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University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Finding Performance Reviews: In Print

A guide to locating performance reviews and criticism online and in print.

Introduction to Print Reviews & Criticism

This page provides recommended resources and tips for locating performance reviews and criticism in print through the Library. In the first box, we have collected several print periodicals, periodical indexes, and collections of reviews from major publications and divided them by discipline. In the second box, you'll find general tips and instructions for finding criticism using the library catalog. If you have difficulty using the catalog or finding the kind of information you're looking for, please don't hesitate to ask for help!

Historical Reviews in Print

Searching the Catalog for Criticism

If you are looking for works of criticism rather than specific performance reviews, use the tips below to search the library catalog.

The most efficient way to search for criticism in the catalog is by conducting a subject search

To search by subject in the catalog:

  • Open the library catalog and click on "Advanced Search" to the right of the search bar
  • Underneath "Search filters", you'll see that the default is set to "Any Field"
  • Click on the arrow next to "Any Field" and select "Subject" from the drop-down menu
  • Try a search with one of the subject headings recommended below
  • Once you've found a relevant book in the catalog, you can also use the subjects listed in the record to find additional related materials

Here are some dance subject headings you can try as you search for materials in the catalog:

Start with a search for Drama, Theater, Music, or Dance. You can narrow these results by adding a time period:

          Drama -- 19th century or Dance -- 20th century

You can narrow this further and specifically target works of criticism:

          Music -- 19th century -- History and Criticism

If you're still getting too many results or have something very specific in mind, you can narrow even further:

          Drama -- 19th century -- History and Criticism -- Bibliography

          Drama -- 19th century -- History and Criticism -- Periodicals

You can add the phrase "History and Criticism" without a region or time period:

           Music -- History and Criticism

You can also add information about a country or region

African drama -- History and Criticism

Theater -- Nigeria (In English) -- 20th Century

Music & Performing Arts Library

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Music and Performing Arts Library
Contact:
1300 Music Building
1114 W. Nevada St.
Urbana, IL 61801
217.333.1173
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Subjects: Dance, Music, Theatre