Theater Resource Guide: Selected Print & E-book Resources

"It's not perfect-nothing of this sort can be-but it is thorough, carefully thought out, and easy to use. Kennedy (Samuel Beckett Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies, Sch. of Drama, Trinity Coll., Dublin) has arranged the 4300 entries alphabetically, with a thematic table of contents at the start that serves as a guide. Biographical entries make up 45 percent of the text, and most are short-two or three to a column. But many of the entries on concepts and history, as well as styles and movements, are much longer. The item on "Scenography," for example, is 13 double-columned pages-a small textbook on history and theory-and while it lacks illustrations or designs, it does contain a bibliography of essential works. Overall, the great strength of this work is its global nature, touching on all kinds of performance, including ritual, public executions, dance, sport, sex shows, the new media, and cyber-theater." (Library Journal review.)

This annual publication about theater in the United States includes essays on selected new works chosen from Broadway, Off Broadway, and Off Off Broadway productions of new plays. The Yearbook also provides facts and figures about the year in American theater.

"Each literary work is first described and then every adaptation is examined with a discussion of how accurate the version is and how well it succeeds. In addition to famous novels and short stories by authors, there are also many bestsellers, mysteries, children's books, young adult books, horror novels, science fiction, detective stories, and sensational potboilers"(Publisher information).

"Examines 650 plays and musicals from the pre-Civil War period to the end of the 20th century...Each entry includes date, theater, author, major cast members and characters, director, producer, and length of run for the original New York production. Musicals also list the composers, song titles, and choreographers. Film entries include date, studio, screenplay author, cast, characters, director, and producer. Title differences between stage and screen versions are noted. Entries are arranged alphabetically by title, and title and name indexes are included." (CHOICE magazine review.)

"...provides directors' and producers' insights into the reception of 125 diverse plays, from Oscar Wilde's Salome to Tony Kushner's Angels in America. Each main entry includes first production information, filmed versions, a detailed synopsis, discussion of its censorship history, and a bibliography. Appendixes include profiles of the playwrights, a sorting of play titles by reasons for banning, and a list of an additional 100 plays that have historically been challenged, censored, or banned." (Library Journal review)

"Including more than 20,000 fashion and costume terms, this volume also features more than 300 illustrations. The first section of the book is an alphabetical listing of these words with their definitions, period, and country of origin. This volume also contains appendixes that list the terms by country of origin, period, and type of clothing. The book is not limited to the Western World and includes both archaic and current terms. Significantly greater in scope than anything currently available ”online or in print ”this one-of-a-kind publication is an invaluable resource for costume and fashion historians, textile preservationists, period re-enactors, and history and theatre scholars, as well as theatre professionals." (Publisher information.)