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Drama

Playwriting

Finding Plays in Omni

For a specific play or playwright/dramatist, search Omni by doing a title or author search. The library might have the dramatist's complete works or selections.

  Miller, Arthur
  Miller, Arthur. Collected Plays
  Crucible, a play in four acts

If you do not find a specific play, or are not sure of the title, try a Keyword Boolean search. A Keyword Boolean search will also find plays listed in the table of contents of some anthologies. Use quotations (phrase search) around the full title of a play.

  "memory of two mondays"
  moses AND almighty

Find other sources listed in Omni by searching subject headings, for example:

  Drama-Stories, plots, etc.
  Plots (Drama, novel, etc.)

Finding Plays in Anthologies

Use a play index to identify plays and monologues. Then search Omni to see if it's in our collection.
 
American Drama to 1900: REF Z1231 .D7M45
Part I: lists critical and historical sources
Part II: lists 34 significant dramatists of the time
For each playwright, major plays, plays published separately and in anthologies or collections, biography, and criticism are given. Includes author, title, and subject indexes.
 
The Drama Scholars' Index to Plays and Filmscripts: A Guide to Plays and Filmstrips in Selected Anthologies, Serials, and Periodicals
REF Z5781 .S17 (2 vols)
 
Index to Full Length Plays, 1895-1925 and Index to Full Length Plays, 1926-1944: REF PN6112.5 .Z99 I7
Indexes plays first published in English during these years. Includes separate author, title and subject indexes.
 
Index to Full Length Plays, 1944-1964: REF PN6112.5 .Z99 I72
Companion to the two volumes above. Indexes full-length plays first published during these years. Lists some adaptations of classic plays. Indexed by author, subject and title.
 
Index to Plays, 1800-1926: REF PN6112.5 .Z99 F5
Indexes over 11,000 plays by 3,500 playwrights. Both English and American plays and English translations of foreign language plays are included.
 
Index to Plays in Periodicals: REF Z5781 .K43
Indexes thousands of plays in over two hundred periodicals, by playwright or title through 1972.
 
Provides access to the locations of printed plays in collections, anthologies and periodicals published since the late nineteenth century through the current year. "Contains approximately 19,000 citations to plays, many of which are not included in the standard play indexes such as Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections or the Play Index."
 
Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections: an Author and Title Index to Plays Appearing in Collections Between 1900 and 1985
REF Z5781 .O8 1988
 
Play Index: PN6112.5 .Z99 P5 1949-1997 (Compact Shelving)
Indexes plays from antiquity to the present.
 
 
Plays in Periodicals: an Index to English language Scripts in Twentieth Century Journals: REF PN6112.5 .Z99 P3
Indexes more than 4,000 plays in 97 journals during the time period 1900-1968.
  
Finding Monologues
 
Aso search Omni by adding the word "monologues": e.g. women and monologues
 
Actors Guide to Monologues: an Index of 700 Monologues from Classical & Modern Plays for Auditions & Classwork: PN4321 .G86 1974
Indexes monologues from published plays and is arranged by sex and age.
 
Guide to Monologues, Men: an Index of over 800 Monologues from Classical and Modern Plays: REF PN2080 .G84 1988
Guide to Monologues, Women: an Index of over 800 Monologues from Classical and Modern Plays: REF PN2080 .G85 1988
An Index to Monologs and Dialogs: PN4305 .M6 I64 1949
1/2/3/4 for the Show: a Guide to Small-Cast One Act Plays: REF Z5781 .H46 1995t
Two volume set outlines intent, viewpoint, and audience, followed by  indexes to one-act plays for as many as four characters.
 
The Smith and Kraus Monologue Index: REF PN2080 .S6 1999
2600 monologues have been indexed by various categories.

Play Synopses

Drury's Guide to Best Plays: PN6112.5 .Z99 D7 1969

The Encyclopedia of the American Theatre, 1900-1975: PN2266 .B68

A Guide to Play Selection: Z5781 .S6 1958

International Dictionary of Theatre: REF PN2035 .I49 1992
Covers 620 notable plays, including summaries, first production information and critical references.

Playwrights Canada Press Canadian resource (170+ plays from Canadian playwrights) Indigenous Canadian Playwrights

Playwrights Guild of Canada Canadian resource

Good site for information about Canada's playwrights.

Talonbooks offers a downloadable Indigenous Catalogue (2019) of works they have recently published inclluding drama, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. It includes an index by Indigenous group and a list of Indigenous works available as ebooks.

Coach House Books lists newly published plays including description and reviews.

Studio 58 Database of Diverse Plays and Playwrights includes plays by women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and diverse cultural backgrounds (self-defined by the writers). One section dedicated to Canadian writers

Theatre Online Master List

A resource on the Canadian Theatre Educator's Conference site. Includes links to over 900 productions available online as audio dramas, filmed productions, or recordings of online pieces. Includes section highlighting online plays featuring BIPOC artists.

Full Text Play Databases

 
 
 
 
Plays from North America, Africa and the Caribbean.
 
Plays from the medieval mystery cycles to the comedies of Oscar Wilde.
 
Latino Literature: Poetry, Drama and Fiction
Plays of Latin writers working in the United States.
 
National Theatre Collection contains 30 filmed performances, including 10 years of NT Live broadcasts and high-quality recordings from the NT’s Archive.
 
600 plays from many of the UK and Ireland's preeminent playwrights
 
see Theatre in Context Collection
 
North American Women's Drama
Plays, biographical, production, and theatrical information.
 
Theatre in Context Collection (formerly North American Theatre Online)
Covers all aspects of the Canadian and American Theatre. Includes reference works, images, flyers, playbills, postcards and scrapbooks.
 
Twentieth-Century Drama
Plays by authors from North America, Britain and Ireland, India, Africa, Australia and the Caribbean
 
Twentieth Century North American Drama
Includes reference materials, images, information on theatres and more....