Background & Reference Sources
Historical Dictionary of Contemporary American Theater, 1930-2010 by
From legends like Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller to successful present-day playwrights like Neil LaBute, Tony Kushner, and David Mamet, some of the most important names in the history of theater are from the past 80 years. Contemporary American theater has produced some of the most memorable, beloved, and important plays in history, including Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire, Barefoot in the Park, Our Town, The Crucible, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Odd Couple. Historical Dictionary of Contemporary American Theater presents the plays and personages, movements and institutions, and cultural developments of the American stage from 1930 to 2010, a period of vast and almost continuous change. It covers the ever-changing history of the American theater with emphasis on major movements, persons, plays, and events. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and over 1,500 cross-referenced dictionary entries. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the history of American theater.
ISBN: 9780810879508Publication Date: 2011-05-01
The Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance by
The Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance is a concise adaptation of the celebrated Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance, covering styles and movements, buildings, organizations, regions and traditions, and in particular, a strong focus upon biographies of actors, playwrights, directors, designers, and critics. New entries have been added to those originating from its predecessor, concentrating on companies and people who havecome into prominence since the publication of the Encyclopedia. The Companion includes all the most popular and accessible information originating from the Encyclopedia, concentrating primarily onthe personalities involved in producing threatre, as well as overviews of the genres within which they work. It has 2,000 entries, almost half of its predecessor, contained in a far more compact and portable format. The timeline of historical and cultural events in the world of theatre and performance has been significantly updated, and an appendix of useful weblinks added, which is supported and accessible through a companion website.The Companion provides aninformative and accessible package aimed at both the theatre-going public as at specialists and professionals in the field.
ISBN: 9780199574193Publication Date: 2010-09-17
A Cultural History of Theatre in the Modern Age by
To call something modern is to assert something fundamental about the social, cultural, economic and technical sophistication of that thing, over and against what has come before. A Cultural History of Theatre in the Modern Age provides an interdisciplinary overview of theatre and performance in their social and material contexts from the late 19th century through the early 2000s, emphasizing key developments and trends that both exemplify and trouble the various meanings of the term 'modern', and the identity of modernist theatre and performance. Highly illustrated with 40 images, the ten chapters each take a different theme as their focus: institutional frameworks; social functions; sexuality and gender; the environment of theatre; circulation; interpretations; communities of production; repertoire and genres; technologies of performance; and knowledge transmission.
ISBN: 9781472585837Publication Date: 2019-08-08
Plays & Performances
- Drama Online This link opens in a new windowA digital library of plays (playtext, audio, video) from Aeschylus to the present day. Also includes critical analysis, contextual information, and reference information. Includes a particular focus on performances by L.A. Theater Works, National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, and The Globe.
- OntheBoards.tv This link opens in a new windowHigh-quality videos of full-length performances by some of today's most provocative artists working in dance, theater, music and other forms.
