Locating Plays
Search the library catalog (link on right of the page) by author or by the title of the play. Some plays are published separately and will be found as an individual title, e.g., Twelfth Night or Antigone. Others are published in collections or anthologies (anthology – a book or other collection of selected writings by various authors, usually in the same literary form, of the same period, or on the same subject).
Search by AUTHOR
A catalog search by AUTHOR will locate works by that author. Watch particularly for “Works,” “Complete Works,” “Complete Plays,” “Collected Works,” “Collected Plays,” “Selected Works,” and “Selected Plays” as titles.
Type the author’s name in the blank next to AUTHOR.
Example:
Williams, Tennessee (or you can type Tennessee Williams)
Then, click on SEARCH.
Search by TITLE
A catalog search by TITLE should tell you whether the library has a copy of a play that was published separately.
Type the title of the play next to TITLE.
Example:
The Tempest
Then, click on SEARCH.
You will need to use an index (See below.) to find plays in collections/anthologies, if your author or title search above was not productive. Some plays are published in periodicals (magazines or journals) and must also be located with an index. Having found in an index an anthology or a periodical in which your play appears, you must return to the library page to see if the library has that anthology or periodical.
Play Indexes
The following indexes are located in the Reference Collection (2nd floor) in Magale Library. Call numbers are provided.
- Play Index. New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1949-
Z5781 .P53
This indexes plays published from 1949 to 2007. Updates are done every four years. Users can search by author, title, subject, style, setting, cast, and production requirements.
- Montgomery, Denise L. Ottemiller’s Index to Plays in Collections. 8th ed., rev. and enl. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2011.
Z5781 .O8 2011
This indexes, by author and title, plays appearing in collections published throughout the English-speaking world from 1900 through 2000. Plays indexed are full-length, with the exception of the Best Plays series, which include excerpts and synopses only.
- Samples, Gordon. The Drama Scholars’ Index to Plays and Filmscripts. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1974. 3 volumes.
Z5781 .S17
Plays are indexed from selected anthologies, series, and periodicals. Also included are unusual plays and out-of-the ordinary versions in their original languages or in translations. Volume 3 takes the indexing through the end of 1983.
Inter-Play: an On-Line Index to Plays in Collections, Anthologies, and Periodicals
Inter-Play is a web site providing access to the locations of printed plays in collections, anthologies, and periodicals published since the late 19th century. Most listed here are not indexed in the standard play indexes above. You may search Inter-Play by author or title or source. Be aware that Inter-Play is based upon the collection at Portland State University. Magale Library may or may not have the sources given, and the call numbers may or may not be the same. You must check the Magale Library catalog or list of full-text journals(by going to library web page, Electronic Resources, E-journal by Title, A to Z List, and then entering the journal name) to see if we have the collection, anthology or periodical you found in Inter-Play and to check for the call number, if relevant.
Locating Monologues
To browse the shelf on the third floor(Main Collection)of Magale Library, look under PN 2080 because most books of monologues and scenes are shelved under this number; a secondary location is PN 4305 .M6.
To locate anthologies of monologues, search by SUBJECT in the Magale Library Catalog. Type monologues next to Subject and click Search or type acting auditions next to Subject and click Search.
Interlibrary Loan – If the play is not available in Magale Library, you can then request it through Interlibrary Loan.
