... since 1993!

NOTE: The URL for this Guide is now
http://www2.stetson.edu/creative-arts/resources/theatre-arts/mccoy-theatre-guide.html

Last updated: December 2011

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NOTE: Galina Miclosic has prepared a Russian translation of this page. Since I do not speak Russian myself, I do not vouch for it, but I do thank her for her effort and I post this link for those who might find it useful:
(http://webhostinggeeks.com/science/thr-guide-be)


This Guide is maintained by:
Ken McCoy, Ph.D.
Professor
Creative Arts Department - Theatre Arts Program
Stetson University
DeLand, Florida 32723

http://www2.stetson.edu/~kmccoy

Copyright � 1993, 2011 by Ken McCoy. All Rights Reserved.
Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by academic computer centers, computer conferences, individual scholars, and libraries. This message must appear on all copied material. All commercial use requires permission.

 

CONTENTS

Introduction

In 1993, when I first began to research theatre sites on the internet, it was a difficult and laborious project. Sites were hard to find, search engines were underdeveloped, there were very few theatre people who had taken an interest in, or even knew about the internet. Obviously, things have changed. Now the Web is easily accessible through a variety of web browsers, making specific knowledge of such utilities as telnet, ftp, and gopher (remember that one?) more or less obsolete or invisible.

There are now so many theatre-related sites that keeping a truly comprehensive guide to resources theatre on the internet, compiled and maintained through human intervention, is incredibly time-consuming. The area of performance studies is even more of a problem, with its incursions into popular culture, communication studies, and hundreds of other (legitimate!) tangents.

The proliferation of search engines and databases on the web now makes finding a comprehensive listing of links fairly easy for a single user. Of course, access to such an expanse of information raises the problem of evaluation and selection, which I have attempted to address in this guide over the years.

This edition of my Brief Guide to Internet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies is based on what I have learned as a seeker of information on the internet, which is mainly how to quickly find information and resources in a medium where their sheer quantity is overwhelming. As a researcher in search of useful information, I find myself turning again and again to the same information sources, engaging in the same techniques, and using the tools at my disposal in similar ways.

In previous versions, I have struggled to keep a balance between brief and comprehensive. I decided some years ago to give the advantage to brief. This has resulted in dropping (among other things) the "Listserv" section (except for new resources), especially since most are now accessible through HTTP addresses and can be found with a typical internet search. In any event, I am attempting to live up to the title of this document as a guide to resources rather than a listing of them.

What's not in this guide

In order to achieve this objective, some omissions have been necessary. I consider this a good thing. Usually, when browsing through sites, I tend to encounter the same links repeatedly and therefore run myself around in circles. Although this sort of "empirical" research is sometimes desirable, it is inefficient (not to mention frustrating) as a first recourse. Therefore, I have privileged those sites that do offer comprehensive listings, that offer something unique or interesting, that are somewhat off the beaten path, or that serve as significant examples of well-managed and productive sites.

I have opted not to list commercial organizations (such as most actor databases) or sites that simply repeat services or resources. (Just a note: for actors who want to find these resources, simply submit a form to a search engine with the arguments "actor," "casting," and/or "headshot" and you will be swamped with information). I have also chosen to omit most regional theatres and organizations, unless they offer significant resources (internet or other). For example, I do not include the ANYWHERE, USA THEATRE COMPANY, but I do include the National Endowment for the Arts at the Kennedy Center, AisleSay production reviews, and many playwriting pages (since these latter often include new, unpublished, and/or original works).

Assumptions

This guide is not meant to be an introduction to the internet itself. I am assuming that the reader will have a working knowledge of a web browser; be able to formulate, understand, or at least use Uniform Resource Locator (URL) addresses; send and receive email; and perform other basic tasks associated with the medium.

Submitting a site

For some time, I have begun to receive both automated and human-generated missives from webmasters asking that their site be included in my guide. In order for us all to better utilize our time, I have composed the following criteria for a site to be considered for inclusion in subsequent versions of my guide. The site should:

  1. not be commercial, unless it overwhelming fits one of the following criteria;
  2. offer something unique or interesting (not offered by any other site);
  3. provide valuable research tools (such as book, article, or play indexes);
  4. provide a comprehensive listing of theatre or performance studies resources; and/or
  5. be off the beaten path, that is, unlikely to be found in a quick search engine query.

