This page highlights how to find primary sources relating to Theatre. Since locating primary sources can tricky depending on the topic, please reach out to one of the librarians listed on this guide if you need research help.
Research Tip
Collecting biographical and background information on your topic is recommended before searching for primary sources. Make a list of names of people, places, events, dates, organizations, etc. related to your topic. Many of these details will be your keywords as you look through historical content in databases.
From the first book published in English through the age of Spenser and Shakespeare, this collection contains more than 125,000 books and pamphlets printed in English.
Fordham provides access to many current and historical newspaper collections. Find the full list of options here.
Selected Newspaper Collections:
Government documents pertinent to Theatre may be laws, congressional testimonies, information about the Federal Theatre Project, federal funding information, and more.
Try searching the Library Catalog to locate primary sources in book format (i.e. writings by playwrights, individual plays, anthologies, etc.):
See the Finding Books page for additional tips.
Image credit: "One Third of a Nation" poster from the Philadelphia opening in 1938 via the Library of Congress Digital Collections.
Image credit: Flyer for The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre - 20th Anniversary via Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Library & Archive.
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