Dictionaries
Below is a list of theatre reference works that will help you with terminology as you research.
(1977). The encyclopedia of world theater : with 420 illustrations and an index of play titles. New York: Scribner.
[792.03 En19 c.2] WAWL Deck 5
This is an encyclopedic work which contains numerous illustrations as well as an index of play titles.
(1989). A companion to the medieval theatre. New York: Green Wood Press.
[792.09 C738] WAWL Deck 5
"Reflecting the current interest in performance, A Companion to the Medieval Theatre presents 250 alphabetically arranged entries offering a panoramic view of European and British theatrical productions between the years 900 and 1550. The volume features 30 essays contributed by an international group of specialists and includes many shorter entries as well as systematic cross-referencing, a chronology, a bibliography, and a full complement of indexes. Major entries focus on the theatres of the principal linguistic areas (the British Isles, France, Germany, Iberia, Italy, Scandinavia, the Low Countries, and Eastern Europe), and on dramatic forms and genres such as liturgical drama, Passion and saint plays, morality plays, folk drama, and Humanist drama." (Amazon, 2012)
(1995). The Cambridge guide to theatre. New York: Cambridge University Press.
[792.03 C144] WAWL Reference
"Widely acclaimed for its breadth and scope, The Cambridge Guide to Theatre Second Edition remains the most comprehensive single-volume guide to the history and current practice of worldwide theater available today. The Guide contains a wealth of information on all aspects of theater past and present: major playwrights, works, important traditions, theories, companies, practitioners, venues and events; the origins of popular theater tradition, including folk drama, street theater and mummers plays; the work of actors, directors and designers, including lighting and sound, technical theater, theater architecture and theater design. In this revision, all entries have been reviewed and updated to incorporate political changes and reflect the rise and fall of individual reputations." (Amazon, 2012)
Bowman, W. (1961). Theatre language; a dictionary of terms in English of the drama and stage from medieval to modern times. New York: Theatre Arts Books.
[792.03 B68t] WAWL Reference
This volume provides the reader with a listing of terms used in drama and stage. Especially helpful for the researcher not familiar with theatre terminology
Richmond, H. (2002). Shakespeare's theatre : a dictionary of his stage context . London: Continum. Retrieved from http://0-www.credoreference.com.www.whitelib.emporia.edu/book/contst
[Kellog Catalog Electronic Resource]
"Shakespeare's Theatre consolidates the author's forty years of experience in studying and staging Shakespeare's plays. Under an alphabetical list of relevant terms, names and concepts, the book reviews current knowledge of the character and operation of theatres in Shakespeare's time, with an explanation of their origins. Coverage includes the practices of Elizabethan actors and script writers: methods of characterization; gesture, blocking and choreography, including music, dance and fighting; actors' rhetorical interaction with audiences; and use of costumes, stage props, and make-up. The author makes use of scripts and scholarship about original stagings of Shakespeare and suggests how those productions related to modern staging. Much of this material has developed as a result of the recent increased interest in the significance of performance for interpreting Shakespeare, including the recovery of the archaeological evidence about the original Rose and Globe Theaters. The book contains current bibliographies for each topic and consolidates these in an overall bibliography for Shakespeare and his theaters." (Amazon, 2012)
(1977). The encyclopedia of world theater : with 420 illustrations and an index of play titles. New York: Scribner.
[792.03 En19 c.2] WAWL Deck 5
This is an encyclopedic work which contains numerous illustrations as well as an index of play titles.
(1989). A companion to the medieval theatre. New York: Green Wood Press.
[792.09 C738] WAWL Deck 5
"Reflecting the current interest in performance, A Companion to the Medieval Theatre presents 250 alphabetically arranged entries offering a panoramic view of European and British theatrical productions between the years 900 and 1550. The volume features 30 essays contributed by an international group of specialists and includes many shorter entries as well as systematic cross-referencing, a chronology, a bibliography, and a full complement of indexes. Major entries focus on the theatres of the principal linguistic areas (the British Isles, France, Germany, Iberia, Italy, Scandinavia, the Low Countries, and Eastern Europe), and on dramatic forms and genres such as liturgical drama, Passion and saint plays, morality plays, folk drama, and Humanist drama." (Amazon, 2012)
(1995). The Cambridge guide to theatre. New York: Cambridge University Press.
[792.03 C144] WAWL Reference
"Widely acclaimed for its breadth and scope, The Cambridge Guide to Theatre Second Edition remains the most comprehensive single-volume guide to the history and current practice of worldwide theater available today. The Guide contains a wealth of information on all aspects of theater past and present: major playwrights, works, important traditions, theories, companies, practitioners, venues and events; the origins of popular theater tradition, including folk drama, street theater and mummers plays; the work of actors, directors and designers, including lighting and sound, technical theater, theater architecture and theater design. In this revision, all entries have been reviewed and updated to incorporate political changes and reflect the rise and fall of individual reputations." (Amazon, 2012)
Bowman, W. (1961). Theatre language; a dictionary of terms in English of the drama and stage from medieval to modern times. New York: Theatre Arts Books.
[792.03 B68t] WAWL Reference
This volume provides the reader with a listing of terms used in drama and stage. Especially helpful for the researcher not familiar with theatre terminology
Richmond, H. (2002). Shakespeare's theatre : a dictionary of his stage context . London: Continum. Retrieved from http://0-www.credoreference.com.www.whitelib.emporia.edu/book/contst
[Kellog Catalog Electronic Resource]
"Shakespeare's Theatre consolidates the author's forty years of experience in studying and staging Shakespeare's plays. Under an alphabetical list of relevant terms, names and concepts, the book reviews current knowledge of the character and operation of theatres in Shakespeare's time, with an explanation of their origins. Coverage includes the practices of Elizabethan actors and script writers: methods of characterization; gesture, blocking and choreography, including music, dance and fighting; actors' rhetorical interaction with audiences; and use of costumes, stage props, and make-up. The author makes use of scripts and scholarship about original stagings of Shakespeare and suggests how those productions related to modern staging. Much of this material has developed as a result of the recent increased interest in the significance of performance for interpreting Shakespeare, including the recovery of the archaeological evidence about the original Rose and Globe Theaters. The book contains current bibliographies for each topic and consolidates these in an overall bibliography for Shakespeare and his theaters." (Amazon, 2012)