Drama Library

Reconstructing a Shakespearean Production

Once you have decided which production you are going to research:

• Make a list of the significant cast members, director, designers, and theatre where performed
• Do a subject search in the online catalog on the individuals and the theatre. Use subheadings when necessary
  Researching theatre companies:
  • Adelphi Theatre (London, England) -- Chronology
  • Drury Lane
  • You get different results when searching for Royal Shakespeare Company depending on whether you are searching by: different results depending on whether you are search Royal Shakespeare Company by subject | author | keyword
  Researching theatre festivals:
  • Colorado Shakespeare Festival leads you to an annual, which has articles on producing the festival
  • New York Shakespeare Festival
  • Note how the catalogue refers you to a proper subject heading, if you use a wrong one Oregon Shakespeare Festival -- see --Oregon Shakespearean Festival
    (A see reference means the term you used won't work, you need to use the term they suggest)

• Look for reviews and production photographs:
  • See Reviews for some guidelines on finding reviews
  • Remember always check a books bibliography for its sources
  • If you find a book you like in the online catalog, check its subject headings for additional sources
  • Variorum Editions of Shakespeare are an excellent source because they provide detailed notes with the text. The variorum also give background on the source of the play, identify characters, significant criticism, etc. Note: A keyword search may not easily identify all the volumes because variant titles appears with some of the variorum editions.

Online Catalog Searches

• Shakespeare - Narrow searches on Shakespeare by using subheadings
  • Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 Dramatic production (Note that this subject suggestions you can -- see also -- the narrower term Shakespeare William 1564 1616 Stage History
  • Each of the plays is a subheading within the subject of Shakespeare: Shakespeare William 1564 1616 Antony And Cleopatra
  
  
  

• Other persons of interest:
  • actors england
  • actors united states
  • Theatrical Producers And Directors
  • Women in the theater
  • Women theatrical producers and directors
  
  
  

• Pictorial information
  • Theaters Stage Setting And Scenery is a very broad subject heading, but it has good information on iconography
  • Another possible subject heading is American Set Design
  • One of the best sources of well known stage designs or experimental sets is: Stage Design Throughout the World, a four volume set showing international set designs from 1935-1975. You can search by playwright or designer.
  • Walter René Fuerst. Twentieth-century stage decoration.
  
  
  

• Social life and customs
  • Offers good background material to flush out a time period
  • This subject can be subdivided Geographically and chronologically
  • Great Britain Social Life And Customs 17th Century
  • United States Social Life And Customs

Promptbooks

• Charles H. Shattuck has done some very nice work identifying Shakespearean promptbooks
• Shaw, Glen Byam. Macbeth onstage : an annotated facsimile of Glen Byam Shaw's 1955 promptbook.

Production Histories

• William Babula's Shakespeare in production, 1935-1978 : a selective catalogue provides production histories on each play performed by a major theatre or Shakespeare company in the United States, Canada, or England. Identifies source reviewing the production. Note the subject headings for this source include:
  • Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Stage history
  • Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Bibliography
  • Theater -- United States -- Reviews
  • Theater -- Great Britain -- Reviews
  • Theater -- Canada -- Reviews

• Sources for Production Histories from classical to modern times
• Reviews can be used to develop production histories

Autobiographies, Biographies, Correspondence, Diaries, & Memoirs

• Actors Correspondence picks up some material but is not often used as a subject heading
• Actors Biography is a general way to search, but you may find looking for biographies on a geographical area or a specific actor less cumbersome
• The subject heading Barrymore John 1882 1942 yields more subheadings including one for Barrymore John 1882 1942 Bibliography; bibliographies are often excellent resources
• Browse the Actors United States Biography subject list and you may find other helpful subject terms

Printed and Electronic Indexes & Shakespearean Journals

• Printed Indexes:
  • International Bibliography of Theatre (1982 - ) is currently the best printed index in Theatre. It offers International overage of books and articles published since 1982, includes reviews, criticism and interviews.
  • Poole's Index to Periodical Literature also called An index to periodical literature / by William Frederick Poole
  • International index (1920/23-1964/65)
  • Social sciences & humanities index (1965/66-1973/74)
  • Humanities Index v.1- (June 1974-)

• Online review sources

• Specialized Indexes and Databases for Theatre & Drama Research

• Journals with particularly good production photos include: American Theatre, Plays and Players, Teatr, Theatre Crafts, Theatre Design and Technology, Theatre Heute
  • All of these journals are indexed in the International Bibliography of Theatre 1982-

• Shakespearean Journals
  • Shakespeare William 1564 1616 periodicals
  • Shakespeare William 1564 1616 Dramatic Production Periodicals