The reader will no doubt find exceptions to these guidelines within the body of this guide. Since I am a human editor, I reserve the right to bend the rules and use my own judgment in making these determinations.

- Ken McCoy
 

Start Here

This section contains the resources that I consult most often and that yield the best results. Be sure to look carefully at this section before continuing, since the resources in it are not repeated later (that would be redundant).

Theatre Central
Now at Playbill. One of the best-maintained and most comprehensive single site on the subject of theatre, providing hundreds of links to theatre-related resources of all stripes. It includes a directory of Theatre Professionals on the Internet (email addresses, bios, etc.), casting news, production listings, and even a journal.

The World-Wide Web Virtual Library: Theatre and Drama
A collection of theatre links, whose scope aims for the multi-cultural and multi-lingual. Its most remarkable features are its index to plays available on the internet (in several languages) and a (very modest) syllabus bank.

AisleSay
The Internet Magazine of Stage Reviews and Opinions, covering New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Melbourne, and more, with frequent updates and additions.
It's been around for almost as long as this guide.
OOBR
The Off-Off Broadway Review is an electronic edition of the print journal, which provides listings and reviews of current and archived shows of its members in the venue--defined as "an Equity showcase or non-union production of equivalent resources, being done in any of the New York boroughs." Free listings are welcomed in the electronic version.

Musicals 101
This "Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV, and Film" by John Kenrick is a great site to begin an exploration of musical theatre as an art form. With papers on history, reviews, essays on a variety of topics, and even some "how-to" guides, it's far more than a fan site or list of links.

Playscripts, Inc.
Although this site is, technically speaking, commercial, this online publishing house also happens to excel in providing access to a huge collection of playtexts for performance, most notably short, original scripts suitable for young performers and audiences (i.e., Thespian competition and high school festivals). Playtexts are at least 80% viewable online, which greatly facilitates a search for "that perfect play."

Primer for Actors
By Louis E. Catron, this is a great source of "how to" information for student actors and other beginners. The advice on resume construction is particularly well done. Dr. Catron has other useful web publications on the home site.

The Foundation Center
An information resource for grantseekers and grantmakers, including fund-raising libraries, a digest, and publications.

Ropers Knots Page
A meta-page with links to knot-tying sites. It's got links to ALL the knots. For when I can't remember how the rabbit goes around the tree, in the hole, etc.

On-Line Books Page
An index to online books and other documents, with links to other electronic text sites, indexes, and more.

LANIC -- Latin American Network Information Center (University of Texas).
UT-LANIC provides access to library catalogs, networks (redes), databases, FTP and email archives (including the Latin American Information Base), and more in and concerning Latin America. The amount of information is immense. Since my area of research interest is Latin American Theatre, I often find it invaluable (in locating play and production reviews published in newspapers, for example).

The Internet Broadway Database
This one is all about Broadway, and is a great source for statistics on productions appearing there. However, Broadway theatres are no longer the sole controlling venues for theatre production in America, especially non-musical theatre, so it's not really as useful as I would want it to be. Still, a good start - easy to search and fairly comprehensive.

The Internet Movie Database
As the film industry tends to be more centralized, this one is more useful, especially for finding lists of performers, synopses of their movies, awards won, and other good stuff. Actors who already appear in the database can take advantage of the photo-resume service to edit and post their own additional information.

Well, these are the resources that I consult most often. After reading through the many more that follow, be sure to look at the Other Guides section of this document for a more comprehensive tour of the internet theatre world.

If you are looking for something specific, you might also want to try a search engine. Although there are dozens of them, the two I tend to use the most are Google and Yahoo.
 

World Wide Web Resources by Topic

Actors and Acting

Acting Workshop Online
A nice, easy to understand site for beginning actors.
The Actor's Checklist
A fairly comprehensive site containing information and advice for actors new to the business of the art (mostly SAG and film-focused).
The information is solid and reasonable and there are also suggestions for other sites and print sources.
AEA: Actors Equity Association
This home of the professional Stage Actors' Union in the USA includes FAQ, constitution/bylaws, and other info germain to the working actor. It also includes information on auditioning as well as links to other unions, a few producers, and other sites of general interest.

ACTORSOURCE
A respectably comprehensive site for the actor. Most notably, includes practical advice to the star-struck, such as how to avoid scams, how to relocate to LA, and how to choose monologues and headshots. It also includes valuable lists of agencies, casting directors, comedy clubs, and selected conservatories, colleges and universities (hard to cover them all) with programs in actor training.

