Collins Memorial Library: Theatre 313: Directing: Production History

Production History Overview

Production history covers original and subsequent productions. Writers generally discuss:

Overall evaluation of the production
Theatrical innovations
Directing
Casting, acting
Staging
Substance or meaning of the play
Other details

Prompts for Production History

Note: Check the assignment handout for details.

Use these questions to guide your research about production history:

What is the production history of this play? Where and when has this play been produced?
How was it received?
What notable artists have worked on it?
What design, casting, staging or producing choices were made? Why were those choices successful/unsuccessful in their time/location?
What contributed to the success/failure of this play in the past?
What aesthetic choices elevated/opened up the piece? What aesthetic choices collapsed the piece?

Playbills and Production Catalogs

Newspaper Databases

New York Times (nytimes.com) This link opens in a new window
Full and unlimited access to all of the content on The New York Times web site. Users must register and log in. Once you’ve registered for an account, which you must do from within the campus network (i.e. on-campus), you may “log in” to that account from anywhere, anytime.

Once on the campus network, or connected to vDesk, to register go to: https://nytimesineducation.com/access-nyt/ and search for "University of Puget Sound."

Click "Create Account" and complete the registration fields using your @pugetsound.edu email address.

If you have previously registered your email address on The NYT site, click the "Already have an account? Log in here" link just below the "Create Account" button.

Access to the nytimes.com is partially supported by a contribution from ASUPS.
New York Times Historical Newspaper This link opens in a new window
Includes full page images of the New York Daily Times (1851-1857) and the New York Times (1857-2017).
Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) This link opens in a new window
Access to news, business, governmental and legal sources.
News & Newspapers (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Contains all of the news content provided to Puget Sound by ProQuest. Includes alternative, national, international, local and historical news.
Newspaper Source This link opens in a new window
Provides cover-to-cover full text for national (U.S.) newspapers, including The Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, The Washington Post and The Washington Times. The database also contains selective full text for regional (U.S.) newspapers. Also includes international news sources including The Times (London), The Toronto Star and others.
London Times Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
Since its first publication in 1785, The Times (London) has become one of the most preeminent, global daily (except Sundays) newspapers of the 18th century through the early 21st century, covering international events, people, places, politics, business news, opinion and debate, entertainment, and advertising.

Journal and Magazine Databases

Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
Provides indexing, abstracts and some full-text, for international periodicals. Covers a broad spectrum of the arts and entertainment industry - including dance, drama, theater, stagecraft, musical theater, circus performance, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic, performance art, film, television and more.
Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
A multidisciplinary database containing full text journal, magazine & newspaper articles, many from peer-reviewed titles. This scholarly collection covers information in nearly every area of academic study.
Research Library (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Features the full text of a diversified mix of scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines and newspapers covering all academic subject areas.
MasterFILE Premier This link opens in a new window
Contains full text periodicals covering general reference, business, health, education, general science, multicultural issues and much more. Also contains full text reference books, primary source documents, as well as an Image Collection of photos, maps & flags.

Search Primo

Primo
Suggested keywords:
Author's name
Stage history
Criticism and interpretation

Background Sources

Wikipedia
Use this source to identify productions and then search the newspaper databases for the review

Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Contains the complete texts of many Oxford companions, encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference titles in a fully indexed, cross-searchable database. Included in addition to articles are images, maps, timelines, bibliographies, photographs and much more.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Provides full text online access to Gale electronic books, including encyclopedias and other reference resources.
Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new window
Contains articles from academic journals and literary magazines as well as excerpts from scholarly monographs, literary correspondence and diaries.

Websites

Publisher Website: Samuel French's website may include reviews, author profile, and a list of productions for specific plays.

Ex. Will Eno's Middletown

Theatre website: Look for a guide to the play.

Ex. The Language Archive

Official author website, blog, or Facebook page:

Ex. Adam Szymkowicz

Interviews

Search the suggested databases for newspapers, journals, and magazines.Include the word interview in your search.