Library & Learning Commons: Dramaturgy: Production Histories

Subject and Topic Guides for the School of Drama

Production Databases

Internet Broadway Database
Show histories including cast, awards won, length of run, and production team.
Playbill Vault
Cast, production credits, photos, and other info for Broadway productions (1942-present).
Lortel Archives: Internet Off-Broadway Database
Show histories including cast, awards won, length of run, and production team.

General Searching

Use LibrarySearch to find book and anthologies in which the play was published. Books sometimes include information about the production history of the play.

Searching general research databases for your play title will pull up references and articles about different productions through time:

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a full-text archive of scholarly journals and news, particularly strong in the arts and humanities. — Use the name of the play in quotes as your search term. For example, search “A Raisin in the Sun” or "Little Shop of Horrors"
ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Central covers news and scholarly articles across subject areas. — Use the name of the play in quotes as your search term. For example, search “A Raisin in the Sun” or "Little Shop of Horrors"
New York Times Archive This link opens in a new window
Historical coverage of the New York Times (1857-2016) — Use the name of the play in quotes as your search term. For example, search “A Raisin in the Sun” or "Little Shop of Horrors"
International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance This link opens in a new window
This database focuses on performing arts journals and books, including ballet, cinema, comedy, dance, drama, film, mime, opera, puppetry, and theatre. — Use the name of the play in quotes as your search term. For example, search “A Raisin in the Sun” or "Little Shop of Horrors"

Specialized Sources

Televised Opera and Musical Comedy Database
Developed in association with the Indiana University Digital Library Program, the Televised Opera and Musical Comedy Database documents more than three-quarters of a century of opera, operetta and musical comedy telecasts produced in the United States.
Black Plays Archive
An online catalogue of the first professional production of every African, Caribbean, and Black British play produced in the U.K. Published by the National Theatre.

AFI Catalog This link opens in a new window
The AFI Catalog covers the history of American cinema comprehensively from 1893 to 1975, with full or short records for films from 1976 to present.