In searching for biographical material on a practioner, there may not be one solid source obtainable. You may have to search through reference works, books, journals, databases, interviews and archives to put together a solid biography. Use the open-access web to get clues. If you are not sure the sites you find are reputable, double check information you find there in a variety of other sources. it's a good practice to use diverse sources in any case.
The following reputable resources will help you to begin.
Use the library catalog to access full-length biographies or autobiographies and in-depth critical analyses of plays and practictioners by searching for books in the library catalog:
Research Hint: For a biography search, use Advanced Search, and in the Subject search box type the word biography or the word autobiography, as part of your search. If this doesn't work, try typing the name of the person in the Advanced Search Word or Phrase search box.
Use this huge authoritative library catalog that lists the holdings of libraries across the country to find materials that are not listed in Cameo or may reveal listings of contents of materials we may have in the library that were not enumerated in Cameo.
Use the search strategies as you might in Cameo, but because this is a huge database try searching the name of your person in the title or subject search boxes. Use the pull-down menu at the end of the search box indicated by the black arrow.For items we don't have you can use Interlibrary Loan which allows you to borrow materials from other libraries.
Literature Resource Center
Database for literary topics, authors and their works in all genres, disciplines, time periods and regions worldwide. Biography is one of the search options.__________________________________________________________________
General Reference Works Containing Biographies: Print and Online
American National Biography. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, eds. New York: Oxford University Press..
HUNT-REF-1 CT213 .A68 1999 9 24 volumes
Each entry is written by a scholar and containing bibliography.
Cambridge History of American Theatre (Don B. Wilmeth and Christopher Bigsby, eds.) New York; Cambridge: Cambridge University, Press, 1998.
HUNT FA-REF-4 PN2221 .c37 1998
Volume 1: Beginnings to 1870
Volume 2: 1870-1945
Volume 3: Post-World War II-1990s
A contextual survey; each section contains extensive timelines juxtaposing theatre events in America with selected historical/cultural American and worldwide events.
The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama. (Cody, Gabrielle H. and Evert Sprinchorn, ed.). New York: Columbia University Press, 2007.
HUNT FA-REF-4 PN1861 . C65 2007 (2 volumes)
Scholarly critical essays on individuals, plays, and types of drama from 1860 to present; cites first production of plays; emphasis placed on cultural context of dramatic works and their authors; appendices include synoptic outline of contents, directory of contributors. Bibliographies. Extensive index.
Contemporary Dramatists. London: St. James Press.
HUNT REF-1 PR737 .V5 1973 and 1977; PR737 .C57 1982;
HUNT REF-1 928.2 C7611 1988; 1993
Bio-bibliographies on writers for the stage, screen, radio and television.
*International Dictionary of Theatre. (Hawkins-Dady, Mark, ed., Leanda Shrimpton, picture editor). Chicago and London: St. James Press, 1992.
HUNT FA-REF-4 PN2035 .I49 1992Plays Volume 1
Detailed information about play publication and production. Includes date of first production, translations and bibliography;critical summary of each play.
Playwrights Volume 2
Detailed information on life and work; critical summary; bibliography
Actors, Directors and Designers Volume 3
Detailed information on life and work, critical summary; bibiliography.
International Encyclopedia of Dance (Selma Jeanne Cohen)
A six-volume reference set in print
HUNT FA-REF-4 GV1585 .I586 1998
Magill, Frank N. Critical Survey of Drama : English Language Series. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Salem Press, 1985.
HUNT REF-1 PR623 .C75 1985 6 vols.
Biographical summaries; critical essays examine representative plays and identify themes and characteristics employed by English language dramatists.
Magill, Frank N. Critical Survey of Drama : Foreign Language Series. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Salem Press, 1986.
HUNT REF-1 PN1625 .C74 1986, 6 vols. with 1987 supplement
Biographical summaries; critical essays examine representative plays and identify themes and characteristics employed by more than 170 non-English speaking dramatists.*The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre & Performance (edited by Dennis Kennedy). Oxford University Press, 2003.
HUNT FA-REF-4 PN2035 .O94 2003 (2 volumes)Oxford Reference Online
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, quotations, timelines and other reference works across discplines.
Routledge Companion to Theatre and Performance (Paul Allain)
HUNT FA-REF-4 PN1581 .A45 2006
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Narrowly Focused Biographical Reference Works
This is not a comprehensive list by any means! Browse reference books (and the regular stacks) for more titles!
American Women Stage Directors of the Twentieth Century (Anne L. Fliotsos)
FA-REF PN2286.8 .F55 2008
Asian American Playwrights: A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook (Miles Xian Liu)
FA-REF PS338 .A74 A9 2002
A Biographical Dictionary of Scenographers, 500 B.C. to 1900 A.D. (Robin Thrulow Lacy)
FA-REF PN2096 .A1 L33 1990
Contemporary Fashion, 2nd ed. (Taryn Benbow-Pfalzgraf)
FA-REF TT505 .A1 C66 2002Critical Companion to William Shakespeare: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. (Charles Boyce)
FA-REF PR2892 .B69 2005
The Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, 2nd edition. (Kurt Gänzl)
FA-REF ML102 .M88 G3 2001
Encyclopedia of Latin American Theater (Eladio Cortés)
FA-REF PQ7082 .D7 E63 2003
Enter the Playmakers: Directors and Choreographers on the New York Stage (Thomas S. Hischak)
FA-REF PN 1998.2 .H596 2006
The Gay and Lesbian Theatrical Legacy: A Biographical Dictionary of Major Figures in American Stage History in the Pre-Stonewall era (Billy J. Harbin)
PN2286.5 .G38 2005
Geniuses of the American Musical Theatre: The Composers and Lyricists (Herbert H. Keyser)
FA-REF ML385 .K485 2009Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers
Credo Reference Online. (1986, 1989 and 1998 Thames & Hudson)
The Magic Behind the Voices: A Who's Who of Cartoon Voice Actors (Tim Lawson)
FA-REF PN2285 .L38 2004
Radio Speakers: Narrators, News Junkies, Sports Jockeys, Tattletales, Tipsters, Toastmasters and Coffee Klatch Couples Who Verbalized the Jargon of the Aural Ether from the 1920s to the 1980s: A Biographical Dictionary. (Jim Cox)
FA-REF PN1991 .4.A2 C69 2007
Theatrical Designers: An International Biographical Dictionary (Thomas J. Mikotowicz)
FA-REF PN2096 .A1 AM54 1992Women Playwrights of Diversity: A Bio-bibliographical Sourcebook (Jane T. Peterson)
FA-REF PS338 .W6 P48 1997
Image source: http://www.watson.org/~leigh/shakespeare.
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Mo Dawley, Art and Drama Librarian
Contact Info:
Hunt Library
Art Library and Special Collections
412-268-6625
Drama Research Guide
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