Research Guides: Theatre Arts: E-books about Theatre

Database Collections of E-books which Include Theatre Topics

Use the sources listed below to search for your specific topic in theatre research. Use Advanced Search whenever possible to combine terms.

These are catalogs or collections of e-books; once you click on the link, you will need to search for your specific topic.

Ebook Central This link opens in a new window
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Large database of e-books on many subjects, including full playscripts.
EBSCO eBook Collection This link opens in a new window
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Provides a collection of over 210,000 electronic books, including reference books.
Cambridge Companions Online This link opens in a new window
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Cambridge Companions are a series of authoritative guides, written by leading experts, offering lively, accessible introductions to major writers, artists, philosophers, composers, musical genres, topics, and periods.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
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Great collection of subject specific handbooks and encyclopedias covering many subjects, including performing arts topics.
DOAB: Directory of Open Access Books This link opens in a new window
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A collection of open access eBooks available as free PDF downloads, covering a range of disciplines. All books included in this directory go through a peer review process. Many items are in English, but a number of other languages are represented as well. Terms and Conditions
HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
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Digital preservation repository which provides long-term preservation and access services for content from a variety of sources. Public domain titles are available full text.
Early English Books Online This link opens in a new window
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Contains digital facsimile page images of virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from1473-1700 - from the first book printed in English by William Caxton, through the age of Spenser and Shakespeare and the English Civil War.

Very Short Introductions E-books about Theatre

Theatre: A Very Short Introduction
Overview of key people, places, and genres from antiquity to the present day
Modern Drama: A Very Short Introduction
Covers 1880 to the present, profiling Early Modernist to Contemporary movements.
Comedy: A Very Short Introduction
Includes description of different types of comedy as well as specifics related to performance genres.
Tragedy: A Very Short Introduction
Defines aspects of tragedy in literature as well as in performance arts beginning with Sophocles
Shakespeare:s Comedies: A Very Short Introduction
Examines sources and looks at the history of the plays in performance
Shakespeare's Tragedies: A Very Short Introduction
Considers what is meant by the word ‘tragedy’ and offers a critical analysis of nine of Shakespeare’s iconic tragic plays
William Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction
Examines the theaters and theatrical profession of the time and considers how Shakespeare experienced this world, both as an actor and as a writer.

Helpful Ebook Central Titles for Theatre Research

Research Methods in Theatre and Performance, edited by Baz Kershaw and Helen Nicholson.

Method Meets Art, Second Edition: Arts-Based Research Practice by Patricia Leavy.

Blood, Sweat & Theory: Research through Practice in Performance by John Freeman.

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Theatre Arts

Database Collections of E-books which Include Theatre Topics

Very Short Introductions E-books about Theatre

Helpful Ebook Central Titles for Theatre Research