General Resources
- theatrecrafts.comA great site for "practical information and advice about technical theatre techniques for theatre folk at any level."
- McCoy's Brief Guide to Internet Resources in Theatre and Performance StudiesAnnotated, well organized by topics such as "actors and acting," "plays and playwrights," "regional interest," "finding primary materials," "electronic texts and journals," etc.
- Women In TheatreVideo interviews from 2002-2007 including, among others: designers, actresses, directors, playwrights.
- Internet Broadway Database - IBDBProduction information from New York theatre.
- Canadian Theatre EncyclopediaEntries are generally brief, ranging from a few paragraphs to a few hundred words.
- Fashion Institute of Technology (SUNY)Many of the research guides from the SUNY FIT library are applicable to fashion and costume.
- National Endowment for the ArtsFrom the website: "The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation."
- National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA)From the website: "The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is the membership organization that unites, represents and serves the nation's state and jurisdictional arts agencies. Each of the 56 states and jurisdictions has created an agency to support excellence in and access to the arts."
- Digital Collections in Performing ArtsLinks to numerous sites documenting the global history of performance. Many sites have resources like playbills, photos, advertisements, etc.
- Of Pilcrows: Online Resources - Early Modern Plays on Stage & PageThis is an evolving list of online databases, catalogues, projects, digital archives, videos, reference works, etc., maintained by Dr. Claire M.L. Bourne of the University of Pennsylvania. It aims to enrich the study of early modern English plays at the intersection of performance and print. The list also includes ‘Vital Contexts’ resources that help situate the drama of the period in its social, political, cultural, and economic circumstances.
- Grantmakers in the ArtsFrom the website: "A national network of private, public, and corporate arts funders, Grantmakers in the Arts provides leadership and service that advances the use of philanthropic and governmental resources to support the growth of arts and culture."
Costuming and Makeup
Every issue of The Journal of Dress History includes an updated "Guide to Online Sources for Dress History Research." (It's usually at the end of the journal issue.)
Take a look at their recommendations, or check out some of these sources:
- Textile MuseumThe Textile Museum expands public knowledge and appreciation – locally, nationally and internationally – of the artistic merits and cultural importance of the world’s textiles.
- MilieuxThe Costume Site
A large collection of websites related to theatrical costumes. Sections for Armor, Wigs, Shoes, etc. - Kent State Fashion Library LinksIncludes section on Clothing & Costume History
- The Henry Art Gallery’s Costume and Textile Collection"Resource for studying the construction and design of fiber-based objects, their relationship to other art forms, and their historical and cultural role in the societies that produced them."
- The Index of American DesignPart of the National Gallery of Art
- Fashion Plate CollectionFrom Blanche Payne, who taught historic costume and apparel design in the School of Home Economics at the University of Washington
- Fashion: Past & PresentLinks to images of clothing, hair, and jewelry.
- Historic ClothingThe main page focuses on Victorian Clothing, but look for the links to fashion of the 1920s, and other eras.
- The Metropolitan Museum of ArtBeautiful photos of works by the likes of Dior, House of Worth and others.
- Vintage Sewing PatternsThis is a wiki devoted to sharing sewing patterns that are 25+ years old. Browse by decade, clothing type, pattern brand, etc.
- Fashion - Europeana CollectionsExplore fashion – historical clothing and accessories, contemporary designs, catwalk photographs, drawings, sketches, plates, catalogues and videos – from more than 30 European public and private institutions.
- Underpinnings MuseumAn online archive dedicated to the history of underwear. Collection ranges from the 1770s through the present.
- Textile Research CentreTry searching by country and then limiting by category (body wear or accessories) or gender.
- Costume Institute of the African DiasporaA source of information regarding costume, dress and adornment history from around the African Diaspora. Also active on Twitter.
Monologues in the Public Domain
- Collection of public domain monologues organized by gender and genre.
- Collection of Shakespeare's monologues organized by gender, play, and genre.
- Offers a selection of classic monologues in the public domain as well as original, royalty free monologues.
Theatres & Actors
- 19th Century Actors and Theater PhotographsOver 600 photographs including cartes-de-visite and cabinet card studio portraits of entertainers, actors, and actresses who performed on the American stage in the mid- to late 1800s. (University of Washington Libraries)
- Pamphlet and Textual Documents CollectionA digital collection from the University of Washington. Includes theatre programs from the late 1800s to early 1900s.
- J. Willis Sayre PhotographsThe collection consists of a selection of 9,856 images from more than 24,000 photographs of theatrical and vaudeville performers, musicians, and entertainers who played in Seattle between about 1900 and 1955 (some of the materials date back to the 1870s). The collector was J. Willis Sayre: drama critic, journalist, promoter. (from the University of Washington Libraries)
- The Victoria and Albert MuseumCollection areas include History, Pantomime, Dance, and Black theatre and performance.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsSearch for 'Theatre' to find stereoscopic images of theatres and more.
Stage Management & Lighting
- Stage Lighting for StudentsA general site on stage lighting
- Theatrical Lighting DatabaseThis collection contains actual plots, focus charts, cue sheets and much more from four landmark productions digitized from the collections of the New York Public Library.