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THTR 1410: Introduction to Theatre

Welcome!

Welcome! This guide is designed to assist you with your themed projects. It covers sources & strategies for researching the history of your play that will inform in your acting, directing, or design development.

Choosing a Play

The first step to starting your themed project is selecting a play. Need some inspiration? Check out these sources:

The 101 Greatest Plays: From Antiquity to the Present | The Guardian
In this article, The Guardian’s theatre critic has selected what he thinks are the 101 greatest plays ever written, in any western language.
Books that were Adapted into Broadway Plays & Musicals | Princeton Library
From Carrie to The Color Purple, Curious Incident to 1984, many Broadway favorites started out as a book, and most don't even know that certain musicals had started out as one. This list will show you which of your favorite Broadway plays and musicals began life as a book and how they came to be the musicals we all know and love.
Top 100 Stage Plays of All Time | Goodreads
An informal list of the best stage plays compiled from the Serious Literature Group of Goodreads

100 Greatest American Plays by Thomas S. Hischak
Call #: LOWER LEVEL 812.08 H673O
Publication Date: 2017
The Drama 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Plays of All Time by Daniel S. Burt
Call #: LOWER LEVEL 809.2 B973D
Publication Date: 2007
The Norton Anthology of Drama by J. Ellen Gainor, Stanton B. Garner, Martin Puchner
Call #: LOWER LEVEL 808.82 N882
ISBN: 9780393283471
Publication Date: 2017
Plays for the Theatre by Oscar G. Brockett; Robert J. Ball
Call #: LOWER LEVEL 808.82 P725
ISBN: 9781133310693
Publication Date: 2013
Drama: Classical to Contemporary by John C. Coldewey & William R. Streitberger
Call #: LOWER LEVEL 808.82 D763
ISBN: 0130884413
Publication Date: 2000
The 101 Greatest Plays: From Antiquity to Present by Michael Billington
Call #: OhioLINK
ISBN: 9781783350308
Publication Date: 2016

Browsing the Stacks

Prefer to just browse the stacks to find a play?

Walk through the 800s in the Lower Level of the Library. Plays are grouped by geographic area:

812s | American Drama

822s | English Drama

832s | German Drama

842s | French Drama

852s | Italian Drama

862s | Spanish Drama

872s | Latin Drama

882s | Classical Greek Drama