The Living Playbook
Rightly calls itself "the most complete, most up-to-date collection of improv games on the planet." I have found them very useful in classes and workshops, although it apparently has not been updated since 2001.

Now Casting
A talent database, based in LA, for actors to post resumes, photos, reel clips, etc. and review casting notices. The basic membership is free.

The Online Communicator
Essentially a site devoted to listing resources for the Entertainment Industry, the Talent section of this site lists resources useful to performers, such as information on unions, vocal production, tongue twisters, audition resources, and more. Maintained by Rich Wilson; last updated in 2005.

StageAgent.com
This site advertises itself as "free resource for the performers and producers of musicals, operas, and dramas." It is mainly a disucssion forum, but it is indexed with search capabilities, and there are occasional short articles.

Stagecraft and Technical Theatre

Elizabethan Costuming Page
This is an excellent site for both amateur and professional costumers (and students of course), with sections on history, design and even construction techniques. A "Monthly Costume Feature" directs the reader to other excellent sites of interest. This site is very thorough, and definitely worth a visit (even if you're not a costumer).

Glossary of Technical Theatre Terms: Theatrecrafts.com
Hosted by Jon Primrose / University of Exeter Drama Department (UK), this is a very comprehensive glossary of English-language theatre terms. Users can perform a Word Search, get a random word, browse by category or alphabetically. Very informative.

The History of Costume by Braun & Scheider
Braun & Scheider published this illustrated book on costumes c.1861-1880. The web site is the book on line--an excellent resource for costume designers, directors, and those interested in fashion and period costuming.

Lighting & Electronics
Features safety guides, math formulas for lighting designers and electricians, links to news services and magazines, and a problem/solution page, in which solutions to common and not-so-common lighting problems are discussed.

The Stagehand Primer
Specifically intended for the use of the Stagehands and Apprentices of IATSE Local 470 in Northeast Wisconsin, this handbook contains lots of useful information for technicians and other students of theatre in need of plain definitions and procedures for the practical operation of theatre production.

The Theatre Design and Tech Jobs Page
A free online jobs bulletin board, artist listing, and forum.

USITT
The web site for the association of design, production, and technology professionals in the performing arts and entertainment industry in the USA.

Plays and Playwrights

10 Minute Plays
An archive of short plays. Very suitable for one-act festivals and directing classes.

APN: The Alberta Playwrights' Network
The Alberta Playwrights' Network is a non-profit arts service organization dedicated to fostering playwriting in Alberta, Canada. The site includes an online newsletter, but to take advantage of many of the services, one needs to be in Alberta.

Cervantes Project
An excellent site devoted to the Spanish Golden Age playwright, with academic articles, indices, images, a local search engine, and links to related sites. Available in Spanish and English, it should prove very useful to the online researcher.

E-SCRIPT
An interactive scriptwriting workshop for playwrights and screenwriters at all experience levels. The site also includes virtual Q & A sessions and archives with professionals in TV, theatre, and film.

Ibsen.net
A very nice searchable database concerning stage productions of Ibsen's plays from 1850 and to present day. In English, German, and Norwegian.

The International Centre for Women Playwrights
The web site for this organization includes a discussion list, links to conferences and programs, the newsletter, and a "diary" of members' activities and awards.
Eug�ne Ionesco
Soren Olsen's page in French and English on the absurdist playwright.

Limelight Scripts
The UK source for scripts for performance, notable for its section on The History of British Pantomime and scripts for this unique form of drama.

Moliere Adaptations In English by Timothy Mooney
An ever-growing collection of Moliere's plays in English translation (and a few adaptations) that are original and creatively rhymed. Tim will also email a free copy of select plays upon request. He also performs on the Fringe Theatre and College Tour circuits.

Playwrights Cafe
The members of this organization in Albany, CA critiques a play each month by one of its fellows; the Network Cafe in the site allows participation, i.e., forum discussions, by non-members as well, although threads are very sparse and limited except for the Playwrights section.

The Playwrights Forum
The Playwrights Forum is "a non-profit organization dedicated to the artistic development of talented playwrights from the Washington D.C. area." Their web site includes short descriptions of over 200 plays written by members.

