Library Guides: THEA 208/CMLIT 112N: Search Strategies

Catalog Searching Tips

Locating Plays at Penn State

Catalog (Penn State University Libraries catalog) This link opens in a new window
Use the CAT to find materials owned by Penn State
This is the online catalog of materials owned by Penn State Libraries. All formats (books, journals, audiovisuals, maps, recordings, etc.) are included. Circulation status for individual items is also provided. Coverage: Presently contains about 7 million records. Updates: Continuous up-to-the-minute as new records are added.

Under Quick Search, select "Keywords"
Enter a keyword like "theater," "comedy," or "plays" and your culture/country
In the dropdown menu, try "Keywords Anywhere" or "Topic:Title+Subject"

Searching by Subject Headings

Under Quick Search, select "Keywords"
In the search box enter: Theater--[location]
In the dropdown menu, select "Subject Heading"

Finding Related Books

If you find a book that you like and would like to see similar books, click on the book title to see the full record for the book. Then click the "Nearby items on shelf" text link on the left.

Requesting Books Through Interlibrary Loan

The play that you find may not be available through the Penn State Libraries.

Interlibrary Loan (ILLIAD)
Use ILLiad if you locate a play that you would like to read through Google or another Internet search, you can request it to see if it is available through one of our partner libraries. First time users must register.

Searching Databases for Plays & Playwrights

Literature Online Core (LION Core) (legacy) This link opens in a new window
Search this database for plays and playwrights by going to the "Texts" tab and selecting "Drama." On this advanced search page, you can browse playwrights by nationality, search for specific playwrights, or search plays by keyword.
With over a third of a million full-text works of poetry, prose and drama in English, together with the definitive online criticism and reference library, Literature Online is the world's largest cross-searchable database of literature and criticism.
Black Drama This link opens in a new window
This edition of Black Drama contains approximately 1200 plays by 200 playwrights, together with detailed, fielded information on related productions, theaters, production companies, and more. The database also includes selected playbills, production photographs and other ephemera related to the plays. Some 440 of the plays are published here for the first time, including a number by major authors.
Includes full texts of plays written from the mid-1800s to the present by more than 100 playwrights from North America, English-speaking Africa, the Caribbean, and other African diaspora countries. The plays are fully searchable and extensively indexed.
Twentieth - Century Drama This link opens in a new window
Contains full texts of some two thousand plays from throughout the English-speaking world, including works by George Bernard Shaw, Langston Hughes, Sean O'Casey, Noel Coward, David Mamet, Eugene O'Neill, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard and Thornton Wilder. Many regional and ethnic works are included. Plays are searchable by text, first performance date, genre, and nationality.
Contains full texts of some two thousand plays from throughout the English-speaking world, including works by George Bernard Shaw, Langston Hughes, Sean O'Casey, Noel Coward, David Mamet, Eugene O'Neill, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard and Thornton Wilder. Many regional and ethnic works are included. Plays are searchable by text, first performance date, genre, and nationality.
Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) This link opens in a new window
Search online encyclopedia's for playwright biographies. Two important sources within this database include Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television and Drama for Students.
A collection of over 2000 reference resources.

Other Search Strategies

Wikipedia - List of Playwrights by Nationality
This Wikipedia page lists playwrights by nationality. You might consider investigating playwrights from your chosen culture first, and then locating the plays.
Dramatists Play Service
This website will allow you to search for plays by playwright or play title. It can be helpful if you first find a playwright and want to locate plays by the author. Although Penn State may not have the plays, you can find the titles here and then see if the plays are available by Interlibrary Loan.