Scrawled Shortcuts through the Research Maze
Michael Frayn’s farce about theatre takes its name from a dramatists’ sound cue. But the library is full of drama too…
Internet Broadway Database
*“…*before we open tomorrow night - Correction. Before we open TONIGHT!” Want to know when Noises Off (or other plays) appeared on Broadway? Try this source. (For the movie, try the Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com.)
http://ibdb.com/
International Index to Performing Arts (IIPA)
“Only it’s like a slot machine in there… I never know what’s going to come out: three oranges or two lemons and a banana.” If researching plays and the theater is like that for you, try this index to journal and magazine articles:
On the Research Resources page for Theater Arts
Reader's Encyclopedia of World Drama
“That’s life! That’s theatre! That’s farce!” But what is farce? Or any other type of drama? See here:
REF 809.2 G253r
Theatre Backstage from A to Z
“Let there be doors that open when they open, and close when they close.” But how to make that happen? See this handbook:
REF 792.025 L88t
Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance
“Hamlet himself, would you believe, has come down with a psychological problem…” Looking for other connections between Hamlet and Noises Off? Search them both, and “Metatheater” in this online and print reference.
On the Research Resources page for Theater Arts
Or: REF 792.03 0982o
Online Guides to Theatre Resources
“All of my studies in world drama lie at your disposal.” A number of internet guides collect links to resources on theater and drama:
McCoy’s Guide to Theatre and Performance Studies:
http://www2.stetson.edu/csata/thr_guid.html
Jack Wolcott’s Theatre History on the Web:
http://www.videoccasions-nw.com/history/jack.html
The World Wide Web Virtual Library for Theatre and Drama
http://www.vl-theatre.com/