Skip to Main Content
QUL logo

Drama

Play Setting in Kingston

Search Omni: e.g. Kingston history penitentiary. Limit by year. Also try selecting Newspapers search under Resource Type. Limit to a span of years around the time you will set the play.

Stones Kingston: Offers lenses of different cultural communities through which to view the histories of Kingston.

Vintage Kingston: Facebok site to share photographs of the past, inlcuding people, the city, events, old ads, and newspaper articles.

Kingston Picture Collection: compiled by Queen's Archives.

Dramaturgy Process

Dramaturgs make the world of a play come alive by studying its literary and performance context. They unravel the work's social, political, cultural, and historical background through intensive research. Here are some search tips in the investigative process.

  1. Following a close reading of the script, analyze the play using expert strategies.TIP: Search Omni: script analysis (playwriting OR play*) for titles such as Script analysis for actors, directors, and designers (online). 2024 edition on order
  2. Identify words and phrases that require definition and references that need to be unpacked. Consider allusions to everyday life from specific time periods and cultures. Track references to literary works, the bible, mythology, and historical events. TIP: Search Omni: (encyclopedia OR dictionary)  mythology. Limit to Queen's, book format, and online. Use the Oxford English Dictionary for the meanings, history, and usage of words over time.
  3. Research the playwright’s background: biographies, autobiographies, journals, letters, documentaries, and interviews to learn about a play’s inspiration, formation, and production history. TIP: Search Omni by author and also Google for contemporary playwrights: e.g. Donna-Michelle St. Bernard brings up various interviews, theatre company and institutional sites, Wikipedia.
  4. Find play reviews in newspapers, magazines, and specialized databases. What adaptations have been done? TIP: Search Omni for newspaper articles: "The Rez Sisters" review. Then select Newspapers search under Resource Type. See the Newspaper guide for other news sources and historical news databases.  
  5. Research the play’s setting and historical period. Find examples of authentic social customs from the time.TIP: e.g. The Crackwalker by Judith Thompson (1980) is set in Kingston involving mentally challenged individuals. Do an Omni search: mental health policy ontario history. Limit time period 1970-1990.  Search yields this document: Unbalanced : mental health policy in Ontario, 1930-1989. Other examples: Omni search: Kingston history penitentiary
  6. Read academic essays, books, and articles that have been written about the play or playwright. Research timelines and place the work in relation to what others were writing at the time. TIP: a) Perform an advanced search in Omni with the playwright as subject. e.g. Judith Thompson as subject. Brings you to a link that will show all the on criticism: Thompson, Judith, 1954 -- Criticism and interpretation. b) Search play or playwritght in drama databases such as Drama Online, MLA International Bibliography, and Literature Online. c) Find critiques that offer in-depth analysis.  See Criticism for other sources.
  7. Collect photos and design sketches from previous productions to track how other artists have interpreted the play. Include maps that situate different settings and places as appropriate. TIP: Google search with operators to focus: e.g. intitle:crackwalker (staging OR design). Try limiting to images or video.
  8. Research art, music, sounds, and visual images that evoke the play’s mood, tone, or theme. TIP:  Search Omni for books such as: popular music 1950s america. 
  9. Find video references from documentaries, films of the play, and other with a similar setting. TIP: Search our multimedia and streaming video collections. Search Omni: e.g. "copper thunderbird" and limit to Videos under Resource Type. Search your play or playwright in one of our streaming collections.

Citation Guides