Research Guides: THE : Theatre: Plays

Plays (and Film Scripts)

Asian American Drama [Alexander Street] This link opens in a new window 252 plays, with biographical, production, and theatrical information, from the late 19th century to present.
Black Drama: Third Edition [ProQuest] This link opens in a new window
Full-text plays by playwrights from North America, English-speaking Africa, the Caribbean, and other African diaspora countries, including many previously unpublished.
Contemporary World Drama [ProQuest] This link opens in a new window
New work from established and up-and-coming contemporary playwrights from around the world, including recent world premieres and previously unpublished works.
Eighteenth Century Drama [Adam Matthew] This link opens in a new window
A unique archive of almost every play submitted for license between 1737 and 1824, and hundreds of documents that provide social context for the plays.
Film Scripts Online [Alexander Street] This link opens in a new window
Authorized versions of copyrighted screenplays, for both classic & contemporary films from both American & foreign studios: Warner Bros., Sony, RKO, MGM, StudioCanal, Ealing, Newmarket Press, etc. Also includes the British Film Institute’s Film Classics books, providing deep analysis of the most well-known classics in cinematic history.
New Play Exchange This link opens in a new window
The world's largest digital library of scripts by living writers. You can search the 23,000-title database, download/read scripts, read recommendations of scripts, and contact writers.
North American Indian Drama This link opens in a new window Over 200 plays by 48 playwrights, more than half are previously unpublished or hard-to-find.
North American Women's Drama [Alexander Street] This link opens in a new window Full texts of 1,500 plays written from colonial times to the present by American and Canadian women playwrights; includes previously unpublished plays.
Shakespeare in Performance [AM Digital] This link opens in a new window
Digitized prompt books from the Folger Shakespeare Library. Documents key performances, 17th-20th centuries. The books include personal notes, sketches, and cues for lighting & music. Includes curated case studies built around notable performances, with photographs, costume designs & music scores.
Twentieth Century Drama This link opens in a new window Full text plays by dramatists such as Amiri Baraka, Noel Coward, Susan Glaspell, Langston Hughes, David Mamet, Eugene O'Neil, Harold Pinter, Bernard Shaw, Neil Simon, Gertrude Stein, Tom Stoppard, Derek Walcott, August Wilson & others.

Play Indexes

Inter-Play Index to plays in collections, anthologies, and periodicals and in a variety of languages. Contains approximately over 16,000 citations. After finding desired title, search in Five College Library Catalog

Play Index [EBSCO] 1949+ This link opens in a new window Lists plays written from Antiquity to the present; includes plays published separately and in collections, with full publication details.