Playwrights on the Web
Maintained by Paul Thain on the Internet Theatre Bookshop web site, this is a long contact list of playwrights whose material is accessible on the web. His home site includes some nice links for playwrights, especially those in the UK.

Playwriting Seminars
This site is essentially a 230-page manual of the playwright's craft, with an "inevitable excursion into film." It is a very informative and thought-provoking guide to many playwriting issues.

Small-Cast One-Act Play Guide
A companion to the print-published index, this continually updated site aims to access "playwrights, their scripts, and related sundries." It includes indices of small-cast one-act plays sorted by cast size/gender, title, and author, a glossary of terms, reference sources for playwrights, and even script analyses.

August Strindberg
This attractive site has some good biographical material and photos, as well as excerpts from his journals and sketchbooks.

USA Plays for Kids
This program sponsored by the Drury University (Missouri) Dept. of Education (and other partners) provides a listing of authors willing to make direct contact with children who are producing their plays--a worthy project, and well-thought out.

Writing-World.com
Formerly the InkSpot, this is a very solid site for writers of all kinds. It includes a bi-weekly newsletter, interviews, articles, links, and more.

Shakespeare

Absolute Shakespeare
This impressive site includes not only the plays, sonnets, and historical background, but also such features as trivia, study guides, quotes, filmography, and bibliography. One of the best.

A Compendium of Common Knowledge 1558-1603
(Hosted at Renaissance, The Elizabethan World, this a very attractive and informative on-line book by Maggie Pierce Secara on "Elizabethan Commonplaces for Writers, Actors, and Re-enactors." This fifth edition is a very thorough source for information on everyday life in Elizabethan times, drawn both from formal research and the author's experiences at Renaissance Faires. The web designer, Paula Katherine Marmor, has crafted a very elegant presentation. The book can also be downloaded for printing in Word 6.0 and Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
The main site also has other good resources.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
HTML versions of the plays.

Internet Shakespeare Editions
According to the editors, the purpose of this site is "to make scholarly, fully annotated texts of Shakespeare's plays available" on the internet. This includes Quartos and Folios, old-spelling editions of selected plays, and a refereed introduction to Shakespeare's life and times.

Ren Faire: Elizabethan Accents
A very interesting page that is part of a site devoted to Renaissance Faires. It includes sections on pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, forms of address, insults and cursing, all aimed toward the improvisational use of Elizabethan English. A particularly interesting feature is a collection of sound files with Elizabethan pronunciations of some words.

Shakespeare Authorship
"Dedicated to the Proposition that Shakespeare Wrote Shakespeare," this site is devoted to a critical examination of Oxfordian claims on the authorship of Shakespeare's plays. It also includes numerous links to other sites related both to the controversy and to Shakespeare in general.

Shakespeare's Theatre
Terry Gray's superb annotated guide to Shakespeare web resources. A great place to start to research your production.

Non-profit theatre and arts organizations

AATE Online
The American Alliance for Theatre and Education web site.

American Arts Alliance
The Advocacy Page of the American Arts Alliance provides "advocacy information and tools for arts supporters to communicate the need for continued federal support of the arts to their senators and representatives."

American Association of Community Theatre
A very respectable site that, in addition to a huge listing of regional community theatres and programs to service them, has a Tips of the Month section with practical advice on lots of theatre topics.

Americans for the Arts (ArtsUSA)
ArtsUsa is the homepage of the Americans for the Arts, the advocacy arm of the American Council for the Arts and the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies. Includes ACA Catalog of books, the ArtsUSA Cafe discussion group, grant-writing and legal information, and Arts Advocacy resources. An excellent site.

ArtsEdge
The mission of the Kennedy Center ArtsEdge is "to help artists, teachers, and students gain access to and/or share information, resources, and ideas that support the arts as a core subject area in the K12 curriculum". This mission has given rise to several programs of interest, including a news digest and archive, links to sites in the arts and education, and a calendar of Conferences, Contests, Grants, Requests for Papers, and Job Listings, and the Community Center bulletin board.

ASTR: The American Society for Theatre Research
The home site for the professional academic organization that hosts a conference, working groups, a discussion list, and the journal Theatre Survey.

ATHE
The Association for Theatre in Higher Education web site.

IATSE
The national website of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada (the stagehands' union).

