Finding Plays
Searching for Plays in the UIC Library Catalog
Use the search bar on the UIC Library Home Page to look for plays in the library catalog. You can search by entering the title of the play or the playwright's name. You can also try searching by topic and including the term "playscripts" in your search to find some of the titles in our collection that are categorized as scripts and might be of interest.
When you search in the UIC Library Catalog, your results will include some physical texts that can be found in Daley Library as well as some digital resources available digitally through UIC's databases such as Drama Online. For digital plays, follow the instructions on the record page to access the text online.
If you need support searching for scripts in the library catalog, don't hesitate to reach out to a librarian!
Searching For Plays in Online Databases
UIC students, staff, and faculty have access to a number of online databases that provide full-text or excerpts of scripts. Bellow are three popular databases for searching for plays and scripts. As with searching in the UIC Library Catalog, you can search in these databases using a play title, playwright's name, or topic.
- Drama Online
Drama Online is an award-winning digital library of nearly 4,000 playtexts, over 700 hours of video, over 400 audio plays, and over 500 books of criticism and performance practice from leading theatre publishers and companies. UIC subscribes to the Core Collection and Critical Studies & Performance Practice.
- New Play ExchangeNew Play Exchange is the world's largest digital library of scripts by living writers.
- Twentieth Century North American DramaTwentieth Century North American Drama contains 2,059 plays by 434 playwrights, and more than 150 of the plays are published here for the first time, including a number by major authors.
Streaming Media
Use these databases as a starting point to stream full length plays, interviews, and more.
- Drama Online
Drama Online is an award-winning digital library of nearly 4,000 playtexts, over 700 hours of video, over 400 audio plays, and over 500 books of criticism and performance practice from leading theatre publishers and companies. UIC subscribes to the Core Collection and Critical Studies & Performance Practice.
- Digital Theatre+
Provides online access to streaming video of current British theatre productions including behind-the-scenes documentaries as well as teaching and learning resources to facilitate understanding of the productions and texts for English Literature and Performing Arts. Includes captions.
Older versions of Google Chrome will not be able to stream video on Digital Theatre+ after December 6th, 2022.
Note: We don't subscribe to all videos.
Note: If the video happens to stop, do not click play again. Instead click Digital Theatre on the upper left hand corner to return to the main menu page and select the video again and then play. - National Theatre Collection
National Theatre Collection brings the stage to life through access to high definition streaming video of world-class productions and unique archival material offering significant insight into theatre and performance studies. Through a collaboration with the U.K.'s National Theatre, this collection offers a range of digital performance resources never previously seen outside of the National Theatre’s archive.
- Theatre In Video
Theatre In Video contains more than 250 performances of the world's leading plays, together with more than 100 film documentaries, online in streaming video. Includes captions and transcripts.
- Audio Drama: The L.A. Theatre Works Collection
Audio Drama: The L.A. Theatre Works Collection delivers, for the first time online, more than three hundred important dramatic works in streaming audio from the curated archive of the nation’s premiere radio theatre company.
- Dance In Video
Dance in Video contains five hundred hours of dance productions and documentaries by the most influential performers and companies of the 20th century. Includes captions and transcripts.
- Kanopy
Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video service for educational institutions that provides students and faculty access to more than 26,000 films. Kanopy provides students access to one of the largest collections of films in the world – including award-winning documentaries, training films and theatrical releases – on every topic imaginable. If you are a faculty member who needs a film activated for a class, please use the request form in Kanopy. Please include the class name and number, and the date the film is needed.
Librarian
Consultations
Having trouble finding the play texts you need in the library catalog? Please feel free to email me and I am happy to schedule a time to work with you. Consults can be done in person, via zoom or email.