detailed articles on all aspects of play production, from obtaining rights, to job descriptions of the people who work in theatre.
McCoy's Guide to Internet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies
Extensive list of websites related to all aspects of theatre performance, curated by Dr. Ken McCoy, Stetson University Theatre professor. Last updated in 2011.
Playbill Vault
A comprehensive database of Broadway history, with information on shows, theaters, awards, seasons, grosses, and the people involved in productions.
TheatreHistory.com
Articles on the origins of theatre, ancient and medieval theatre, and theatre from the United States, Asia, Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Russia, and Spain

Lighting

Basic Steps to Theatre Lighting Design
An introductory tutorial for new students of theatre lighting design, by Art Whitfield of WindWorksDesign.

Stage Lighting for Students
Information on stage lighting, with glossary terms, functions and qualities of light, and basic formulas, with an emphasis on lighting design as an art form; from lighting designers Dr. Judy Kupperman (Israel) and Jeffrey E. Salzberg (New York).

Costumes

Costume Design, Part 1
Discussion of a costume designer's goals and tools, from Melanie Blood, English professor at Geneseo.
Costume Design, Part 2
Discussion of the costume designer's process, and historical conventions in costume design, from Melanie Blood, English professor at Geneseo.
Costume Design, Part 3
Discussion of make-up design, from Melanie Blood, English professor at Geneseo.
The Costume Page
Links to costume and costuming-related websites; last updated in 2009.
Milieux
Images, inspiration, research, and tutorials for costumers, and sources for sound/light effects, armor, wigs, footwear, accessories and more.
Margaret Herrick Library - Digital Collections
Representing more than 35,000 items, Margaret Herrick Library Digital Collections presents a curated selection of materials from the library's extensive holdings on motion picture history. Items include correspondence, photographs, sheet music, scrapbooks, lobby cards, movie ephemera, books, film magazines and industry publications. The collections also provide access to publications of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences dating back to the founding of the organization in 1927.

IB Theatre - Director's Notebook (last assessment 2023): Resources