LEO: Theatre Arts: Web Resources

Historic Primary Sources & Reviews

These sites include theatre news, reviews, photographs, and reference information.

Billboard--Google Books
Throughout the 20th century, Billboard was a major entertainment print news source. Google Books covers the 1940s through the 2010s; you can browse by date or run a search through all issues.
Billboard--Internet Archive
Throughout the 20th century, Billboard was a major entertainment print news source. You can page through free scans organized by month; most date from the late-19th to early-20th century.
Folger Shakespeare Library Digital Image Collection
These are materials digitized by the Folger Shakespeare library, including including books, theater memorabilia, manuscripts, and art.
HathiTrust
HathiTrust is a digital library that offers full-text scans of public domain books, including early play scripts. If you are interested in a pre-1922 play, you may be able to find it here.
La MaMa Archives
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is one of New York's most noted experimental theaters. Its digital archive includes production photographs, programs, and posters.
Life Magazine Archives
Full-text searching of LIFE magazine from 1936 to 1972. LIFE was a major American magazine of the 20th century known for its photography. Time magazine also maintains a LIFE photography section on its website.
New York Public Library Digital Collections
NYPL has digitized many photographs of New York productions from the past several decades. You can search for photos or browse the theater-specific collections, including the Billy Rose Theatre Collection and the Martha Swope Collection.
The Smart Set--Modernist Journals Project
The Modernist Journals Project has digitized several important magazines from the early 20th century, including The Smart Set, a monthly magazine with a regular feature on the theatre by George Jean Nathan. The magazine also on occasion published plays or excerpts of plays.
Variety--Internet Archive
Through the 20th Century, Variety was the major entertainment print news source. You can page through free scans organized by month; most date from the early- to mid-20th century.

Online Reference

Internet Broadway Database (IBDB)
Freely accessible database with information on Broadway shows, including original casts, crew, songs, awards, and opening and closing dates. Not a definitive source but useful for a quick overview.
Library of Congress: Show Music on Record Database
This database brings together information about recordings made of musical theatre and film music. You can click Show Title under Browse By to see an alphabetical list of shows in the database. For each show, commercial recordings are listed. The database doesn't include the actual recordings; rather, it tells you what recordings exist and gives you the information you need to request them from the library (probably via interlibrary loan) or find a used recording for sale.
Lortel Archive--Internet Off-Broadway Database
Freely accessible database with information on Broadway shows, including original casts, crew, songs, awards, and opening and closing dates. Not a definitive source but useful for a quick overview.

Current News

Playbill
Broadway news, interviews, and CD and DVD reviews. Decidedly commercial but still a good source for current information.
New York Times--Theater page
News and reviews of current and recent New York productions.
The Guardian--Theatre page
News and reviews of current and recent London productions.

Evaluating Online Information

The resources listed here are all available online without a subscription. In the course of your research, you may find other sites on related topics. Here are some things to consider when evaluating whether the information you find is credible.

1. Authority--Who created the site/content? What expertise do they have in the topic?

2. Objectivity--What is the purpose of the site/content (an "About" page can help determine this)? Does it present any bias toward the topic?

3. Accuracy--How does the information correspond to what you already know about the topic? Are sourced cited, and are they reliable?

4. Currency--When was the page created, and when was it last updated?