Theatre and Film Resources
Book Collection
Video Collection
Government Documents
Journals and Databases
Internet Resources
The Marvin K. Peterson Library has an assortment of resources to assist you in researching theatre and film related topics. These resources include books, both circulating and non-circulating, videos, government documents, journal articles, databases and Internet resources. This guide will help you begin the research process by suggesting basic resources and strategies to continue your search.
Most books on theatre and film are shelved under the Library of Congress classification PN 1600 - PN 3307 (Literature - Drama). Books, videos, and government documents may also be searched in the Library Catalog. Specific plays can be searched for by title, but may not appear if part of larger collection of works. For works by a specific playwright, search the Catalog by the author's last name, then first name under Author Browse (for example: Pinter, Harold). A Subject Browse search of the Catalog for drama, theater (note spelling), or motion pictures will give a general overview of books on these topics. For more help on how to use the Catalog, see our tutorial Using the UNH Library Catalog, listed with the Research Guides.
Below are a few samples of books in the MKP Library collection. More can be found by searching the catalog or browsing the shelves.
Play Index REF Z5781 .P53 (1949-1972)
Best American Plays (1787-1973) PS634 .B4
Design for the Stage: First Steps PN2091.S8 P35
Designing and Painting for the Theatre PN2091.S8 P37
Scene Design and Stage Lighting PN2091.S8 P3 1974
Stage Scenery, Its Construction and Rigging PN2091.S8 G5 1981
School and Community Theater Management: A Handbook for Survival PN3178.T68 S75
Theatre Management in America: Principle and Practice; Producing for the Commercial, Stock, Resident, College, and community Theatre PN2291 .L3
A Guide to Critical Reviews REF Z5782 .S342
Understanding Movies PN1994 .G47 1996
The Marvin K. Peterson Library video collection contains both feature films and educational videos. The video collection is intended to enrich and amplify the University's cultural and intellectual resources. The collection supports course offerings and augments our collection of print materials. Members of the UNH community may use videos in-house or check them out at the Circulation Desk.
All videos are listing in the Library Catalog and can be searched by title. For films by a director use the Author Browse search and enter last name first. For a list of major movies use "feature films" as a Subject Browse and set the Quick Limit to "videorecording." Other Subject Browse terms might be "animated films" or "fairy tales." The videos are held in Permanent Reserve and can be requested at the Circulation Desk. For more information on searching for videos, see our guide on Videos in the UNH Library.
Sample of videos in our collection:
Art Education in Action N85 .A655
Avant Garde and Experimental Films PN1995.9 .E96 A93 1980
Avant Garde 2 PN1995.9 .E96 A8 1982
Cameras on Campus: Vol.1 1999 Students Pushing Film in New Directions PN1995.9 .E96 C3 1999
Blade Runner PN1995.9 .S26 B5 1991
Cry, Baby PN1995.9 .C45 C6 1990
Fargo PN1997 .F37 1996
Ghost World PN1995.9.C55 G5 2001
Hair Spray PN1995.9 .M86 H3 1995
Manhattan PN1995.9.C55 M35 1984
The Shining PN1997 .S535 1999
The Third Man PN1995.9 .T495 1994
2001: A Space Odyssey PN1995.9.S26 T8 1993
Vertigo PN1995.9 .S87 V47 1996
Government document may also be found by searching the Library Catalog. Print copies of government documents are kept on the Lower Level. Ask at the Information Desk for staff assistance. Many of these resources are also available online through links in the Catalog record. Look for the URL symbol or click on Linked Resources tab to check for the online availability of a particular item. For more information on government resources, consult Finding Government Documents, listed with the Library's Research Guides.
Journals available at Marvin K. Peterson Library may be in print and/or electronic formats. Print journals are shelved on the Lower Level in alphabetical order by title. Electronic journals can be accessed via Library Databases. The databases can be used to search for journal articles whether they are in print or electronic. Search by keyword, author, article title, or subject, depending on the databases selected.
Recommended databases for Theatre research include:
Literary Reference Center - Literary Reference Center (LRC) from EBSCO is a fully-searchable, comprehensive literature database that offers a vast amount of information from literary journals, books, literary encyclopedias and other pertinent reference works.
Academic OneSearch - A source for peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources. Contains extensive coverage of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects.
Educator's Reference Complete - This database covers all aspects of education, from pre-school through higher education, and nearly all academic topics. It provides access to more than 1,300 journals and reports, including the full text of about half of the journals found in ERIC.
Expanded Academic ASAP - Balanced coverage from 3,000 indexed and 1,900 full-text titles in a wide variety of disciplines including: social science journals, humanities journals, science and technology.
Newspapers - Current (ProQuest) - Search for theatre and movie reviews from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Hartford Courant, and more.
To see if the Library owns a particular journal, search the Journals link for the journal title. The results will indicate if the journal is available in print (UNH Library Print Journals) or list databases and the dates ranges in which full-text of the articles are available. Clicking the UNH Library Print Journals link connects you to the Library Catalog which will indicate whether the journal is in paper or microfilm, and the dates available.
Listed here are a few of the journal titles available through the Library:
Theatre
American Drama; American Theatre; Back Stage; Modern Drama; Opera News; Plays; TDR: Drama Review; Theatre History Studies.
Film
American Cinematographer; Cinéaste; Cinema Journal; Daily Variety; Film and History; Film Criticism; Film Journal International; Hollywood Reporter; Journal of Popular Film and Television; Variety; Visual Media.
For more information about searching for articles, see our research guide Finding Articles or view the Database Searching Tutorial.
