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Theatre Junior Seminar

For thesis level research

Finding plays in the library

Reed's plays and scripts are divided between the main library and the PARC.  Plays in the PARC are, generally,  English language works published between 1950 and the present. Since plays are given call numbers according to their language, author, and region of origin rather than genre ("play"), they can be difficult to browse, even within the PARC's single location. 

The best (but imperfect) option for browsing in the catalog is to use the subject heading "Drama"Try adding a keyword to narrow the results.

If you know the title and/or author of the play, start with the Advanced Search in the library catalog:

  • Change the "Any field" pull-down menu to Title or Author/Creator
  • If your initial search yields no results, change the "Search Scope" to Reed + Summit
  • If that still returns no results, try WorldCat. If you find the play in WorldCat, you can have it sent here by selecting Request from Reed ILL
  • Note: if you're having trouble finding the play in either our catalog or WorldCat, it may have been published as part of a larger anthology or periodical and not show up in a search by title/author. Try the steps below.

If you know the title/author or want to search by subject...

Plays that are published in anthologies or periodicals, and monologues and scenes, can also be challenging to locate. Below are some strategies for finding these texts at Reed and beyond. 

If you think a play has been published in an anthology or periodical, try the following:

Other play indices