Today is World Theatre Day! To celebrate, please enjoy this quick list of online resources provided by the New York Public Library, for theatre lovers old and new!

Theatre fans of all types are sure to find something fascinating in any of these databases, and are invited to visit the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, located at Lincoln Center.

Live Peformances

The Digital Theatre Plus  database features full-length British theatre productions, from Shakespeare to contemporary works, available for you to watch. Many of the productions include teaching guides, documentaries, and interviews.

Plays

Are you an actor in need of a monologue? Do you enjoy studying theatrical texts? The New York Public Library provides access to a number of electronic resources offering full-text plays, from ancient Greek tragedies to contemporary one-acts.

The American Drama database contains over 1,000 dramatic works from the early 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century.

You can't discuss drama without mentioning The Bard, and the NYPL provides multiple resources to access Shakespeare's plays online. Try the Shakespeare, Editions and Adaptations database to access eleven major editions from the First Folio 1623 to the Cambridge edition of 1863-1866. If you are interested in finding Shakespeare-related scholarship explore the World Shakespeare Bibliography database, which provides comprehensive records of Shakespearean scholarship from 1960 to present.

If you are interested in exploring the classics, Oxford Scholarly Editions Online is the resource for you. This database includes over 900 plays, including the writings of Aeschylus, Ovid, and Virgil. This database is also an excellent resource for Shakespeare lovers as well, it includes The New Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works Modern Critical Edition.

Scholarship

If you are a student of drama, stagecraft, musical theatre, or costume design, or are performing research on any aspect of the performing arts, ou will want to explore the International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance with Full Text and the International Index for the Performing Arts Full Text. These two databases provide content and citations from the leading academic journals of the performing arts. 

Industry

Explore the history of the business side of theatre through the Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive. This online archive provides access to Variety (1905-2000), Billboard (1894-2000), Broadcasting (1931-2000), Melody Maker (1926-2000), and more. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Digital Collections

The New York Public Library's Digital Collections houses thousands of theatre-related images. You can view the Yiddish Theater collection, explore photos from the Federal Theater Project, and find programs, sheet music for musicals, and costume designs.