This guide highlights key resources for conducting effective information research in theatre, including the following:
If you need assistance identifying additional resources, search terms or strategies, please schedule a research consultation.
Image: Dramatist Lorraine Hansberry at the time of her play "A Raisin in the Sun" opening in New Haven, Connecticut, prior to its run on Broadway, 1959.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "Dramatist Lorraine Hansberry at the time of her play "A Raisin in the Sun" opening in New Haven, Connecticut, prior to its run on Broadway, 1959." The New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Depending on the topic of your project, some of these other library research guides may be helpful in your research. Hover your mouse over the "i" button to see a description of each book.
These sources contain scholarly background information. Many are available online, but some are only in print. When a book is available as an ebook, the call number section will say "ebook." Otherwise, the primary library name and call number will be linked.
A Companion to Twentieth-Century American Drama by This Companion provides an original and authoritative survey of twentieth-century American drama studies. Balances consideration of canonical material with discussion of works by previously marginalized playwrights. Examines movements such as the Harlem Renaissance, lesbian and gay drama, and the solo performances of the 1980s and 1990s Situates American drama within larger discussions about American ideas and culture.
The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Miller by 
The Facts on File Companion to American Drama by An encyclopaedic guide to American dramatic literature, this volume contains approximately 650 entries covering playwrights of the pre-20th century up through contemporary ones, major plays, important theatre companies and movements and influential directors and critics.
Modern American Drama, 1945-2000 by 
Albee by 
The Cambridge Companion to Eugene O'Neill by 
The Cambridge Companion to Edward Albee by 
Arthur Miller's America by 
Interrogating America Through Theatre and Performance by 