Institute for the Management of Creative Enterprises
This site, formerly ArtsNet, provides (among other things) a searchable database of arts resources

The International Federation for Theatre Research
In French and English, this is the home site for the professional academic organization for conferences, working groups, and the journal Theatre Research International.

NEA Homepage
The National Endowment for the Arts.

Standing Conference of University Drama Departments (SCUDD)
An umbrella agency for University Drama Departments in the UK; includes a discussion list and some publications.

TCG: Theatre Communications Group
The national membership organization for academes, amateurs, and professionals alike. Among other things, the organization features a bookstore, journal (American Theatre) and ArtSearch, the main national listing for jobs in the arts in the USA.

The Theatre Library Association
Housed by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at the Lincoln Center, this site for the professional academic organzation supports librarians and archivists in the performing arts. It features links to Performing Arts Libraries, Archives and Museums, among other things.

World Wide Arts Resources
An impressive inventory of (mostly visual arts) resources that includes a searchable database, some dance links, links to arts organizations, arts employment, and more.

Of Regional Interest

American Musicals
This site is basically a directory of contact information and publicity for theatre practitioners and their shows in the Los Angeles area.

American Theater Web
This site for "top news" has production listings by state, date, and alphabetical order, as well as a callboard with various news and announcements.

Bhasabharathi
The website of the Sopanam Institute of Kerala, India, engaged in the production and preservation of performance styles and methods of traditional Sanskrit and other Indian folk plays.
Branson Critic
This site provides a forum for volunteer reviewers as "regular people" to share their quite literate opinions on theatre performances in Branson, MO. They also offer a newsletter, a Q&A, and an index to current shows playing.

Chicago Theatre from Studio Z
Dan Zellner's page on Chicago theatre, with articles, play bills, reviews, and links.

Culture Vulture
The theatre section is a good place to find a sampling of what's playing in various cities of the world. More importantly, it includes very intelligent reviews and archives them for future reference--many kudos to the webmaster.

CurtainUp
This site has lots of reviews, some feature articles and interviews, covering the New York, London, and Washington, DC areas.

Institute of Outdoor Drama
This site features an up-to-date list (directory) of shows and contact information on outdoor drama producing organizations.

Drama.ca
Canadian theatre listings, reviews, festivals, theatre rental information, news and auditions.
Irish Theatre Resource
This site has a comprehensive directory of links to "all Irish Theatre Companies, Venues, Dance, Festivals, and Theatre Sites."

London Theatre Guide
Concentrating on theatres that are members of the Society of London Theatre: "the main 46 top theatres" of the West End.

Ohio Educational Theatre Association (Ohio Thespians)
Aside from a center for information on Ohio Thespians, there are excellent sections (reprinted articles) on copyright and censorship concerns for theatre in public school settings.

StageDiary.com
Billing itself as an "Online Stage Magazine--a new source of information and comment on theatre and other performing arts in Queensland, Australia," this site includes arts headlines, reviews, and a "what's playing" section.

Teatrolinks
Links to theatre groups, organizations, festivals, and other web sites, mainly in Portugal, but also internationally.

Theatre Australia
Serving mostly Western Australia, this is a very respectable and well-organized site. It includes the usual links to regional theatres and their seasons, as well as a script library for locals, message boards, and reviews of productions submitted by regular theatre-going citizens. The gossip section is particularly juicy.

Theatre (Dance and Performance) in Wales
A nicely organized site concerning the performing arts in Wales. In addition to a comprehensive listing of companies, universities and community organizations, the site includes a rich compendium of reviews, articles, essays, and profiles on a variety of related topics.

Larry Stark's THEATER MIRROR, Boston's Live Theater Guide
This eclectic and witty guide starts with and focuses on Boston, Massachusetts, but also expands its coverage of quality links to the rest of the globe. Lots of information, few "bells and whistles."

Theatremonkey.com
An "independent guide to London Theatre and Concert Venues," this site reviews London theatre auditoria, and gives advice on seat selection, getting tickets while avoiding scalpers, etc. It also ranks a seat's "value," which includes handicapped accessibility and general comfort. They even send undercover agents in and publish a report of their experiences at the hands of management.

World Theatres - New York, London, Toronto and International
As the title suggests, this page gives the addresses and seasons of various theatre companies sorted by venue.

Zurich's Cynical Theatre Guide
A nice guide to the theatre scene in Zurich. It's in German, but provides English descriptions of the entries.

