Production History - THEA 281: Visual Elements - Research Using Online Resources

Databases

These databases include biographical information and often contain production history information as well.

If you are not finding information about a person by searching for his or her name, think a little more broadly about where he or she fits into the bigger picture: Is this person an actor, a director, a playwright, a designer? What time period? What genre?

Biography Reference Bank
Biographical information on over 500,000 people from antiquity to present, including full text of Current Biography. Allows you to search by name, with the option to limit by occupation, or to results that include images, among other things. Biographical results include lists of further readings for more information.
Biography in Context
Full text biographies on approx. 220,000 people from published biographical reference works and magazines, with web links. Allows you to search by name, occupation, nationality, birth place or death place. Biographical results include lists of further readings for more information. Includes the International Dictionary of Theatre which often lists production histories.

Newspapers

For theatre and performance reviews, interviews with writers, directors and actors, and more. For a complete list of Newspaper databases click here: http://library.hunter.cuny.edu/databases/type/11

Newspaper databases are also good sources of production history information by way of reviews.

New York Times Historical
The historical New York Times has digitally reproduced every page from every issue of The New York Times from 1851 to 2001. The full text of the paper is completely searchable; the results include all graphics and links to continuations on other pages. This is one of my favorite resources.

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You can limit your search to reviews by selecting "review" from the Document Type menu near the bottom of the screen. Then enter your keywords and search with the limiter for reviews on.
LexisNexis
Full text database of newspapers and other news sources; includes broadcast transcripts and international news sources. When searching for play reviews, try the title of the play in quotation marks (i.e. "Zoo Story") and the word "review" (not in quotes).