Theatre Arts 600 - Selected Materials for Research

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Biographical Information

1. McNeil, Barbara and Miranda Herbert. Performing Arts Biography Master Index, 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981.
   PN 1583 M37 1982 Main Reference
   An index to biographical information for performers, directors, producers, designers, writers, and technicians appearing in over 100 biographical dictionaries.
2. Archer, Stephen M. American Actors and Actresses: A Guide to Information Sources. Detroit, Gale Research, 1983.
   PN 1998 A2 A72 1983 Main Reference
   Contains over 3,200 entries of books and journal articles with information about 226 American actors and actresses.
3. Frick, John W. and Stephen M. Vallillo, ed. Theatrical Directors: a Biographical Dictionary. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1994.
   PN 2205 T54 1994 Main Reference
   Contains about 300 biographical sketches of directors who have established international reputations.
4. Moyer, Ronald Lee. American Actors 1861-1910: An Annotated Bibliography of Books Published in the United States in English from 1861 Through 1976. Troy, NY: Whitson, 1979.
   Z 5784 A27 M6 Main Reference
   Bibliographical information for biographical and critical material by or about American actors in the 19th and 20th centuries.
5. Notable Names of the American Theatre. Clifton, NJ: James T. White, 1976.
   PN 2285 N6 1976 Main Reference
   Although this is a contemporary biographical source, it contains a Necrology with brief information on stage personalities from the Colonial period to the present.
6. Notable Women in the American Theatre: A Biographical Dictionary, ed. by Alice M.Robinson, et. al. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989.
   PN 2285 N65 1989 Main Reference
   Provides biographical information, bibliographical materials and descriptions of these women's professional contributions. The women are actresses, dancers/choreographers, educators, producers, directors, and critics.
7. Stage Lives: A Bibliography and Index to Theatrical Biographies in English, compiled by George. B. Bryan. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985.
   PN 2205 S72 1985 Main Reference
   Gives sources of biographical material for persons associated with the living theatre in the 19th and 20th centuries. Use Part II: Index of Biographies to find individual's name.
8. Stage Deaths: A Biographical Guide to International Theatrical Obituaries, 1850-1990, compiled by George B. Bryan. Westport, CT:  Greenwood Press, 1991. 2 vol.
   PN 2205 S76 1991 Main Reference
   A companion volume to Stage Lives, but refers to hundreds of biographies not mentioned in the earlier edition. Dance is better represented in this set.
9. Variety Obituaries, 1905-1990. New York: Garland Press, 1988.
   PN 1583 V35 1988 Main Reference
   A thirteen-volume set with reprints of obituaries arranged chronologically by entry date in Variety from 1905 to 1990. Volume 13 has an index by names of individuals connected with show business, arranged alphabetically for the set.
10. Wearing, J. Peter. American and British Theatrical Biography: a Directory. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1979.
    PN 2285 W42 Main Reference
    An index to biographical information for about 50,000 people associated with American and British theatre, including some foreign persons, covering all time periods.
11. Who Was Who in the Theatre, 1912-1976: A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Directors, Playwrights and Producers of the English-Speaking Theatre. Detroit: Gale Research,
    1978. 4 vol.
    PN 2597 W52 Main Reference
    Compiles the brief biographical information from Who's Who in the Theatre from 1912 to 1972. Provides birth dates, education, credits, favorite parts, activities, interests and death dates.
12. Who's Who in the Theatre: A Biographical Recording of the Contemporary Stage. 17th ed. Detroit: Gale Research.
    PN 2012 W5 17th ed. Main Reference
    Biographies of persons living at the time of publication who are active in the theater.
13. New York Theater Vandamm Collection. Cambridge: Chadwyck-Healey, 1980.
    Microfiche 930 Center for Creative Photography
    (877 microfiches) 26,000 photographs from the studios of Florence Vandamm and Francis Brugiere published on microfiche. Photographs are from stage productions between 1919 and 1961, together with a "Personality File" of individual performers and a catalog of playwrights, producers, directors and composers.