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Theater 180: Text and Performance
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Research and Instruction Librarian for Music & Fine Arts
Articles in Catalyst vs. Articles in Databases
You may have searched for articles in Catalyst before. Catalyst works by trying to search all our databases at once. Here are some things to keep in mind if you use Catalyst for article searches.
- Sometimes there's a lag between when a database updates and when the updates make it into Catalyst.
- Some of our databases don't communicate with Catalyst at all. This is especially true for primary source databases.
- Since Catlayst looks in a lot of places, the results list can be very long.
That said, if you like Catalyst and it feels comfortable to you, keep using it!
But if you find the Catalyst search interface overwhelming, or if you're not getting the results you want, you may find it easier to search directly in the theater databases.
Theater Research Databases
The theater research databases are great for looking for secondary scholarly sources. But you can also look for performance reviews here. In the "advanced search" function, limit the "document type" to review or performance review or entertainment review.
- Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new windowFull-text articles from scholarly and popular journals and magazines on the performing arts. Covers materials published 1864-present.
- International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance This link opens in a new windowA prime research tool for students of theatre and the performing arts. NOTE: the links back to Catalyst often give false negatives. Always go to "Advanced Search", choose "journal title" from the top of the page, and search for the journal title. 9 times out of 10, we will have access to the journal online on another platform; go to it and search for the article title to retrieve it.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowScholarly journal articles, books, book chapters, book reviews, and dissertations published 1923-present. Plays are treated as texts, rather than performances.
Newspaper Databases
Newspaper databases are a great place to find theater performance reviews.
In the "advanced search" function, look for an option to limit the "document type" to review or performance review or entertainment review.
- Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new windowFull-text from The Atlanta Constitution (1896-1945), Chicago Defender (1910-1975), Los Angeles Times (1881-1987), New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993), and The New York Times (1851-2007).
- Newspaper Source This link opens in a new windowNewspaper Source provides cover-to-cover full text for hundreds of national (U.S.), international and regional newspapers. In addition, it offers television and radio news transcripts from major networks.
Interdisciplinary Databases
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowArticles on virtually every topic, drawn from scholarly journals, professional journals, trade magazines, news publications, and lifestyle magazines. Provides full-text access to over half of its 8000+ publications. Covers materials published 1975-present.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowFull-text scholarly journals articles in many disciplines, including theater. Dates of coverage vary by title, typically from the journal's first issue (sometimes in the eighteenth century or earlier) through about 3 years ago
Accessing Articles in the Databases
Many databases will offer the full text for the articles they index. Look for a Full Text button or link.
If the full text is not available directly from that database, we may still have access to it somewhere else. Click the Find It! button to search for the article in Catalyst.
If you click the Find It! button, one of three things will happen.
Best result: you get redirected immediately to the article you want.
Good result: you get redirected to a Catalyst record for the article which provides options for how to access the article. Here's an article that is available online in two different databases, ProQuest Research Library and Taylor & Francis Journals Complete. You can click the one you want to use to access it.
Okay result: The Find It! button reroutes you to a Catalyst record that tells you to "search for a physical copy or request a copy." Never fear! We can probably still get this article for you via Resource Sharing. See the "Requesting Materials from Other Libraries" tab on the left for instructions on placing a Resource Sharing request.