UK Theatre Web
A fairly comprehensive listing of performing arts events and resources in the UK, including amateur and professional theatre, opera and dance.

Potpourri: The Best of the Rest

AFS Home Page
American Fencers Supply, although a commercial site, also offers much in the way of information and education on fencing and weapons for the stage. Particularly informative is the illustration of the many types of sword blades.

Applied and Interactive Theatre Guide
Information on and links to psychodrama, drama therapy, sociodrama, playback theater, Boal centers and practitioners, community issues groups, and training and development specialists.

Artmedia (Australia)
Run by Alan Clay, this site
on Physical Theatre reads like a newsletter and focuses on Australia and New Zealand. In fact, they have an e-newsletter available. It's an interesting place to find out what's going on in that part of world in that brand of theatre.
Asian American Theatre Revue
An up-to-date resource on Asian American theatre, this site includes a directory of organizations and annotated bibliography of plays, as well as news and a calendar of events.
The Association of Theatre Movement Educators
Formerly the Society of Theatre Movement Specialists, ATME is an umbrella service organization primarily for movement educators in actor training. Currently of national (USA) scope, plans are underway to expand internationally.

Audio Theatre
Audio theatre is what happened to Radio Drama when "the delivery vehicle abandoned the art form." This site includes news on over 125 practicing organizations, as well as contests on writing and producing audio theatre.

Bob Hope and American Variety
More than a biographical Hope site, this online library of Congress exhibit explores the American Variety performance from vaudeville through the present using Hope's work as a springboard. Photos, programs, partial scripts, and other memorabilia provide the core of the collection.
Border Crossings
This site sponsored by a theatre company has a series of very good essays on and interviews focusing on
intercultural theory and performances from its repertory. Its chief patron is opera director Peter Sellars.
Centre for Performance Research
Located in Aberystwyth, Wales, this is a membership organization whose site includes a modest collection of links and descriptions of past and on-going projects in performance. Members get more, such as a peer-reviewed journal and access to an archive of books and videos on the subject of contemporary (postmodern, etc.) performance.

Comedy-O-Rama
A comedy site from Joe Bevilacqua and Lorie Kellogg, Comedy-O-Rama includes their own material (scripts, radio dramas, funnies, etc.), as well as a very nice set of links to resources on the "Great Ones" of comedy: Fred Allen, Fanny Brice, Phil Silvers, and Jack Benny.

Creative Drama and Theatre Education Resource Site
Geared for K-12 teachers, this site includes theatre games and classroom ideas, a short listing of plays for performance, and an annotated bibliography of books for the classroom drama teacher.

Creative Drama & Theatre for Youth Webring
This site links those with an interest in drama education and drama for youth. There are now enough partners to make it a good resource.

Dance Links
Links to dance-related resources based on the list compiled by Amy Reusch and friends and hosted by Gaynor Minden pointe shoes. The new web design may cause some erroneous file not found messages - but don't worry - they are there.

DIOTIMA: Women and Gender in the Ancient World
Contains a bibliography, links to course materials, on-line articles, reviews, and images.

Eserver Drama Collection: Drama
Links to plays, screenplays and discussions of drama and dramatic productions not typically found elsewhere.

Federal Theatre Project Collection
Lots of information and images from the Federal Theatre Project archives at the Library of Congress. This is an excellent tour through the only national theatre directly funded by the US government in its history -- and rumor has it it actually made money.

Gruppo Storico e Sbandieratori Citt� di Castiglion Fiorentino
An Italian site on folklore and historicla re-enactment from the Tuscan Middle Ages. A good source for music and flags/heraldry.

History of Performance Studies
This site is a result of Dr. Kelly Taylor's Seminar on the History of Performance Studies course at the University of North Texas. There are student essays, as well as her own model site on Chambers of Rhetoric.

Diane Howard's Professional Support Network
An eclectic potpourri of professional resources in performance studies and communication, such as course syllabi, performance texts, audition announcements, and links to outside resources in a variety of areas.

Interactive Drama
A "Scenario-Based Theatre-Style Interactive Drama Freeform Live Action Roleplaying Game Scenario Archive." Includes many links, information, and above all, a collection of interactive scenarios available online. 

International Phonetic Association
Get the latest information about the International Phonetic Alphabet, used in voice study. The site includes charts, a handbook, and information on joining the association. For those who need to write things in the internet phonetic alphabet, this page contains links to several font packages for a variety of platforms.

