Maryland State Library Resource Center

Enoch Pratt Free Library

Theater Research at Your Library - Maryland State Library Resource Center

Theater Research at Your Library

Researching Theater and Finding Plays

Girona Theater

Are you looking for a play to perform?  The searchable Pamphlet Play Collection index includes over 6000 acting versions of play scripts. The database is searchable by a variety of fields including: title, author, category, length, subject, genre, cast size, and more. 

The collection includes: 

• 19th and 20th century British and American plays
• Monologues
• Religious, Christmas and other holiday plays

The plays are located in the Humanities Department and can be checked out or inter-library loaned.

For career information, visit our Job and Career Information Center.

The Periodicals Department has professional journals related to theater. You can locate titles using the Pratt Electronic Newsstand, which allows people to search by subject. 

Websites

Doollee is an online database of playwrights and theater plays. Included are lists of plays’ first productions, and publication information. Also included are links to theater companies worldwide and other theater information.

Internet Broadway Database is the official database for Broadway and contains lists of productions, from New York theater’s start through today.  Highlights include people, information and production statistics. Get a list of every play’s production history or your favorite actor's credits.

Internet Off-Broadway Database (The Lortel Archives) provides all information available for each off-Broadway show, including credits, original and replacement cast members, awards, number of performances, and much more. 

Tony Awards Find out which play’s been nominated, history and past winners.

Maryland Theater

Greater Baltimore Theater Guide
An alphabetical listing of theaters in Baltimore.

Arts Theater, from Maryland Government includes a listing of Maryland theaters, listed by county, and some Maryland actors.

Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance serves the Baltimore arts and culture community. Includes a calendar of upcoming events, job listings, a list of member organizations and individuals. It provides its own training grants and training, list other grants and funding sources, and links to other arts organizations.

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival website promotes Maryland and DC playwrights through public readings, discussions, critiques and workshopping of new plays. Their summer season is devoted to the presentation of these newly developed works for the entertainment and cultural edification of local audiences.

Databases

dance

The following databases can be accessed using your Enoch Pratt Free Library card.

Black Drama contains full texts of  1,462 plays by 233 playwrights and information on productions and theaters and theater ephemera.

Literature Sources: Artemis allows people to search for criticism, in periodicals and books, and searches can be done by author, title and subject.

Recent performance reviews can be found in General Proquest.

Older reviews can be found in Historical Newspapers.

If You Need More Help

Contact us by email through our Ask A Librarian Service, call (410) 396-5430, or write:

Enoch Pratt Free Library
State Library Resource Center
400 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

Statewide Training & Events

Calendar

From Merlin, the learning community for Maryland library staff