Theater Studies Resources

Please contact me with your research questions, comments or suggestions.  I am available to provide specialized research assistance for students and faculty in English, Literature, and Theater Studies;  let me know if you'd like help with specific research questions or just with a general orientation to the library.

Teaching faculty:  I can work with you to plan a custom library workshop on a particular topic or research project for individual courses.  Workshops can be held in one of the library's hands-on training rooms, or in your regular classroom.

To suggest a title for purchase (print, electronic, journals, etc.), please e-mail me with as much information about the item as possible:  title and author at a minimum;  publisher and date, ISBN, price, and a short description are also helpful.  Let me know whether a particular edition is needed.  Be sure to include your e-mail address so that you can be contacted with questions and/or when the material is ready for pickup.  You may also use the request form on the main library web page to suggest a purchase.

Collection Description

The theater studies collection at the Duke University Libraries consists of a wide variety of materials. The primary collection consists of play scripts, including both foreign language and English language plays, which support the Department of Theater Studies. The theater collection's strengths are Shakespearean plays and American plays.  The collection also includes works covering drama history, theatrical history, the history of stage production, biographies of actors, the technical aspects of stage production (e.g. lighting), and play criticism.

Theater materials are housed both in Perkins Library and in Lilly Library.  Generally speaking, play scripts and other performance-related materials can be found at Lilly, while drama as literature (including Shakespeare's plays) and critical materials are housed in Perkins.  Check the Duke Online Catalog for locations of specific titles.

Theater materials are found in other collections at the Duke University Libraries as well. The art collection, for example, has materials on theater arts and costume. The film collection at Lilly Library includes both video recordings of theatrical performances and film scripts. The Music Library's Media Center houses recordings of musical theater and other productions. The Special Collections Library collects such items as historic playbills.