LibGuides: E 369: 20th Century Drama: Primary Sources

Primary Source Databases

Tips for searching Primary Source Databases:

Account for spelling variations, especially for non-English names (ex., Bertolt OR Berthold)
Use historical vocabulary (ex., "machine" or "industrial" for Italian Futurism, rather than "technology")
Make ample use of date limiters in the Advanced Search feature

General Collections

Library Catalog
Use the Library Catalog to search books, ebooks, documents, and other materials in our physical libraries (including the HRC). Note that you'll find a mix of primary and second sources in your catalog searches.
Tip: To find primary sources from a playwright or artist's life, search for their name and letter* OR correspondence OR diar*.
For example: Samuel Beckett AND (letter* OR correspondence OR diar*)
Good for: All authors, art movements, and most topics!
Google Books Advanced Search
Google Books is a great resource for public domain publications that are not under U.S. Copyright (pre-1929). Note that in some cases, materials may be under copyright and you'll only get a limited preview. You'll need to search our Library Catalog to get full access.
Good for: Chekhov, Italian Futurism, Dada, some Brecht, some Beckett, some Lorca

Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive
An archival collection about the film and entertainment industry, including 20th Century theater. Great for reviews of plays!
Good for: All authors and most topics!
Theatre in Context Collection
A large collection of plays and information on theaters, productions, and production companies. Note that this database includes reference books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.) that will provide general overview articles. You will need to use the limiters in left margin and Advanced Search to get more specific.

Niche Collections

The utility of these resources will be dependent on your topic. Remember: if you don't find something useful in class, you can always contact Gina later on for in-depth assistance in searching and identifying useful sources.

Modernist Journals Project
A collection of Modernist literary and art journals, though 1928.
Good for: Italian futurism, Dada, some Chekhov

ProQuest Congressional
Full searchable database of the U.S. Congressional record, especially useful for hearings.
Good for: Brecht and McCarthyism
Note: The library has additional primary source collections on McCarthyism and the HUAC hearings. Contact Gina if you are covering this topic.
La Guerra Civil Española
Rare pamphlets and documents relating to the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39. Note that most documents are in Spanish, with some French, German, and English.
Good for: García Lorca

Newspapers & Magazines

Most of these collections are for U.S.-based publications, and their utility will depend on your topic. Many are broad in their subject matter and had national coverage.

Tip: Use the publication date limiters to narrow your search by the time period of interest. For example, a search for just "chekhov" with no date limiter will give you recent articles discussing current stage productions of Chekhov's plays. If you limit the data of publication to 1900-1910, you'll get better search results.

New York Times (Historical)
Unlimited users.
Updated annually. Includes all the articles published since the first issue of the paper in 1851. Provides full text and full image articles with digital reproductions of every page, every article and every issue in PDF format. In addition to news stories, includes editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, photos, and advertisements.
More recent years are also available in other full text resources.
Los Angeles Times (Historical)
Unlimited users.
Updated annually. Provides comprehensive coverage for Southern California's largest daily newspaper. Includes all the articles published since the first issue of the paper in 1881. Provides full text and full image articles with digital reproductions of every page, every article and every issue in PDF format. In addition to news stories, includes editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, photos, and advertisements.
Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive
The literary review publication of the British daily newspaper The Times. Includes book and stage reviews, as well cultural commentary. 1902-2014
Alt-Press Watch
Includes alternative weekly newspapers, such as NYC's The Village Voice. Good for theater reviews and cultural commentary. 1970-present. Limited to 4 UT users at a time.
Vogue Archive
Unlimited users.
The Vogue Archive contains the entire run of Vogue magazine (US edition), from the first issue in 1892 to the current month, reproduced in high-resolution color page images. Every page, advertisement, cover and fold-out has been included, with rich indexing enabling you to find images by garment type, designer and brand names. The Vogue Archive preserves the work of the world's greatest fashion designers, stylists and photographers and is a unique record of American and international fashion, culture and society from the dawn of the modern era to the present day.
Women's Magazine Archive
A large collection of high-quality scans of U.S. and Canadian women's magazines. Includes culture magazines like Town & Country and Cosmopolitan with theater and literary reviews. Also includes Essence a magazine for Black women with articles about Black culture.