Kabuki for Everyone
A really nice, surprisingly comprehensive page on Kabuki and related forms.

Landing Place
This site "for and about the fine arts" has a searchable database of venues, lists of agents, bulletin boards, and more, with contact information (phone and address more often than email or web site).

Literary Resources on the Net
Jack Lynch's site is a very comprehensive annotated collection of links to literary resources, including many playwrights and general theatre resources. It also includes a local search engine for those seeking specific information.

The Live Art Archives
A source for information about Live Art/Performance Art materials in the UK. The current database covers 1994-2000, and work is underway to update to the present. The site includes links to the LiveArt discussion group and the Digital Performance Archives.

Magic for Socialism
This site is too interesting to pass by. Ian Saville explains his magic routines: "whereas David Copperfield is content with little tricks like making the Statue of Liberty disappear, I aim at the much more ambitious goal of making International Capitalism and exploitation disappear."

Medieval English Drama
From the University of Rochester's Robbins Library, a comprehensive bibliography of print resources on the subject, including their Library of Congress designations.

Musicals.Net
Song lists, lyrics, synopses and more of your favorite musicals.

Old Sword-Play
A PDF version of the rare book by "Victorian scholar of the sword," Captain Alfred Hutton. Caveat emptor.

On the Theatrical Origin of the Expression "Green Room"
This scholarly article by George B. Bryan, published in DE PROVERBIO: An Electronic Journal of International Proverb Studies (Volume 3 - Number 1 - 1997), provides a great many options, but no firm conclusions regarding the origin of the term.

Phonetics Resources for Studying Spoken English
This site provides a nice annotated index to resources for voice study on the internet; not only phonetics, but also speech recognition and processing software and other technological fixes.

The Puppetry Home Page
A very comprehensive page of links to puppetry resources, including technique, construction, puppeteers, tour schedules, and related issues.

The Ring of Steel Theatrical, Stage and Film Combat Homepage
From Ann Arbor, Michigan, this is an excellent site for stage combat and fencing. The Reference Shelf section is particularly informative.

Semiotics for Beginners
A comprehensive introduction to the subject of semiotics. It is appropriately heady, and not for the academically thin-skinned. Still, its otherwise useful bibliography does not contain Keir Elam's Semiotics of Theatre.

Stephen Sondheim Society
Besides the latest news on Sondheim productions and events in the UK, there is an archive of performance records: programs, dates, numbers of show runs, etc. as well as a message board.
Theatre Ephemera
A collection of image files of mostly people, productions, and theatres for teachers and students of theatre history. They seem to cover mostly the 19th and early 20th century.

TheatreHistory.com
This is a quite comprehensive academically-oriented site (almost an e-course) which provides a nice insight into issues of theatre history. In addition to an index of topics (divided mainly by region, but also by Age), there is a "Today in Theatre history" section, as well as a featured topic and very modest script archive.
Theatre on a Shoestring
This is a remarkably comprehensive site for the theatre aficionado and practitioner, offering a number of articles for theatre people of all stripes, a glossary of theatre terms, theatre graphics, theatre games, stagecraft tips, play synopses, and more. A very impressive site.

Theatron: Theatre History in Europe
An innovative presentation of architectural and textual resources, offering interactive walkthroughs of 3-d models of select theatre buildings. It does require certain minimum computing resources and the installation of two browser plugins, but it's worth it to teachers and students of theatre history.

Tongue Twister Database
There are plenty of tongue twisters here, indispensable for the actor/speaker.

Traveling Culture: Circuit Chautauqua in the Twentieth Century
This Library of Congress online exhibit and searchable database
presents an overview of this touring arts & lectures forum and collection of circulars and talent brochures for performing artists. Based on the records of one of the principal booking agents, Redpath Lyceum Bureau, currently held by the University of Iowa Libraries.
Vaudeville in Ohio
A very interesting, freely accessible database cataloging shows and performers at the Chicago Opera House in Chicago Junction (now Willard), Ohio from August 1903 to December 1911. This small-town American vaudeville information is just the kind of thing the internet should make possible (in my opinion).

Urban Dictionary
This is an irresistible Wiki-style dictionary database of current slang, focusing overmuch on the scatological. Still, when I want to translate my students' rehearsal ad-libs into coherent terms, I often consult it.

