Theatre and Drama Resources

WHY use reference sources in your research?

REFERENCE SOURCES (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, manuals, bibliographies, etc.) are a great place to start your research.  They provide general introductions to a wide variety of topics, can explain unfamiliar concepts, or help identify references for further research. There are a wide variety of general and subject specific reference sources that will provide information on a variety of topics within the discipline of Theatre and Dramatic Arts.

WHY use books in your research?

BOOKS tend to provide in-depth information on somewhat broad topics of Theatre and Drama.  They are excellent sources for researching:

• genres (e.g., acting, dance, drama, fashion, film studies and stagecraft)
• forms (e.g., history and criticism, biography and encyclopedias)
• national forms (e.g., Canadian, Irish and American)
• timeperiods (e.g,. 19th century and modern)
• playwrights (e.g.,  Shakespeare, Seamus Heaney and Sharon Pollock)

WHY use articles in newspapers, magazines and journals in your research?

ARTICLES  in newspapers, magazines and journals tend to provide in-depth information on very specific topics and are a great place to research both contemporary and retrospective topics in Theatre and Dramatic Arts.  Remember that if your instructor has asked for scholarly, refereed or peer reviewed sources, you will not be able to use articles that come from newspapers or magazines.