LibGuides: Theatre & Dance: General Reference

Below you will find items that support general reference research, from encyclopedias to sources to improve your writing.

Selected Reference Sources

The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre (Jupiter campus)
An historical overview of theatrical arts in Europe since 1945.
The Ivan R. Dee Guide to Plays and Playwrights
With more than five hundred entries, from A to Z, providing information on the most important plays and playwrights (dead or alive) performed today.
Penguin Dictionary of the Theatre
Traces development of the theatre from its origins in primitive ritual to the theatre of today.

Sources for Writing

The Elements of Style
The classic writing manual, as valuable today as when it was first offered.
Writing Dialogue for Scripts
Provides expert insight into how dialogue works; shows how to apply dialogue in scripts for dramatic effect.

Sondheim in the FAU Libraries (Sample)

Finishing the hat: Collected lyrics (1954-1981) with attendant comments, principles, heresies, grudges, whines and anecdotes by Stephen Sondheim The winner of seven Tonys, an Academy Award, seven Grammys, a Pulitzer Prize and more--Stephen Sondheim's career has spanned more than half a century; his lyrics have become synonymous with musical theater and popular culture. In Finishing the Hat--titled after perhaps his most autobiographical song, from Sunday in the Park with George--Sondheim has not only collected his lyrics for the first time, he is giving readers a rare personal look into his life as well as his remarkable productions. Along with the lyrics for all of his musicals from 1954 to 1981--including West Side Story, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd--Sondheim treats us to never-before-published songs from each show, songs that were cut or discarded before seeing the light of day. He discusses his relationship with his mentor, Oscar Hammerstein II, and his collaborations with extraordinary talents such as Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Ethel Merman, Richard Rodgers, Angela Lansbury, Harold Prince and a panoply of others. The anecdotes--filled with history, pointed observations and intimate details--transport us back to a time when theater was a major pillar of American culture. Best of all, Sondheim appraises his work and dissects his lyrics, as well as those of others, offering unparalleled insights into songwriting that will be studied by fans and aspiring songwriters for years to come. Accompanying Sondheim's sparkling writing are behind-the-scenes photographs from each production, along with handwritten music and lyrics from the songwriter's personal collection. Penetrating and surprising, poignant, funny and sometimes provocative, Finishing the Hat is not only an informative look at the art and craft of lyric writing, it is a history of the theater that belongs on the same literary shelf as Moss Hart's Act One and Arthur Miller's Timebends. It is also a book that will leave you humming the final bars of Merrily We Roll Along, while eagerly anticipating the next volume.
Legacy project dramatists talk about their work. Volume 1, Stephen Sondheim in conversation with Adam Guettel The Legacy Project documents and preserves the creative process of America's most esteemed dramatists in a series of filmed conversations, each featuring an established stage author (or team of collaborators) and an emerging one. Stephen Sondheim, composer and lyricist for stage & screen, is interviewed by Tony Award-winner songwriter, Adam Guettel.
Call Number: Video - Streaming
Company This performance, directed by Lonny Price, is a 2011 staged concert performance of the 1971 musical 'Company.' Recorded 2011 Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Call Number: Video - Streaming