Virtual Vaudeville
This experimental site hosted by the University of Georgia (USA) presents a Shockwave 3-D performance simulation by vaudevillian Frank Bush, complete with reactions by the historical audience. It is replete with historical information, presented both in the performance context and as "notes." More importantly, it actually works -- a one-of-a-kind application of scholarship and an amazing site!

Women's Theatre and Creativity Centre
A page that seeks to create a community for women through performance.

The World of Mime Theatre
Dedicated to "promotion of Mime as a serious theatrical art," this site offers a clickable index to all kinds of sites and subjects related to Mime, which include "a Library, Resources, Performer Contacts, and an Events Calendar."

 

Finding Primary Materials

Electronic Texts

ALEX: Catalogue of Electronic Texts
A comprehensive index to online publications: books, guides, miscellaneous documents.

Internet Camelot: The B&R Samizdat Express
A newsletter of public domain and freely available electronic texts, that sacrifices bells and whistles in favor of vast content.

Project Gutenberg
Archives of Public Domain electronic texts.

THEATRALES
A hypertext collection in the French language run by the QUEATRE discussion group.

Electronic Journals and Magazines

Back Stage/Back Stage West
A resource journal for actors.

Consciousness, Literature, and the Arts
A refereed journal on the topic of consciousness in the arts and literature, which invites submission in a variety of different genres: scholarly articles, creative writing, essays, and polemic articles are a few of these.

Didaskalia: Ancient Theatre Today
A journal devoted to contemporary performances of Greek and Roman Drama.

Early Modern Literary Studies
According to the editors, "Early Modern Literary Studies is a refereed journal serving as a formal arena for scholarly discussion and as an academic resource for researchers in the area." The site features articles, reviews, and links to on-line resources, as well as an archive of past issues.

Fund$Raiser Cyberzine
A free "how-to" e-zine with news and ideas in fundraising.

The OScholars
A portal to a number of journals and websites devoted to the literature and arts of the late 19th-early 20th century. Originally focused on Oscar Wilde, the site has now expanded to include Shaw, Moore, Whistler, and Lee.

Playbill On-line
Just like Playbill, only it's on line. Actually, it has grown into one of these "hubs" of internet theatre. Among other things, it offers show listings.

Readio
A "Daily NYC Photo Tourism Magazine" that gives (among other things) listings and reviews of Broadway theatre. It's updated daily, which can be a valuable feature for some.

Scene4
A free online version of the print magazine on "theatre, film, and media," this well-stocked site includes regularly updated commentaries, an eclectic selection of theatrical happenings around the world, and production notebooks of various theatre practitioners.

Online Indexes and Databases

CIOS/Comserve
The Communication Institute for Online Scholarship hosts Comserve, an online service that includes several e-journals, discussion lists (Hotlines), Job announcements, and other services. Excellent for communication studies, often useful for theatre/performance studies material as well. Some services are fee-based.

OCLC: Online Computer Library Center
Providing links and information from over 18,000 libraries world-wide, OCLC's WWW server "will distribute news releases, product information, research results, documentation about how to use OCLC services, and electronic forms." Plans include linking (for its subscribers) to OCLC Electronic Journals Online and the FirstSearch service.

R�pertoire des arts du spectacle
A comprehensive, searchable database that locates and describes performing arts collections held by French libraries, museums, theatres, schools, etc. Images of some documents are available online. It is, of course, in French.

SIBMAS International Directory of Performing Arts Collections and Institutions
This is an impressive directory of institutions and their holdings related to the performing arts. The site boasts over 7000 institutions represented internationally.

 

Other Guides

art4me: theatre
This site is part of a larger site that includes art and museum links. Links are annotated using text from each respective web site.

Artslynx International Theatre Resources
A very comprehensive site, it has its own internal search engine.

Curtain Rising
An incredibly comprehensive database of links to live theatre world-wide, but especially the USA.

Digital Librarian: Performing Arts
Billed as "a librarian's choice of the best of the web," this site has a good overview of web sites.

Theatre History on the Web
Jack Wolcott's very nice annotated guide of theatre history sites.

TheatreUSA
Now under construction and revision.

Theatricopia: Musical Sites
Jill Hobgood's very comprehensive guide to musical theatre resources on the internet. A must for the musical theatre aficionado.

 

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