Theater
New Plays in the Library
Finding Plays
Because the Library of Congress classifies drama as literature, drama is, for the most part, scattered throughout the literature section in the Rutgers University Libraries, depending on where and in what language it was originally written. Many scripts, however, are located in the Playscripts Section on the ground floor of Douglass Library and can be easily browsed.
- RUL Playscripts Collection Search PortalUse this online collection to search and browse Rutgers University Libraries' playscripts across all locations and online.
Searching for Plays
Plays are usually given the subject heading "Drama" or some variation of it (examples below), which you can search for in the advanced search in QuickSearch. You can also search for the material type "Books" to filter out journal articles. Unfortunately "Drama" also describes books that are about theater, so not all search results will be plays.
- Drama
- American Drama
- English Drama
- English Drama--19th century [can be added to any nationality]
- English Drama--20th century
- Russian Drama
- Spanish Drama
- Dramatic monologues
If you are searching for plays based on author, subject, genre, grade-interest level, publication date, or required performing forces, use:
- UCI Drama Library TagpackerLibrarian Scott Stone has been describing plays' subjects, genres, performing forces, awards, and information about playwrights in this search portal. You can use it to identify plays that you are interested in, then come back to check if Rutgers has a copy.
Online Play Collections
- Black DramaContains the text of 1200 plays by 201 playwrights, together with detailed information on productions, theaters, and production companies. Dates range from 1850 to the present. Featured playwrights include Amiri Baraka, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ntozake Shange.
- Early English Books Online (EEBO)Full-text, online image collection containing practically all books (nearly 120,000) printed in the English language and non-English language books printed in British territories from 1475 to 1700, including over 400 plays.
- Eighteenth Century DramaA collection of digitized play manuscripts, including nearly every play submitted for license in the U.K. from 1737-1824.
- Latino Literature: Poetry, Drama, and FictionA collection of creative works by Latino authors. Novels, poems, and dramatic works are the main focus of the collection, but it also includes supplementary materials related to dramatic productions such as playbills, production stills, and audio files, and it contains a small amount of miscellaneous nonfiction.
- Nineteenth Century Collections OnlineOver 600 plays in English from the nineteenth century are available in this collection. Search under the Document Type "play" in the Advanced Search.
Browsing for Plays
Plays are scattered throughout the literature section of various libraries, and are available in the Script Section on the ground floor of Douglass Library, where they are organized alphabetically by author. Many are also available online in QuickSearch or in online collections.
Here are some guideposts if you want to browse plays (usually ordered by author or editor's last name) by the country or region of origin:
PA3000-3049: Classical literature
PA3050-4505: Greek literature
PA6000-6971: Roman literature
PA8001-8595: Medieval and modern Latin literature
PB1369: Irish Language Drama
PG3240-3255: Russian Drama
PL764-769: Japanese Drama
PL977-979: Korean Drama
PL2566-2603: Chinese Drama
PL8009.5-8014: African Language Literature
PM187: Drama in Native American Languages
PN6119.9: Drama for Children
PQ1211-1241: Collections of French Drama
PQ4227-4245: Collections of Italian Drama
PQ6217-6241: Collections of Spanish Drama
PR1241-1273: Collections of English Drama
PR2411-3195: English Renaissance Drama
PR3291+ : 17th and 18th Century English Literature (by author)
PR3991+: 19th Century English Literature (by author)
PR5990+: 1900-1960 English Literature (by author)
PR6050+: 1961-2000 English Literature (by author)
PR6100+: 2001-present English Literature (by author)
PS623-635: Collections of American Drama
PS700+: Colonial American Literature (by author)
PS991+: 19th Century American Literature (by author)
PS3500+: 1900-1960 American Literature (by author)
PS3550+: 1960-2000 American Literature (by author)
PS3600+: 2001-present American Literature (by author)
PT1251-1299: Collections of German Drama
Finding Monologues
Finding the right monologue for you can be a daunting challenge. Fortunately, there are many resources through the library and on the internet that can help you find the perfect one.
You can browse our print collection of monologue books at PN2080 and PN4035 in Douglass Library.
You can also search our online and print collection in QuickSearch. Go to the advanced search, and do a subject search for "Monologues."
Don't forget to learn about the original play for your monologue excerpts, so you know what the context of the monologue is. Use the resources above to find the original play.
Online Monologue Resources
You can also use these online resources to find suitable monologues for any situation:
- Actorama - MonologuesHere you can search monologues from movies, plays, television and books according to gender, source material, type (dramatic, comic, serio-comic), main action/emotions explored, period, genre or specific keywords (e.g. title or author).
- Backstage - The MonologuerThe Monologuer contains an assortment of classical and contemporary monologues from plays, including Shakespeare, for males, females, kids, and adults. Use the filters to find the monologues perfect for you: search by author, gender, and theme.