Theater 180: Text and Performance
LibKey Nomad
Research and Instruction Librarian for Music & Fine Arts
Citation Styles for Theater
Always check with your instructor to be sure you are using the correct citation style.
Most theater research uses either MLA style or Notes-Bibliography Chicago style.
Citing Scripts (MLA Style)
The citation links given above for at Purdue OWL cover many citation situations (articles in journals, YouTube videos, etc.), but they do not offer many examples of how to cite theatrical performances.
In general, you can cite printed scripts using the format for book citations, like this:
Author Last, Author First. Play Title. Publisher, date.
For additional examples, including translations, plays in anthologies, or plays published online, see Appendix 2 of the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook. Run a search for "playscript" to jump to the examples.
Citing Theatrical Performances (MLA Style)
The basic MLA format for citing a performance of a play is:
Author Last, Author First. Play Title. Director, Theater/Production Company, date viewed, Venue, City.
For more examples, consult Appendix 2 of the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook; search the page for "play performance" to jump to the examples.