UVM Libraries Research Guides: Theatre: Costume: Starting Points: Theatre Resources

Location of Print Books in Howe Library

Print books in Howe Library are located on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors. Call numbers for books (encyclopedias, guides, dictionaries, etc.) in the Reference Collection (main/1st floor) are prefaced with REF (e.g., REF PN 2101 .B68 2008 ). Reference books are non-circulating but pages may be scanned for free in the library.

General Theatre

These general sources on theatre include information on costume.

History of the Theatre, 10th ed. by Oscar G. Brockett; Franklin J. Hildy
Call Number: REF PN 2101 .B68 2008
Often referred to as the "bible" of theatre history; covers theatre from regions worldwide, and from all time periods (ancient world to the present); substantial bibliographies for each chapter are found at the end of the book.
Theatre Histories : an introduction, 3rd ed.
Call Number: REF PN 2101 .T48 2016
Offers overviews of theatre and drama in many world cultures and periods together with case studies demonstrating the methods and interpretive approaches used by today's theatre historians.
The Essential Theatre, 11th ed by Oscar Brockett; Robert Ball; Andrew Carlson; John Fleming
Call Number: PN 2101 .B72 2017
[this is a circulating book located on the 3rd floor]. Regarded as one of the most comprehensive, authoritative surveys of the theatre. Its treatment of theatre practice--past and present--catalogs the origins of theatre through postmodernism and performance art. The 11th ed includes an all-new chapter devoted to musical theatre, and new "Then and Now" boxes that link theatre history to present-day.
A Cultural History of Theatre by Christopher B. Balme
Call Number: REF PN 2101 .C85 2017 (6 vols)
Presents an authoritative survey from ancient times to the present, covering 2,500 years, tracing the complexity of the interactions between theatre and culture. 1. Antiquity (500 BCE-1000CE) 2. Middle Ages (1000-1400) 3. Early Modern Age (1400-1650) 4. Age of Enlightenment (1650-1800) 5. Age of Empire (1800-1920) 6. Modern Age (1920-2000+). Each vol. discusses the same themes in its chapters: 1. Institutional Frameworks 2. Social Functions 3. Sexuality and Gender 4. The Environment of Theatre 5. Circulation 6. Interpretations 7. Communities of Production 8. Repertoire and Genres 9. Technologies of Performance 10. Knowledge Transmission: Media and Memory.

Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance Print: REF PN 2035 .O94 2003 (2 vols). Authoritative source of information about theatre & performance worldwide from ancient Greek theatre to the present. Covers performances in playhouses; dance, opera; radio; film; t.v.; popular performance, including carnivals and the circus. Entries range from short definitions to lengthy considerations of genres and movements,e.g., feminism and psychoanalytic criticism. Entries on cities and regions place performance in its local social and political context.
Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance
Covers styles and movements, organizations, regions and traditions, with a particularly strong focus on biographies of actors, playwrights, directors, and designers.
Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre
Covers all aspects of theatre worldwide and throughout the ages. It contains entries on theatrical styles, dramatists, performers, and directors, as well as information on theatres, festivals, and such technical topics as lighting, sound, and method acting.
Oxford companion to American theatre
This book is considered the standard one-volume source on American theatre, providing an up-to-date guide to the American stage from its beginnings to the present. Includes entries on people, plays, famous playhouses, awards, and dramatic movements.
Theatre
Survey article from Oxford Art Online.
Cambridge History of American Theatre
[3 vols] v. 1: Beginnings to 1870. v. 2: 1870-1945. v. 3: Post-WW II to the 1990s
Cambridge History of British Theatre
[3 vols] v. 1: Origins to 1660. v. 2: 1660 to 1895. v. 3: Since 1895