A Brief Guide to Internet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies
Enter this under the Department of Minor Understatement: Dr. Ken McCoy’s resources cover pretty much every theatrical subject. And, just to make easier for you, his categories include: Introduction: Purpose of this guide, what’s in it, what’s not in it, format, etc.; Start Here: Places that help me the most; Other World Wide Web Resources by Topic; Actors and Acting; Stagecraft and Technical Theatre; Plays and Playwrights; Shakespeare; Arts Management and Non-Profit Arts Organizations; Of Regional Interest; Potpourri: The Best of the Rest; Finding Primary Materials; Online Indexes and Databases; Electronic Texts; Electronic Journals and Magazines; and Other Guides.
This nonprofit, nationwide human services organization provides programs to support those working in entertainment and the performing arts, serving as a safety net, and offering a place for them to turn to when in need or crisis. The Fund’s External Resources section provides a one-stop database of services and organizations to meet the needs of arts and entertainment professionals.
A theatre organization serving the community for almost 100 years. Home of the Tony Awards. Provides a program on working in the theatre, a theatre podcast spotlighting Broadway and off-Broadway, extensive archives, grants, internship programs, and training. The site features a blog, career guides, and an extensive link collection.
Covers breaking theatre news; part blog, part generalist site.
Part of a generalist art site that includes art and museum links. Another good place to start.
An online resource for current and future arts managers, boards, and students.
Resources for those working in community theatre. Includes a discussion board, articles, scripts, humor, links to other resources, and a “how to” section, much of which addresses stagecraft.
Digital Librarian: Performing Arts
A general listing of performing art-related sites, including: blogs, dance companies, festivals, a performing arts encyclopedia, Shakespeare, and more.
Provides independent Broadway show audience reviews, news, and ticket information.
A performing arts networking site that stresses it provides its service free of charge (and, in fact, includes a “scam watch” for less forthright websites). Information on auditions for various disciplines. Also serves as a portal to many other theatrical/performing arts sites and to resources for performers.
A search engine for finding rehearsal and performance space in the Big Apple.
Links, links, and more links, especially for theatre and film. Specialty sections on actors, plays and playwrights, and reviews. Also links to theatre libraries. Good. Bookmark it.
Senior Theatre Resource Center
“Helping older adults fulfill their theatrical dreams.” Resources for retirement-age theatre pros (and non-pros). Includes: plays and books, playwrights, casting, a newsletter, and services for marketing, workshops, and more.
A guide to Boston theatre, with events listings, contests, and various ticket discounts. In addition to theatre, the site includes comedy, music, bars, and more.
For the UK: news, reviews, features, columns, listings, casting notices, and more. Available as a mobile app.
A site for international GLBT theater. Includes: news, reviews, commentary, interviews, plays and playwrights, and a theatre directory. Resources include job listings, calls for scripts, workshops, and more.
General theatre news: Broadway, off-Broadway, tickets, reviews, video, children’s theatre, and more. If you sign on, you can list your productions.
Theatre and Drama Collection at IUB
Some 45,000 books, 35 periodical subscriptions, and videos and DVDs. Subjects covered include: Acting for the stage, Directing, Criticism, Theory and Philosophy, Theatre History, Costume, Lighting, Set Design and Scenography, Stage Movement, Sound Engineering, Puppetry, Voice and Diction, and Dramaturgy. The site also provides research guides and an outstanding collection of links to other theatre resources. Bookmark this one.
A not-for-profit organization built on the premise that live theatrical arts: “afford a unique expression of the human condition that must be sustained and nurtured. Identifies and provides support, including financial assistance, to theatrical works of artistic merit, and encourages and enables diverse audiences to attend live theatre and dance.” Absolutely. The site includes ticket services, education and training resources, production-related resources, and, refreshingly, resources for audiences (who are definitely part of the equation). The latter includes a show search engine, and Theatre 101, which actually teaches those unfamiliar with the art how to go about seeing a show (i.e., shut off your cell phone).
Though it sounds like a reference site, it’s much more generalist, representing the Association, which presents events and awards, and provides a great many online theatre resources. An especially good list of theatre-related publications.
Mostly a portal to other sites listing theatre jobs, but it does include a job search function, a place to register your resume, and, interestingly, a salary calculator that compares various cities’ costs of living.
A generalist site offering fee-based memberships. Provides information and a variety of entertainment-related services and resources for producing organizations, individuals, producers, self-producing artists, and other theater professionals. The link section has its share of ads, but there’s some information here too.
A generalist/social theatre site with reviews, tickets, a weekly newsletter, and space to build a theatre website, receive mail, upload photos, and track events across the UK. Sections on featured actors, member profiles, theatre jobs, other theatre sites, and discussion forums (which require free registration).
General links to UK performing arts, emphasizing theatre and including dance, opera, amateur and professional organizations, jobs, and training. Performance listings, news, a newsletter, and online scripts.
World Wide Arts Resources – Theater Resources
If you can think of an element of theatre that you practice or that interests you, there’s a reasonably good chance of finding an appropriate link here, from acting to youth theatre. Reviews, costumes, theatre companies. Clowns. Plus employment and publications. (Warning: you may, however, have to deal with some pop-ups.)
WWW Virtual Library—Theatre and Drama
Links to “resources in more than 50 countries around the world, for professionals, amateurs, academics and students of all ages.” A multicultural, multilingual site, updated daily. Topics include: academic/training institutions, general organizations and resources, plays in print, and theatre companies worldwide. “Plays on Line” presents an alphabetical guide to playwrights across the world, with a search engine. Terrific site.
Google has come to overshadow Yahoo (and pretty much every other search engine), but Yahoo still offers a terrific directory of theatre-related links. Just its section on professional theatre companies includes over 1,750 listings, broken down further into categories. There’s a certain amount of mud here, but gold shines through. Note that, despite all the tools, apps, and other cool stuff Google offers, it has done away with its directories (so 20th Century).
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