LibGuides: Theatre: THEA 364

Choosing a Topic

Sources of Topics

Books
- Drama: PN 1600-3307
- History of Theatre: PN 1720-1861
- Russian Drama: PG3071-PG3089
- French Literature -- History and Criticism -- Drama: PQ 500-591
- Italian Literature -- History and Criticism -- Drama: PQ 4133-4160
- Spanish Literature -- History and Criticism -- Drama: PQ 6098.7-6129
- Portuguese Literature -- History and Criticism -- Drama: PQ 9083-9095
- English Literature -- History and Criticism -- Drama: PR 621-744
- American Literature -- History and Criticism -- Drama: PS 330-353
- German Literature -- History and Criticism -- Drama: PT 605-709
- For further regions see the P classification scheme
Plays
- Compare some element of two plays
  - by the same author
  - from the same school
  - with a theme but from different times, countries, etc.
Elements of the theatre
- How did an event in history influence the theatre of it's time
  - e.g. How did the fire in the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago in 1903 change the design and construction of theatres and change the laws for Chicago and beyond?
Historic newspaper stories

Argus Leader via ProQuest U.S. North Central Newsstream This link opens in a new window US North Central Newsstream enables users to search the most recent regional news content, as well as archives which stretch back to the 1980s featuring newspapers, newswires, and news sites in active full-text format. North Central Newsstream covers news sources from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Confederate Newspapers: A Collection From Florida/Georgia/Tennessee/Virginia/Alabama This link opens in a new window A mixture of issues and papers from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and Alabama ranging from 1861-1865.
New York Times Online: Home This link opens in a new window All students, faculty, and staff can now read unlimited articles from The New York Times directly on nytimes.com from anywhere in the world. Access includes all articles published on the website since 1996 as well as scanned issues going back to 1851. Activate your Account If you have never logged into the the New York Times, follow these steps to set up your access: 1. Go to accessnyt.com 2. Select South Dakota State University from the school search box 3. Follow the on-screen instructions to create an account using your SD State email address 4. Reactivate access after 365 days by following these same steps. Note: If you already have a personal NY Times subscription connected to your SD State email and would like to activate this library-provided one, you will need to first contact NY Times customer service at 1-800-698-4637 to cancel your individual subscription. Returning Users Once you've made your account, follow these steps to get those unlimited articles: 1. Go to nytimes.com 2. Click on "Log In" in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen 3. Enter your SD State email address and chosen password
Nineteenth (19th) Century US Newspapers This link opens in a new window Provides access to primary source newspaper content from the 19th century, featuring full-text content and images from numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S. The collection encompasses the entire 19th century, with an emphasis on such topics as the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration and Antebellum-era life, among other subjects.
This database is provided by the South Dakota State Library and the Institute of Museum Library Services.
ProQuest U.S. Major Dailies This link opens in a new window Provides access to The New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune. Full-text access from 1980 to the present.

Developing a Topic

One approach to developing a topic is to start with a broad subject that interests you and brainstorm some more specific topics under this broad category. For example:

Technology

internet businesses
cybersecurity
cell phones
online education
cyberbullying
robotics
self-driving cars
3D printing

The bulleted topics are narrower, but will still need to be refined for an undergraduate research project. This is a good point to begin your research. See how much information is available on a topic and how authors approach different aspects of the topic. You’ll want to develop a research question or questions to help guide you as you search for information. Example research questions for researching cell phones follow.

Cell Phones

Does texting affect writing skills?
Can teachers use cell phones to engage students in the classroom? If so, how?
How do cell phones function as a status symbol?
How do cell phones affect social interactions?

Your topic and topic question will evolve as you continue with your research.

Are you having trouble finding information on your topic?

Try different searches, keeping in mind that you'll need to consult multiple sources to research your topic.

Still no luck? Consider broadening your topic.

Ideas for broadening a topic:

Cover a broader time span
Cover a broader geographic area
Include a larger population
Bring in related topics or perspectives
Examine a larger problem

Examples:

Narrow topic: Do SDSU students taking writing classes online make less progress than SDSU students taking in-person classes?

To address this question you’d likely need to conduct original research. To find published sources you could try broadening the population and broadening the type of learning addressed.

Do college students taking writing classes online make less progress than students taking in-person classes?
Do college students taking classes online make less academic progress than students taking in-person classes?

Narrow Topic: How are men portrayed in beer commercials shown during NFL games?

Broader to topics to try:

How are men portrayed in commercials for alcohol?
How are men portrayed in commercials?
Are men portrayed as simplistic on television?

