Information about theatre and stage history and reviews

[witheredsong]

Can you tell me of websites which have archives of old and/or contemporary stage and theater history/reviews?

Also possibly details on famous directors/playwrights/musicians/performers? Especially, if a person or play intervened in debates about race/caste/gender/sexuality/body image/class/nation or was significant in a particular mass movement

Comments

[lolmac]

That's an incredibly broad request. Can you be specific? At all? If not, try picking up Oscar Brockett's "The History of the Theatre", which was the primary textbook when I was in grad school.

[witheredsong]

I will look up that book in my Uni library. :)
I do need broad details - basically interesting or remarkable things that happened, like a presently-celebrated play's initial bad reviews, or any famous actor's strange set of choices of pieces to act in, or any art movement which became important politically, or innovative or scandalous plays whose interpretations of gender/class/race et. issues marked them out as significant.

[aliskye]

Where? When? And where have you already looked?

[witheredsong]

In Europe and America. Anything from 1600s to present.
I have looked into the archives of about 14 newspapers, magazines, and article stores - like the NYT, Guardian, Independent etc.

[dramaturgy]

The New York Times has an impressive archive. I think for anything from the 1930's through 80's you have to pay for, but it is a complete archive.

Playbill.com, broadway.com, or broadwayworld.com have information about current productions and artists.

I'd be able to help you more if I knew more about what you were looking for, since I'm in a graduate studies program for dramaturgy and this is kind of my thing. :\

[witheredsong]

Thank you for your help. :)
What I need, is details to bulk up this detective novel I am trying to write. I need interesting info - like a strangely vitriolic review about a play in 1890s or 1950s which was later much applauded, or strange details about the career of a great actress, or any production whose deliberations on gender/race/class etc. was pioneering, or any drama group being significant in any mass movement.

[veradee]

Since reviews are usually printed in newspapers, it's newspaper archives you will have to look for. Of course, theatres have archives with all the reviews about their productions as well - although I would assume they are not online.

[witheredsong]

Thank you, I am looking through important newspapers that I know of, but can you recommend any names specifically that I should look at?
Any important theatres or schools whose archives I should search for?

[perrie]

The Stage Online is a massive UK theatre resource with archived and contemporary reviews that's very well respected over here. You do have to pay £5 for a 24 hour pass to the archives, but it goes back to 1880 so it's quite worth it! The recent reviews stretch back a good few years at least, too.

Also, Guardian Culture is a well stocked section of the Guardian newspaper with plenty on theatre, arts, dance and everything contemporary in the British arts scene. Very worth a look.

[witheredsong]

Thank you, for the tip about the first website, I didn't know about it. *hugs*