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INTERNET RESOURCES

Theatre and performance studies

C&RL News, September 1997
Vol. 58 No. 8

by Rebecca Albitz

"For your convenience this article provides hypertext links to resources not developed by the Association of College & Research Libraries."

Using the Internet to locate useful information in the performing arts can be an arduous task. Wading through the ever-increasing number of theater and performance sites, only to discover that little of use can be found, can discourage the serious researcher who is exploring the World Wide Web for the first time. A number of very informative sites on theater and performance studies, however, have been created, providing useful information to the reference librarian, the student, and the practitioner.

While I have been selective in my choice of listed resources, I have included sites that focus on theater and performance both as academic disciplines and as areas of practice. Many of the sites listed also provide links to other sites, providing avenues for further Web exploration.

Information servers
These sites provide links to and/or information about Internet and World Wide Web resources of a general nature in theater and performance studies.

ELAC Online TheatrePedia: Internet Theatre Library. This library of World Wide Web sites is extremely thorough, containing links to both theater production (acting, directing, writing, etc.) and research sites. A subject index is available for those who are not sure which site might contain the information they are seeking. Access: http://www.perspicacity.com/elactheatre/library/library.htm.

A Brief Guide to Internet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies. Created and maintained by Ken McCoy, assistant professor of communication studies and theater arts at Stetson University, this guide is a comprehensive and up-to-date resource for locating a broad variety of Internet resources on theater and performance. Of particular value is the detailed listserv information. Access: http://www.stetson.edu/~csata/thr_guid.html.

Theatre Central. "The largest compendium of theatre links on the Internet." This site focuses on the theater professional, including information about theater companies, training and education, and theatrical unions. Access: http://piano.symgrp.com/cgi-bin/plb/central?cmd=start.

Electronic play texts
Comedia. Organized and maintained by the Association for Hispanic Classical Theater, Inc., this site provides access to a number of Hispanic play texts, organized by playwright. Other resources related to Hispanic theater are also available. This site can be read in either English or Spanish. Access: http://listserv.arizona.edu/comedia.html.

Shakespeare--Online Resources. Devoted to Shakespeare, this site includes links to the complete works housed at MIT, Bartlett's Shakespearean Quotations, and many other Shakespeare-related sites. Access: http://writingco.com/shakespeare/slinks.html.

Theatrales. Housed at the University of Quebec in Montreal, this site is a collection of links to French drama texts, most of which are in French, although a few are in English. Access: http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/c2545/theatral.html.

Important library collections
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The homepage for the New York Public Library's Performing Arts Library contains information about each of the major collections housed in this facility. These collections include the Dance Collection, the Billy Rose Theatre Collection, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound. You can telnet to the Dance Collection's, research libraries', and branch libraries' catalogs from this site. Access: http://www.nypl.org/research/lpa/lpa.html.

Yale Drama Library. Yale's drama collection holdings are outlined and a telnet link to ORBIS, Yale's online catalog, is provided at this site. Access: http://www.library.yale.edu/drama.html.

E-journals--Theater and performance studies research
Limen: An Electronic Journal Dedicated to the Performance Paradigm. Housed at Murdoch University, this electronic journal is dedicated to the philosophical investigation of performance as an epistemological system. Access: http://kali.murdoch.edu.au/limen/.

TDR: The Drama Review. TDR is a journal of performance studies published by MIT Press. This site includes abstracts of recent volumes, indexing and abstracting information, and subscription information. Access: http://mitpress.mit.edu/journal-home.tcl?issn=10542043.

Theater. Published by the Yale School of Drama and the Yale Repertory Theatre, Theater is the self-proclaimed "most serious, lively, well-written magazine on the contemporary stage." This site contains subscription information and sample back issues. Access: http://www.yale.edu/drama/publications/theater/.

Theatre InSight. Theatre InSight, published by the University of Texas, Austin, is a journal designed as a publishing outlet for emerging scholars researching in the areas of performance and theater studies. This site contains table of contents information for current issues and back issues as well as subscription information. Access: http://www.utexas.edu/students/ti/.

Theatre Perspectives International (TPI). This electronic journal is devoted to theater history, theory, criticism, and dramaturgy. This is a full-text journal. Access: http://www.tesser.com/tpi/index.htm.

Women and Performance. Published by New York University's Department of Performance Studies, this forum for discussion on gender and representation features essays, scripts, interviews, and articles on performance from interdisciplinary feminist perspectives. Current issues are available online; back issue order information is also available. Access: http://www.echonyc.com/~women/.

E-journals--Theater production
Lighting Dimensions: The (Digital) Magazine for the Lighting Professional. Sample articles and subscription information are available for this trade publication focusing on stage lighting. Access: http://www.etecnyc.net/ld/.

TCI: The Business of Entertainment Technology and Design--Online. Sample articles and subscription information from Theatre Crafts International magazine, designed for lighting, sound, and production designers and costume and makeup professionals. Access: http://www.etecnyc.net/tci/.

Playwriting
The Dramatic Exchange. An outlet for aspiring playwrights and a resource for producers looking for new works. Access: http://www.dramex.org/.

Resources for Playwrights. From play scripts to discussion groups to advice from the experts, this site provides information and guidance to playwrights. Access: http://www.teleport.com/~cdeemer/Playwrights.html.

Theater awards
The Obie Awards. The Village Voice Obie Awards were created to publicly acknowledge and encourage the growth of the off-Broadway theater movement. This site contains a searchable database of winners for the past 40 years. Access: http://www.villagevoice.com/obies/.

Tony Awards Online. Current Broadway events, features on the theater, and a complete listing of Tony Award winners are available at this Web page. Access: http://www.tonys.org/index.html.

Theatrical Costumes
The Costume Site. This is one of the most thorough Web sites for costume information, featuring sources for historical, science fiction, and fantasy costumes. Access: http://milieux.com/costume/.

Theater reviews
Aisle Say. This theater review source covers productions from New York City to San Francisco. Links to regional theater review sources are also provided. This site is updated weekly. Access: http://www.escape.com/~theanet/AisleSay.html.

The New York Times Theater Reviews. Recent reviews published in the New York Times are available, full text, at this site. You must first subscribe to the New York Times online service before these reviews are available to you. Currently this is a free service. Access: http://www.nytimes.com.

Playbill On-line. Playbill information for Broadway, off-Broadway, regional, and London theaters is available from the Playbill On-line Web site. Ticket ordering information, recent theater news, and other features concerned with current theater are also available. Access: http://piano.symgrp.com/playbill/.

About the Author
Rebecca Albitz is head librarian at Pennsylvania State University, Shenango campus, e-mail: r2a@psulias.psu.edu.