Mapping is another approach to generating ideas and to exploring ways to narrow or broaden a topic. You can start mapping out concepts by asking the questions who, what, when, where, and why.

You can use online programs to create concept maps which illustrate the relationships.

Subject Headings

General subject headings

Acting--History
Clothing and dress--History
Costume--History
Theater--History

Playwrights, theatre companies, actors, etc.

Miller, Arthur (American Playwright) [subject heading for Arthur Miller]
Miller, Arthur, 1915-2005 [author entry for Arthur Miller]
Royal Shakespeare Company
Pixley, Annie [American actress in the 1870s]

Videos

Kanopy This link opens in a new window
A collection of over 30,000 films and includes titles from BBC, Criterion Collection, and Media Education Foundation. Kanopy features include browsing by subject or using a search box, setting up clip/play lists, and sharing or embedding videos.
Alexander Street Press Videos This link opens in a new window
Alexander Street Press Video includes a variety of streaming videos including documentaries, interviews, feature films, performances, news programs and newsreels. These videos are not available from other streaming services. Currently videos cannot be played on mobile phones or tablets.
PBS Video Collection This link opens in a new window
This collection of more than 1,200 streaming videos provides an exceptional range of content with the most valuable video documentaries and series from PBS. From science to history, art to Shakespeare, diversity to business & economics, and more.

Digital Theatre
The library is not able to provide this resource but it has some great theatre that has been filmed. There is a free 7 day trial for individuals and individuals can subscribe to it for around $13.50 (£9.99) per month.

Databases for articles and other sources

Performing Arts Database This link opens in a new window Indexes more than 395 international periodicals plus full text for more than 160 of the indexed journals. Topics include music, dance, drama, theatre, stagecraft, musical theatre, circus performance, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic, performance art, film, television, and more. Coverage from 1864 to present.
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window Academic Search Complete is the world's most valuable and comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 journals and a total of more than 13,200 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format. Searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,400 journals.
World Cat This link opens in a new window Provides access to over 179 million records for all types of materials, e.g., books, music, videos, software, web pages, etc., cataloged by libraries in the United States and many other countries. Both interfaces provide complete bibliographic information for each item and enable the user to identify libraries that own each item. The Basic link leads to Worldcat.org, which is a free version with a simplified search interface.
New York Times Online: Home This link opens in a new window All students, faculty, and staff can now read unlimited articles from The New York Times directly on nytimes.com from anywhere in the world. Access includes all articles published on the website since 1996 as well as scanned issues going back to 1851. Activate your Account If you have never logged into the the New York Times, follow these steps to set up your access: 1. Go to accessnyt.com 2. Select South Dakota State University from the school search box 3. Follow the on-screen instructions to create an account using your SD State email address 4. Reactivate access after 365 days by following these same steps. Note: If you already have a personal NY Times subscription connected to your SD State email and would like to activate this library-provided one, you will need to first contact NY Times customer service at 1-800-698-4637 to cancel your individual subscription. Returning Users Once you've made your account, follow these steps to get those unlimited articles: 1. Go to nytimes.com 2. Click on "Log In" in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen 3. Enter your SD State email address and chosen password
Nineteenth (19th) Century US Newspapers This link opens in a new window Provides access to primary source newspaper content from the 19th century, featuring full-text content and images from numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S. The collection encompasses the entire 19th century, with an emphasis on such topics as the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration and Antebellum-era life, among other subjects.
This database is provided by the South Dakota State Library and the Institute of Museum Library Services.
Confederate Newspapers: A Collection From Florida/Georgia/Tennessee/Virginia/Alabama This link opens in a new window A mixture of issues and papers from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and Alabama ranging from 1861-1865.
American Historical Periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society This link opens in a new window American Historical Periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society provides a history of the American people and a testament to the growth of the nation from the colonial period through to the twentieth century. The periodicals focused on American concerns and were predominantly published in the United States or Canada, though some were published overseas by Americans living abroad.
Nineteenth (19th) Century UK Periodicals This link opens in a new window Of interest to historians and students of nineteenth-century literature and culture, empire, feminism, the history of the book, the creative and performing arts, sport and leisure, science and medicine - the professions, in short, of all aspects of nineteenth-century life that the press encompassed.

Evaluating Information - Getting Started

Using a search engine?

Consult Web Sources for information on evaluating Web sites.

Using a library database?

Consult Source Types for information on source types. Identifying the type of source you are using can help in evaluating the source.

Theatre: THEA 364

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