Any resources not available at the Marvin K. Peterson Library may be requested through Interlibrary Loan.
The following recommended websites are divided into the following categories: Theatre - General Information; Theatre News and Reviews, Film-Professional Associations, and Film-General information.
American Variety Stage, Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920
A multimedia anthology selected from the Library of Congress.
AWOL (Acting Workshop Online)
Comprehensive site with links to everything related to acting technique, training and employment.
Internet Broadway Database
The official database for Broadway theatre information from the beginnings of New York theatre until today. Sponsored by the League of American Theatres and Producers.
Inter-Play
An online index to plays in collections, anthologies and periodicals.
Medieval Drama Links
Links to sites with texts, commentary and illustrations.
Musicals101.com
Essays, links, photos, etc. about the musical theatre from the operetta to the present.
The New Deal Stage, 1935-1939
Selections from the Library of Congress' Federal Theatre Project Collection.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
One of the premier libraries in the world for theater research. The Billy Rose Theater Collection is renowned for its holdings of original designs, playbills, posters, photographs, press clipping files and recordings. The library also has a large collection of circulating materials.
World Wide Web Virtual Library, Theatre and Drama
Links to academic, professional and recreational theatre sites.
American Theater Web
Theatre and show information, news updated daily.
Backstage
Web version of the weekly newspaper for actors.
Broadway.com
Listings, reviews, gossip, etc.
Curtain Up
Internet theatre magazine of reviews, features, annotated listings.
New York Theatre Experience
News about the New York theatre scene.
Playbill On-Line
News, reviews, listings, features, and lots more on the New York Theatre
Show Business Weekly
Web version of the weekly newspaper. Auditions and news for actors
Theatre Reviews Limited
Reviews of Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway
Film - Professional Associations
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Official site for the professional organization with a special section on the annual Academy Awards (Oscars) and Student Academy Awards.
American Film Institute (AFI). A national arts organization dedicated to preserving the heritage of film and television, identifying and training new talent, and increasing the recognition of the moving image as an art form.
All Movie Guide. This site offers factual and descriptive data for movies, actors, directors, writers, and other professionals. Plot synopses, reviews, MPAA ratings, and purchase information is also available.
The Internet Movie Database (IMDB). Search this site for movies, television shows, actors and actresses, companies, or characters. You can find plot synopses of movies, user reviews, trivia, and mini-bios and pictures of actors.
The Internet Movie Script Database. This site allows you to read or download film or television scripts for free. You can find a script by search, browse by title, or browse by genre.
Black Film Center/Archive. A repository of films and related materials by and about African Americans.
Bright Lights Film Journal is a popular-academic hybrid of movie analysis, history, and commentary, looking at classic and commercial, independent, exploitation, and international film from a wide range of vantage points from the aesthetic to the political. Current issue and archives available in full-text.
DocumentaryFilms.net. Information on independent documentary films and festivals.
Earlycinema.com. Earlycinema.com aims to provide an introduction to the first decade of motion pictures and the developments which helped shape cinema as we know it today. Includes a timeline of events, pioneers of cinema, technology of motion pictures along with major inventions, and a browsable index.
European Films. This privately owned and operated site wants to increase public awareness about European feature length films that are currently in (pre-) production or in release in theatres or on DVD around the world. The site offers news and reviews of such films for the general public, hoping to stimulate interest in the diverse output of European filmmakers working today.
Film Quarterly. The official website for the journal Film Quarterly. Browse the contents of past issues and read sample articles. For full-text of the journal, subscription is necessary.
Film Score Monthly. This is the website for the online magazine of motion picture and television music appreciation. Includes daily articles, feature articles, message board, polls, FAQ, handbook, links, and an online store.
Filmmaking.com: The Filmmaking Portal. A resource for film schools and digital filmmaking information.
Filmmaking.net. A reference and community source for the new and independent filmmaker.
Filmsound.org. A site created by a media teacher in Sweden. Contains full-text articles about film sound and sound design, a glossary of terms, and descriptions of how film sounds were made for some major films.
The Greatest Films. The greatest movies in cinematic history: greatest moments, famous scenes, and film quotes. Organized by historical decades, years, and genres.
GreenCine Movie Primers. Offers introductory overviews of major film genres and movements.
IFP.org. Independent Feature Project was founded in 1979 on a belief that a truly vital American cinema must include the personal, idiosyncratic, and sometimes controversial voices of filmmakers working outside of the established studio system.
Images: A Journal of Film and Popular Culture. A quarterly journal that features in-depth discussions of movies and other visual arts.
Masters of Cinema. This site provides full-text current news and articles on directors and films, past and present. They also list DVD release date of films internationally and link to information about directors.
Reel Classics. Dedicated exclusively to classic movies with profiles of the stars, movies, moviemakers, and more.
Scope: Institute of Film Studies Journal. Established in 1999, Scope is a fully peer-reviewed online journal edited by staff and students in the Institute of Film & Television Studies at the University of Nottingham. This journal provides a forum for discussion of all aspects of film history, theory and criticism.
ScreenSite. ScreenSite facilitates the teaching and research of film/TV/new media and is designed principally for educators and students. This site includes information on production, research, education, fair use, and publication.
Simply Scripts. Screenplays, transcripts, and partial scripts of old, current and soon-to-be-released movies.
Women Make Movies. A multicultural, multiracial, nonprofit media arts organization which facilitates the production, promotion, distribution, and exhibition of independent films and videotapes by and about women.
Any Questions? Ask at the Information Desk, call us at (203) 932-7189 or email us at LibraryHelp@newhaven.edu.
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