UVM Libraries Research Guides: Theatre: Books

Locate Books in Howe Library

These call number ranges hold a variety of books on acting and various aspects of theatre and drama.

PN 1560-1590 : Performing Arts	PN 2000-3307 : Dramatic representation. The Theater	Z 5781 : drama, plays, theatre bibliographies
PN 1600-3307 : Drama	PN 2061-2071 : Art of Acting

Books that may be checked out of the Library are on the 3rd floor (Call # PN). Reference Books (main/1st floor): ROW 10 (Call #: PN)
Browse the Stacks : Find a useful book in the stacks? Browse in that area to discover other books that might be useful.

Use the Library Catalog to Search for Books in the Library

The Library Catalog locates books, journals (not articles), microfilm, dvds, cds, and U.S. documents (1976->) owned by the UVM Libraries. There are two versions of the catalog:
CATQuest version and the Classic Library Catalog. Each version has its advantages and disadvantages.
Because the CATQuest search box is front and center on the Library homepage, find instructions for using the CATQuest version below. If something confuses you, use the Classic Library Catalog. To find this link on the Library homepage, click the "Research" link at the top of the page and find the link in the "FIND" column.

Find Books by Subject

*Subject Headings Standardized words or phrases assigned to a subject (e.g., etiquette not manners). Library subject headings are similar to tags. We attach these special terms to library catalog records in order to describe the intellectual content of an item more precisely. Subject terms are categories of information; click on one and you'll retrieve a list of similarly tagged items. Allows books on a similar subject to be grouped together in the book stacks.

Use Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)* in the Library Catalog to locate books on your topic. Click image below (live link!) to be brought to the Browse search function in CATQuest.

Examples of Library of Congress subject headings on Theatre and Drama:

Note: For subject headings on costume and fashion, use the Costume Subject Guide. For subject headings on theatre history, see Theatre History - Find Books in... in this guide.

Design and Production

theaters i.e.,facilities used to stage drama	dramaturgy, USE dramatic technique
theaters stage-setting and scenery	theaters electronic sound control	stage directions
set designers	theaters sound effects	actors
stage lighting	theaters production and direction	actresses
theaters lighting	theater management	actors and actresses
stage machinery	theatrical makeup	mime
stage management	drama explication	pantomime
stage props	drama technique	puppets
theater architecture	playwriting	puppet making
theater technological innovations	commedia dell'arte	puppet theater

Acting & Movement

acting	monologues	monodramas	stage fighting	stage fencing
method acting	monologues drama	improvisation acting	movement acting

Drama Criticism*
*Theatre as defined in this guide is drama as acted on the stage. Drama is defined as plays as a literary form.

dramatist/playwright (last name first name) e.g., jonson ben look for subheading "criticism and interpretation"	political plays [look for subheading "history and criticism"]
drama history and criticism see also, drama criticism	american drama 20th century history and criticism
american drama history and criticism	drama [time period] history and criticism
english drama [look for time periods]	mysteries and miracle plays [geographic region] history and criticism
classical drama	commedia dell'arte
greek drama	[spanish, german, etc.] drama
latin drama	dramatists [note various subheadings]

Books Beyond Howe Library

Enrich your research by searching for books beyond the UVM Libraries.

Hathi Trust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
This resource provides access to millions of digitized titles that are in the public domain. Use it to locate historic or primary source materials from around the world. Use is open to everyone but UVM affiliates can log in to download texts for offline use.
WorldCat This link opens in a new window
This resource is a searchable database of library collections across the United States, Canada and many other countries. Well over a billion records describe books, multimedia, serials, maps, and other information resources. Materials identified through WorldCat can be ordered through UVM's Interlibrary Loan Service.

In addition to the databases above, consider:
Book Reviews: Article databases frequently index book reviews. If you find a review (or citation for a review) for a book that looks useful or interesting, check the library catalog to see if the library owns it. If the library doesn't own the book, borrow it through Interlibrary Loan.
Bibliographies: Scholarly journal articles, scholarly encyclopedia essays, and academic-oriented books will provide bibliographies or lists for further reading. If you find a book that looks useful or interesting, check the library catalog to see if the library owns it. If the library doesn't own the book, borrow it through Interlibrary Loan. These are indeed the "low hanging fruit" during the research process!